It may not be a well known fact, but hard boats (kayaks, and white water canoes) are not one size fits all. Hard to believe I know.
I've come to know this fact well, because I am not an average size person. I tend to be on the upper side of the 225lb scale, but at 6'8" I'd rather not drop bellow 200lb. That being said, I don't fit in many boats. And, those that I do fit in are not comfortable right off the bat. I have to put a bit of work into my boats to get them bearable.
My canoe is an example of this, as it took me three days of off and on work for my knees and thighs to fit in the saddle (seat) snugly instead of compactingly tight. (I'm in a kneeling position while paddling my canoe.)
I don't have a photo of this, but trust me that it hurt every time I got in it during the first day.
But, of course fitment and modifications didn't spot there. The third time I ever sat in the canoe, while it was floating on a body of water, was a seven day trip down the Main Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho towards the end of August. (My Family does lots of multi-day trips like this.) None the less, around day 4 or 5, I dug a rasp out of one of our raft repair kits and set to work on the foam saddle again. This was do to a tight right knee canal, and a cramp that seemed to settle in to my right calf.
That's long legs for you. If they're eliminating the need for a ladder, they'll complain about confined spaces. Being tall is not all it's cracked up to be. But, for now I'll take a little pain and a life time of fun over a life time of regret.
Ever now I'm still working on the canoe. With the addition of ankle blocks and hip pads I plan on improving both my comfort and my control of my craft. I'm hopping that the weather will be favorable, and I can get a run before winter fully sets in. but it seems unlikely as October has come to a close.
As a side note, I'm still new to the world of white water canoeing. And, I don't care what craft takes me down a river as long as I can enjoy it.
Talk to you later,
Yeti
I've come to know this fact well, because I am not an average size person. I tend to be on the upper side of the 225lb scale, but at 6'8" I'd rather not drop bellow 200lb. That being said, I don't fit in many boats. And, those that I do fit in are not comfortable right off the bat. I have to put a bit of work into my boats to get them bearable.
My canoe is an example of this, as it took me three days of off and on work for my knees and thighs to fit in the saddle (seat) snugly instead of compactingly tight. (I'm in a kneeling position while paddling my canoe.)
I don't have a photo of this, but trust me that it hurt every time I got in it during the first day.
But, of course fitment and modifications didn't spot there. The third time I ever sat in the canoe, while it was floating on a body of water, was a seven day trip down the Main Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho towards the end of August. (My Family does lots of multi-day trips like this.) None the less, around day 4 or 5, I dug a rasp out of one of our raft repair kits and set to work on the foam saddle again. This was do to a tight right knee canal, and a cramp that seemed to settle in to my right calf.
That's long legs for you. If they're eliminating the need for a ladder, they'll complain about confined spaces. Being tall is not all it's cracked up to be. But, for now I'll take a little pain and a life time of fun over a life time of regret.
Ever now I'm still working on the canoe. With the addition of ankle blocks and hip pads I plan on improving both my comfort and my control of my craft. I'm hopping that the weather will be favorable, and I can get a run before winter fully sets in. but it seems unlikely as October has come to a close.
As a side note, I'm still new to the world of white water canoeing. And, I don't care what craft takes me down a river as long as I can enjoy it.
Talk to you later,
Yeti
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