special thanks to playak.com for the text and images for
this article. special thanks to playak.com for the text and images for
this article.
To start I removed the seat and foot pegs from the kayak version. I then plotted out the center of the boat which is between the bolts where the thigh straps attach at the cockpit rim. I used mini-cell foam to make the saddle which is 7" high with a 7' high back rest. More foam was used for the knee cups and ankle blocks. The original foam pillars were removed and an anchoring plastic dowel installed through them and re-installed. A piece of PVC rain downspout with a wooden insert (drilled out to reduce the weight) connects the forward and aft foam pillars through 1/4' plastic sheet plates. The saddle straddles the PVC pillar glue to it and the hull. When in the boat the center line of the boat passes through the middle of my upper body. I used a double equalizing thigh strap system which anchors via a bolt just outside the knee through the centre pillar D ring and to the original seat mounting bolts. Strap adjusting buckles are linked together with a cored passed through a plastic tube for easy quick wet exits. The boat it well trimed, stable and just a lot of fun to paddle. I chose the Z due to my physical size which is 6'2" 220lbs.
Jamie Dors, CANADA
