I have no choice, there will be times I need to solo my spirit II. What do you folks think of the spring creek drop in seat ?
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drop in seat
- Thread starter S.Shepherd
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I've used one a few times, way better than sitting on a pack or cooler. Much better flipped over an used as a portage yoke. I personally did not care for it, but it wasn't my canoe. I did notice that the guy that owned the canoe (18' Souris River) never used it, except as the yoke.There are probably better options, but they would be permanent.
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I don't have any experience with the spring creek seat but I do have two different ones that work pretty well but are apparently no longer in production.
Check out the sling seat on this link. I have one that's almost identical but it came from Canada.
https://www.norfolk-canoes.co.uk/equipment/canoe-seats.htm
I also have one that was called a Solo Strap that fits tandems if the gunnels aren't too thick. I'm in St Joseph if you are nearby you could try it and I'd sell it for $25. Happy to post a pic if you like.
Any of of these will pull your gunnels in a little bit towards center of boat because they add some lateral tension vs a pure hanging seat but they do work.
It's not hard to add a permanent kneeling thwart but they do add weight to the boat.
Check out the sling seat on this link. I have one that's almost identical but it came from Canada.
https://www.norfolk-canoes.co.uk/equipment/canoe-seats.htm
I also have one that was called a Solo Strap that fits tandems if the gunnels aren't too thick. I'm in St Joseph if you are nearby you could try it and I'd sell it for $25. Happy to post a pic if you like.
Any of of these will pull your gunnels in a little bit towards center of boat because they add some lateral tension vs a pure hanging seat but they do work.
It's not hard to add a permanent kneeling thwart but they do add weight to the boat.
I am the last guy on earth who should be criticizing unattractiveness (lol) but man that Spring Creek drop in seat is fugly! Sorry, don't take it personally, but I'd rather sit on a pack than put that in my boat. The sling seat looks very interesting! Gumpus is on to something there! I wouldn't gram-weenie agonize and refuse the kneeling thwart idea either, I like mine.
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We tried a sling seat. It was barely adequate for a non-paddling kid passenger in the middle and largely unusable for paddling seated from the center. Sheer physics; imagine paddling from a swing.
It worked marginally well as a kneeling sling, but even then a kneeling thwart was far better.
It worked marginally well as a kneeling sling, but even then a kneeling thwart was far better.
The sling solid webbed seat might be the upgrade, tho' I worry about the clamp hooks over the gunnels.
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Mike's comment is a good reminder; I'm a kneeler and used the Solo Strap in my Bluewater Freedom 17 and it worked pretty well (they take some fiddling to get everything adjusted just right) but can't comment on using either of mine for sitting because I've never done it. Regarding physics the Solo Strap would swing more than the Sling Seat for a sitting person since it has just one attachment point on each side vs two. Kneeling thwarts are more solid and would also be my preference but not sure they are as comfy since they are typically pretty narrow and dig into your butt...but you can always add padding to the thwart or wear padded bicycle shorts or undies. The sling type seat I have from Canada has nice thick clear plastic tubing over the metal u-hooks to protect your gunnels and even if the (kind of expensive) UK seats don't have it you could add it easily. Even a "permanent" kneeling thwart could be removed quite easily and I imagine that if you are handy it would not be too hard to make or modify one to make it more like a removable yoke. I would also sit on a small cooler before trying the spring creek seat. I have two tandems that can be soloed and both have extra center seats for max comfort.
tell me about this "saddle". How comfortable are they ? easy to put in/take out ?
I don't care about ugly (obviously, look at me ) I just care if it works or doesn't. I thought it looked a bit wonky but I figured first hand knowledge is better than buying junk.
A saddle looks interesting, maybe a kneeling thwart if it's ok on bad knees and strong enough to take enough weight off of them
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I'm just trying to give you more options. A kneeling thwart will easily support the weight of a heavy person. Both a kneeling thwart or a sling type seat will take SOME of the weight off your knees but if kneeling hurts you then both will hurt. With a kneeling thwart or seat you definitely want a kneeling pad or gardeners knee pads.
Pics show my Solo Strap and sling type drop in seat. Both go in and out in less than a minute.
It's hard to predict how comfy they would feel for you. Like Odyssey I also like the look of the drop in seat on the UK seat that uses a real seat with strap attachments and it would go in and out in seconds but you'd still be taking a chance buying one.
Do you use the carrying yoke on your Spirit 2? If not I'd say take it out and put in a real center seat from edscanoe.com. That would be your most comfortable option for sitting. You also have the option of removing your center yoke, adding a permanent center seat, and buying the hardware to make your yoke removable so you could still use it when needed. I think Northstar Canoes sells the hardware.
If you want my Solo Strap it's $20 but pick up only since I don't want to mess with shipping it.
Pics show my Solo Strap and sling type drop in seat. Both go in and out in less than a minute.
It's hard to predict how comfy they would feel for you. Like Odyssey I also like the look of the drop in seat on the UK seat that uses a real seat with strap attachments and it would go in and out in seconds but you'd still be taking a chance buying one.
Do you use the carrying yoke on your Spirit 2? If not I'd say take it out and put in a real center seat from edscanoe.com. That would be your most comfortable option for sitting. You also have the option of removing your center yoke, adding a permanent center seat, and buying the hardware to make your yoke removable so you could still use it when needed. I think Northstar Canoes sells the hardware.
If you want my Solo Strap it's $20 but pick up only since I don't want to mess with shipping it.
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Ed's has several seats that would work perfectly as a center seat in your Spirit 2. Just get one that is wider than you need so you can trim it to fit. Contact Ed with any questions, he makes top notch stuff and the customer service is excellent.
https://www.edscanoe.com/canoeseats.html
Here's the link to the northstar accessories page and if you scroll down you'll see clamp on hardware for $35 that you can use to make your yoke removable to give you room for a center seat. A permanent center seat will add structure to the canoe to offset the structure that you give up by removing the permanent yoke.
https://northstarcanoes.com/accessories/yokes-thwarts/
https://www.edscanoe.com/canoeseats.html
Here's the link to the northstar accessories page and if you scroll down you'll see clamp on hardware for $35 that you can use to make your yoke removable to give you room for a center seat. A permanent center seat will add structure to the canoe to offset the structure that you give up by removing the permanent yoke.
https://northstarcanoes.com/accessories/yokes-thwarts/
HA! I never thought of removing the yoke ! I only use it for loading, unloading. That sounds like an option for sure ! Thanks
Years of martial arts and age has taken it's toll on my knees. They're not bad, but I'm not as young as I once was. I like the idea on a kneeling thwart but I don't think I could stay in that position for hours
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It's good to hear that we may have found an option that sounds right for you. Just FYI most factory kneeling thwarts are too far back from the ideal seating position just to avoid trapping you between the yoke and thwart if you swamp the boat.
I think the ideal position for a fixed center seat is 10-12 inches behind the center of the boat (10-12 in behind the yoke). I measured my Blackhawk and the front edge of the seat is 11 inches behind the center of boat as shown in the pic.
Finally, I'd say remember to use stainless steel washers on top and bottom of the fasteners for your new seat because you get a much better clamp load when the fasteners can't burrow into the wood. And if you leave your yoke in place until your center seat is installed and then remove the yoke you will be guaranteed that the boat keeps it's original shape.
I think the ideal position for a fixed center seat is 10-12 inches behind the center of the boat (10-12 in behind the yoke). I measured my Blackhawk and the front edge of the seat is 11 inches behind the center of boat as shown in the pic.
Finally, I'd say remember to use stainless steel washers on top and bottom of the fasteners for your new seat because you get a much better clamp load when the fasteners can't burrow into the wood. And if you leave your yoke in place until your center seat is installed and then remove the yoke you will be guaranteed that the boat keeps it's original shape.
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In that scenario I am a fan of simply installing a strap yoke at the balance point.
http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...ng-discussions/diy/74927-strap-yoke-variation
I have a strap yoke in each of our solo canoes, including a soloized Penobscot and a soloized 70+ lb RX Explorer.
Mohawk sells them
https://www.mohawkcanoes.com/collections/seats-yokes-and-thwarts/products/webbing-yoke
But they are simple to DIY with some 2” webbing.
