hello again,

just curious, I see many posts online at various paddling sites

one of the biggest gripes if not the biggest with many boat designs (wood or composite) after people build them /buy them Is NO FOOT ROOM. My boat is no exception Im a size 12 (11.25") and my feet dont have squat for room and I have to wear water shoes or nothing.

Excluding the sleek greenland Hunting Platform Ive noticed many native boats (in various photos) having much more room / much higher decks than what we present or build as native style craft.

some of the west coast kayaks Ive seen in photos are cavernous (one cockpit 2 people sticking out of it). perhaps native paddlers didnt have size 12 feet but they sure look like they have very BULKY/warm boots on before they get into boats.

also modern commercial Muklucs (SP?)are VERY bulky and no way Id stuff a pair in my boat for cold weather paddling or my brothers wilderness systems Glass boat for that matter.

Water dancing boat kits seem to have good foot room (many of there kits size 15) but many designs are lacking for anything over a 10 and thats only with wetsuit boot or watershoe. Id build a water dancing (cant easily get one now) just for the foot room.

it would be refresing to be able to wear keens or somthing other than flimsy watershoes , Im always landing and trying to walk on wet rock or wet boat launches only to slip/twist ankle fall on my butt...... watershoes are lousy footwear in general as are wetsuit boots (Im a scuba instructor Ive had pleny of falls due to WS boots). actually the best wetsuit boots were the old Carpet bottom style (cant get them anymore) they were like Fly fishing boots great on wet rock.

I know that any home built boat can be altered(much skill needed) but as a rule most base designs Ive seen seem all too slim in the foot room area.

are we more interested in speed windage or asthetics than overall comfort ??

Just a talking point

"John"