I recently purchased a solo ww canoe with a foam saddle. After an hour my knees, ankles and lower legs were aching. I want to try the old Perception saddle that allowed for 2 positions. That way I can ride up on the seat for flat water and ride in the saddle for whitewater. Some here had mentioned the had these from old boats. Thanks, Ben.
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I'm looking for the old Perception saddle for ww boats. I'm near Roanoke Virginia.
- Thread starter Benski
- Start date
The rear "bicycle seat" of the Perception rotomolded saddle really does not work very well at all. It puts your center of gravity very high making the canoe quite unstable and almost requires you to use a longer paddle. The front wings are also rather in the way when you try to stretch out your legs.
Thanks. I thought I would give it a try. I'll have to come up with my own hybrid saddle seat combination.
Hi Benski,
Welcome to the site! There are a lot of great folks here with good advice when you are looking to solve a problem.
I fully agree with pblanc on the stability issues with the Perception saddle's top seat. I have had 2 of them that came in canoes that I have bought and I pulled and sold both of them. I did try out the Perception in both canoes, but a good setup with foam saddle, thigh straps, knee blocks, ankle blocks and toe braces is the way to go. I especially recommend setting up some ankle blocks, a lot of paddlers overlook them but they give a lot of support that comes in handy after an hour or so. It also doesn't hurt to get out of the boat and stretch when you can. Don't forget, Ibuprofen is a C-boaters friend.
What type WW canoe did you get? I recently picked up an Old Town H2Pro and outfitted it although I have not dropped it in whitewater yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how this 30 year old boat paddles.
Welcome to the site! There are a lot of great folks here with good advice when you are looking to solve a problem.
I fully agree with pblanc on the stability issues with the Perception saddle's top seat. I have had 2 of them that came in canoes that I have bought and I pulled and sold both of them. I did try out the Perception in both canoes, but a good setup with foam saddle, thigh straps, knee blocks, ankle blocks and toe braces is the way to go. I especially recommend setting up some ankle blocks, a lot of paddlers overlook them but they give a lot of support that comes in handy after an hour or so. It also doesn't hurt to get out of the boat and stretch when you can. Don't forget, Ibuprofen is a C-boaters friend.
What type WW canoe did you get? I recently picked up an Old Town H2Pro and outfitted it although I have not dropped it in whitewater yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how this 30 year old boat paddles.
Yes, definitely try ankle blocks as SouthernKevlar suggested. They take a lot of stress off the tendons at the front of your ankles. There is no fixed formula for length, height, or shape. I would get some minicell foam and experiment. This is the sort of thing I typically use for ankle support.
A narrow foam pedestal can easily be widened using one inch thick minicell plank. Just shape pieces to match the shape of the top of your pedestal and glue them to both sides using contact cement. You can shape minicell foam just about any way you want using Surform tools and sandpaper.
Some of the older "rodeo style" foam pedestals were 6 inches wide. I routinely make them eight inches wide by gluing on minicell side pieces. Here are before and after photos of a foam pedestal that was in pretty rough shape that I recently modified by widening the seating surface and adding Yakima foot braces.
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It's important to ensure that your canoe is properly fitted to your body in order to minimize discomfort and maximize your paddling efficiency. The foam saddle that came with your canoe may not be the best fit for your body, leading to the discomfort you experienced.
Trying out a different saddle, such as the Perception saddle you mentioned, may be a good solution. The ability to switch between positions can also be helpful in accommodating different types of water conditions.
