Kayak seat in canoe

Anybody put a kayak type low molded seat into a canoe? I just put a second seat into my mini canoe and now I'm thinking it would be easier to handle with a kayak paddle and easier on my back and knees than a canoe seat or kneeling.
Jim

I have not done it myself, but I know that many of the NY canoe manufacturers who design sit on bottom, pack canoes do now have these types seats. Hemlock canoes and Placid Boat Works both install these types of seats. I am sure they would be extremely helpful in answering questions as they have proven to do so int he past. Charlie Wilson, is a well known canoeist in these parts. You will find him on adkforum.com, he is a wealth of info and has worked with many of the canoe designers (e.g. David Yost) and manufacturers. Last I know he was working or consulting with PlacidBoatWorks. He always gives great info.

dT

They do make seat backers as well as fishing style seats that have flip up backs. My Old Town Pack came with a seat with a back on it. I cut it off, though, since floating under blow downs was impossible with it. I could not lay back, which is a real problem in South Jersey rivers.

eggs
I find that a small chain saw makes quick work of stream blow down.
Jim

I've been told by the rangers in the State Forest they fawn on that. Odd they will allow a handsaw.

I have a great Bucksaw I made the frame for and it works pretty well. But it is pretty easy to just lay back and float under them, unless the water is high

eggs
My canoe is an old 12 foot oldtown "pack" 34 pounds of Royalite - is that like yours? It has an integral seat in it, but my wife and I have used it for 30 years with her sitting in the seat facing forwards and I sat on/kneeled on a saddle made of dense foam, which unfortuanely blew away somewhere on highway 40 in the Mojave Desert.

I'm thinking of sitting in the folding stadium chair on the bottom in the back with a double bladed paddle while my wife paddles with a normal canoe paddle, however I do have two kayak paddles so maybe we'll try that also - two people two kayak paddles.

Any ideas?
Jim

Sounds the same I think mine is royalex but not sure bought it second hand like all my boats.

We just redid the seat in my buddies Bell Wildfire.

Pretty easy to hang a seat from the gunnels. We used 4 inch or maybe 5 inch SS bolts and for spacers I have some carbon fiber tubing we cut. Very stable. My pack is basically the same, seat hung from the gunnels.

Pretty small boat length wise for two paddlers but it sounds like you have it working for you.

My Pack

You can do this for sure.

Canoes are usually wider, which can be a problem when paddling with a kayak paddle, but you should be able to make up for this by raising the kayak seat up higher. You should still have enough stability with the extra beam, but it does become a bit of a tradeoff between stability and paddling ease and efficiency, and visability also. You might want to make it adjustable.

For paddling with a kayak seat a full foot brace is useful, both heels and toes. Foot straps can also help so you can pull with your legs as well as push. Then you can really brace well, for extra stability and power, and it can be more comfortable on the legs also as you can relax more also. The seat padding can be a bit of a tradeoff between enough padding to spread the weight over more butt and thigh area, and less padding so that you can twist a little better and get more leg action into your paddling. For longer distances I go for the padding, and it really pays off if the cushion is matched to the shape of your butt. I like it adjustable in slope also so you can put more pressure or less pressure on your thighs. An adjustable backrest is also helpful.

If you are at all likely to tip or swamp, it can be very helpful to have foam padding along the insides of the seating area, and not just bouyancy and storage bags on the ends of the canoe. The padding on both sides of the seating area will provide alot of stability when swamped, and also mean less water to bail out.

I bought a low folding stadium chair for my single seat canoe. If I want to take another person (my wife) she sits on the one seat and it is in the bow. The low folding chair in the back doesn't work too well with the double bladed paddle because the canoe is quite wide and the paddle hits the gunwales before getting very deep in the water. I fell better sitting higher and using a traditional canoe paddle, but when paddling into a wind, the wind is trying to push the bow off track, and it was easier to sit in the canoe seat with the kayak paddle while going into the wind. Sitting higher let the paddle dip deeper into the water.
I would ride in the folding chair with the kayak paddle while my wife took the bow with a canoe paddle, even though the kayak paddle hits the side of the boat more.
Jim.
Jim

Higher seat for sure for a wider beam. That's the ticket. Get up as high as you can, even if your wife needs to sit lower. that should help. She probably has less beam, and with the canoe paddle has less trouble with beam and freeboard. She still needs a comfortable seat though.

Kayak paddle for the engine room and a canoe paddle up forward is a good way to go. For some reason the woman up front works best, for canoes, kayaks, bicycles, whatever. Not sure why. Pretty to look at I guess.