Seat Pads

The way you sit in a kayak places almost all your weight on your butt, and there is little way to vary your position. In a short time you can get very sore. If your kayak has any kind of seat pad at all, it is a thin hard cruel joke that does not help in the least.

These thick neoprene foam bleacher cushions are a huge improvement over the thin pads that come with the boat ( if it even has those! ) Stack two for real comfort. Tie them to the seatback with a piece of bungie cord.

If your boat has an adjustable seat back, adjust it slightly forward of vertical. That way, when you lean on it, it will be straight and support your back the way it should.


Update:

I recently took the factory seat pad off my boat. I’ve come to the conclusion that it does nothing at all. I think it was just put there for looks. For whatever it is worth, I now sit a half inch lower in the boat. I also took the sun-beaten pad off the backrest, and don’t miss it at all.


Your new boat probably came with a paddle. I’ve never seen a boat come with a good paddle. It is just a starter, to get you going. Get a good paddle that is the right size for you. It will make a world of difference. Keep the old one for a spare. Rule of thumb: your paddle should be about your height. If you install a thick seat cushion, you might want to go a little longer even.

I regard my paddle as an emergency signalling device as well, which is why I like the yellow color pictured, especially if your boat is some camouflage shade of green.

Printed from njkayak.net