Despite being extremely uncomfortable kneeling on the ground, or kneeling with my rear resting on my legs per 'Canadian freestyle', which immediately puts my feet to sleep, I finally starting trying to kneel in my canoe using the seat and have found it quite a revelation in comfort (with respect for those who say it doesn't work for them - everyone's different!). Before, I used to alternate between sitting and standing, as well as frequently moving legs this way and that, to keep them from going to sleep. Now I'm looking to re-outfit my canoe for more kneeling, though I would still like to be able to sit or stand depending on conditions and needs (poling, photography, bird-watching, etc).
My seats are very low hung (Wenonah Heron with factory aluminum drops), so I've been playing with raising the height by adding seat pads of varying thickness on the seat (as well as padding for knees).
What's the advantage of a kneeling thwart over a seat? Can I angle the seat instead of installing a kneeling thwart? Or just add an angled pad (maybe cut from minicell foam) to the seat? I'm able to get my feet under the seat and back out without much trouble, so the height adjustment is just to get my rear end at the proper height, not to fit my feet under it.