Bench vs. Bucket Seats: Which Is Better On A Canoe?

[Erica]

I rented a winonah with a bucket seat for a trip in the Adirondack’s. I hated it. I can’t sit in a bucket and paddle. My body just isn’t built that way.

Regular bench seats have always been my preference because they allow for so much variety in seating options and where to put legs and feet.

But the forward dipped seat in the Colden Dragonfly solves all my problems. I can paddle kneeling all day in comfort. I’m not sure what the secret is. Probably some fortunate combination of details that work well for me.

 

[lowangle al]

My Spirit II has bucket seats and I'm not a fan. First thing you can't comfortably paddle backwards from the bow seat. Second thing is I sometimes like to have my body right up against the gunnel to get my weight in the chine of the boat for a better carve. It also limits how much I can affect trim by making it uncomfortable to hang my butt over the back of the seat to lighten my bow. They are comfortable though and may be the ticket in a narrow solo but they don't cut it in the tandem boats I paddle.

 

[tketcham]

Interesting to me that you like the high back seat; I'm guessing that you lock in tightly. I'd like to understand how much bend is in your knees...how high your knees stick up.

The high back seems to provide better support and definitely helps lock you into the seat. I also raised the seat up about an inch and ramped the seat forward (as yknpdlr mentioned) to get my feet get a bit lower and change the pressure points on my butt. Better paddling position as well. As for knee bend, I can't easily get the canoe out to sit and measure, but I probably prefer less bend than many hit-and-switch canoeists based on observations.

Using layers of strategically placed foam, like a custom alpine ski boot fitter, isn't something I've needed with the GRB Newman seat but I'm definitely going to try it with our Wenonah Odyssey seats. I padded the GRB seat with a single layer of Therm-A-Rest Z-lite foam. I'd like to try a high back Zaveral seat to see how it fits before buying; $90 isn't a lot of money but then I might end up with a seat I don't want and selling/donating stuff is a hassle.

 

[Gamma1214]

...First thing you can't comfortably paddle backwards from the bow seat...

The only tandem that I've ever paddled solo from the bow seat was the blue Sawyer that I took to the BWCA 4 years ago. Before I left, I removed the bow bucket, drilled the supports and reinstalled the seat facing the stern. I can switch it back in about 10 minutes if I need to. (Probably should, actually... I can't see paddling it solo at this point, so I should switch it back to being a dedicated tandem)

 

[lowangle al]

The only tandem that I've ever paddled solo from the bow seat was the blue Sawyer that I took to the BWCA 4 years ago. Before I left, I removed the bow bucket, drilled the supports and reinstalled the seat facing the stern. I can switch it back in about 10 minutes if I need to. (Probably should, actually... I can't see paddling it solo at this point, so I should switch it back to being a dedicated tandem)

I'm not familiar with the boat, but it might solo fine from the stern seat.

 

[Gamma1214]

It was OK. The Raven that I built last year is just better

 

[dramey]

I have never sat in a tractor seat in a canoe. I don’t think I would care for it.