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.

 

[dutchlennart]

The famous 2 words are in place;
It depends.
On many factors most are mentiond already.

Some Thoughts/facts


Wenonah have had at least 3 different buckets to those from. There is difference in material and shape.

The market for wenonah in the us is different then uk Germany or aus.

In europe they had a big share of the higher end of the market without much competetion . In the uk i think they sold a ratio of 3 rx boats to 1 composite. I think the ratio in the us is 1 to 3.
In the uk much paddling is done on rivers in daytrips or max a week of a moving river mostly mixed with big lakes. Finding a week long flatwater is hard.

Germany has less natual rivers of wind lakes. Still it is hard to do a weeklong paddle without an abundance of shop cities villages.

buckets or benches are not the only options Saddles and pedestals are there as well..

Best allround seat i know is the one from loonworks.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

...rarely do we reconsider how we sit in our boats. And where we live determines how we sit.

Hardly. These articles (including the linked article about sitting vs kneeling) always crack me up.

Like someone already mentioned, it depends. And I think the hight and angle of the seat are more important considerations than bucket vs bench. And the bucket pretty much demands a foot brace for best effect, where a bench is most useful with kneepads and maybe even thigh straps.

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

I assumed the same until I tried the Solitude. I can't imagine liking a bucket in something like the Wildfire, but in the Solitude, it is perfect. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I can do with that combination of seat, foot bar, and pads under the gunwales - and sitting in it all day is not a problem. My only complaint is that my butt tends to get damp because the seat doesn't breathe - but that's a minor complaint since I wear fast drying fabrics.

I do prefer a contoured bench rather than a flat bench. It's just so much more comfortable. And I prefer that raised enough to kneel safely. Too low of a seat also makes kneeling less comfortable. I've had to raise the seat in a couple of my solos, and doing so has not caused me any lasting stability problems.

If I had to reduce myself to one canoe and it had to be a tandem, I would stick to bench seats for the versatility. But my favorite solo perch in a tandem is a kneeling thwart well behind the yoke. I like that because kneeling there enhances reach for all manner of strokes, and sliding across to switch sides is easier than with any seat.

My favorite for maneuverability though is no seat (standing in a tandem ) or a pedestal/saddle in a solo boat. A custom foam saddle with thigh straps and a wide aft section for optional feet-forward sitting is just heaven for me in a 15' or shorter solo. Multiple seating/kneeling positions, ultimate control when needed, and no danger of foot entrapment.

 

[Odyssey]

"In one school of thought, bench seats make a tandem canoe more stable if each paddler sits with their hip pressed to the paddle side. I have done this experiment: Sit both paddlers centered in a tandem canoe. Have a friend rock the canoe from side to side. See how easily it rolls side to side? Now have each paddler shift their butt to opposite sides and do the same. You should notice it is much more stable that way. Plus, it puts the paddle in a much better position for ease of forward power and other control strokes." yknpdlr
Thanks for this!

 

[scoutergriz]

"In one school of thought, bench seats make a tandem canoe more stable if each paddler sits with their hip pressed to the paddle side. I have done this experiment: Sit both paddlers centered in a tandem canoe. Have a friend rock the canoe from side to side. See how easily it rolls side to side? Now have each paddler shift their butt to opposite sides and do the same. You should notice it is much more stable that way. Plus, it puts the paddle in a much better position for ease of forward power and other control strokes." yknpdlr
Thanks for this!

for stability, there's only so much you can do with gear- my regular bowman is almost 50lbs lighter than me, allowing us the ability to shift our positions slightly makes an immediate difference in trim and stability that can't always be done sufficiently by just moving gear, and it allows you the ability to instantly switch your balance points to counter wind or current changes for level paddling- my buddy usually sits tight to the gunwale while I sit a couple of inches inboard, but we can shift either way without stopping or pausing to shift packs to compensate for a strong, sudden crosswind. our positions also can make an enormous difference in carving, allowing us to intentionally lean the canoe to facilitate sharper turns- a key ability in tight, weed or alder choked channels