Sit or Kneel | SouthernPaddler.com

Sit or Kneel

funbun

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2007
214
1
Alabama
Which have you guys found to be more comfortable? I'm considering kneeling just to try it out. Do you need a pillow or something between your butt and ankles?
 

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
Seedtick has a very interesting kneeling seat maybe we can find picture of it. Heres the only one I can find for now.
kneelingseat.jpg

You can just see the top of the seat in the Yellow pirogue.
 

funbun

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2007
214
1
Alabama
I thought of buying one of those plastic jon boat type seat from Cheap-Mart. But your seat seems a better match. Is it hard to build? I guess if I'm building a pirogue then a seat shouldn't be too bad.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Years ago, my wife and I were looking for a dining room suite. (That's table and chairs.) I sat on and tested a LOT of chairs. See, I have this funny idea that a chair should be comfortable to sit in, for an extended period of time.

What I found was that a hard wooden chair - with a properly shaped seat - was more comfortable than a chair with a flat board for a seat and a pad on that flat board.

It all comes down to psi - Pounds per square Inch of pressure. If your derriere is sitting on a small area, there is a lot more pressure in that area than if you are sitting on a larger area. More cunning than that, though, is how well that contact area fits your individual hiney. Any pressure points will soon make themselves known to you. Mark them and hollow out that part of the seat. Test again, make spots and hollow them out some more. Repeat until you find no more pressure points.

On Chuck's boat seat, it looks like it extends out to support the bottoms of your thighs too. Hollow out to fit the bottom of our thighs and it will be even more comfortable. Then it will fit YOU. Not someone else - YOU.
 

rpecot

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2006
406
0
Katy, TX
I'll kneel sometimes just to break up the monotony of sitting on my butt for hours on end. Never really knelt for an extended period though. You can certainly feel more of your stroke being translated into forward movement when kneeling.
 

tx river rat

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2007
3,043
2
Waco Tx
If I was kneeling in a boat for any length of time you would have to get a crane to get me out of it
not a option for me and I have my better half believing I can't kneel , thats my story and I am sticking to it
Ron
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Many canoes here, in canoe country of the Canadian Shield, have a seat with a lowered front edge. This is meant so a paddler can either sit in the seat. or slide off and kneel in front of it when going gets rough. He can lean his butt back against the low, rounded front edge of the seat for a while, then slip (or, in my case, groan) his way back onto the seat.

One caveat - do NOT - repeat - do NOT stick your feet back under the seat. This is the kiss of death in case of capsize. You may well not ever get your feet out from under the seat of an inverted canoe.

Don't worry, though, an hour later, or a few days later, someone will get your boat out of the water and remove your feet from under the seat for you. By that time, you will never notice it.
 

oldyaker

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
1,949
31
rpecot said:
You can certainly feel more of your stroke being translated into forward movement when kneeling.

Russ is right as rain and if go thru some questionable rapids, you have so much more powerful control going thru the frothy water.

Chucks seat is real easy to build, a good looker too. Good simple design, and a very functional seat.