One other thought - if you can, try paddling other boats. That will give you a better idea of what might work for you, or not.
Most of all, enjoy the process and the journey.
That is truly the best advice so far. Everyone has their own boat progression, increasingly better defined as we recognize our own style and desires, and that process of each refining our own art and technique is a large part of the fun
I probably missed it - have we discussed how cheap it would be to try a higher and angled seat in the OP's Vagabond? Is the current seat a flat webbed seat?
An appropriate tandem with a solo seat or paddled backwards may work fine, but having done that in the Penobscot and the Malecite and then going to a dedicated solo (the Sojourn) - I doubt that going from the Vagabond to a tandem for solo use will make one happy, unless life dictates a single boat that must be shared (or poled
). One of the best things about a canoe is the variety of ways one can be customized for fit and technique.
Steve, having re-read Schiff’s desires and discomforts I retract my suggestion that he consider buying a used tandem and paddle it bass-akwards. At least as a first solution.
I expect that Schiff’s Vagabond already has the adjustable Wenonah seat, so finding his approximate seating comfort height should require no additional parts or materials. For his stated desires the Vagabond, with a wee bit of outfitting, should be an excellent hull choice. But I’m not sure that a higher seat is the solution.
I feel a little too big for the canoe. We-No-Nah Vagabond. I also have the same problem in it that I have in the Yak, I have to sit too low and my back acts up. Would like to be able to sit higher where my knees were lower than my waist or there about.
I use a double blade paddle meant for canoe use.
I would like a stable canoe, initial stability a priority with decent secondary stability. I understand this always a trade off situation, but I fish from it.
I do worry that if I raise the seat, I will lose stability. I think that sitting low, puts all my weight on my tail bone and lower back. Both start to hurt after an hour. I think that if I could sit higher, that would give me some relief.
Looking at this, I guess my goal is to have everything my Vagabond now has, but with a higher seat. Maybe I am approaching this in the wrong way?
Maybe I should modify what I have to be more comfortable to me.
The higher the seating position in relation to the gunwale width, especially if you have a large upper torso, an above-sheerline front porch belly overhang, or a big and inattentive “Oh my god that’s a 10lb smallmouth” head to keep inside the gunwales, the less stable the boat will feel. Think of that (simplistically) as a stability triangle, /_\.
The higher the center of gravity the more work some muscle group must do to keep the boat mass-within-the-gunwales comfortingly upright. Especially when sitting stationary. Those stationary stability twitches and tweaks seem inconsequential, but over the course of a day they begin to add up.
For pay-no-attention fishing stability, casting, reeling in, changing bait or lures, landing and netting fish with both hands occupied (and a saving brace awkwardly drop-the-rod-&-pick-up-the-paddle away) I’d want the most stable seat position with which I was comfortable.
Kneeling might work, if you were in the (small) percentage for whom long-term kneeling is comfortable. Fishing specific hulls seem far more oriented towards a low, inherently stable and relaxed seated posture.
Schiff, I would bet that your back acts up largely because you are often fishing from a stationary canoe, with no foot brace/back band or other way of holding your body in place
Instead of being comfortably locked into the hull you are sitting fishing, hands-occupied and un-paddle-braced, with your back and weighty above-sheerline noggin alone responsible for all of the minute and seemingly inconsequential upper torso counterbalance twitching and shifting. That makes my back hurt just thinking about it.
Transfer some of that seated stability enhancing action from just your back alone to your feet (foot brace), your hips (back band), your knees (minicel knee bumpers on or under the gunwales) and your arse (your seat of choice), and you have a far more solid four-point stance.
Actually - lemme count - two feet, two knees, one arse – that’s a five point stance.
It’s a $100 bet, including parts and materials, and you can always transfer the back band to the next boat.
). One of the best things about a canoe is the variety of ways one can be customized for fit and technique.
