: Oh I'm not saying there's no rotation ... there's always a little
: ... just not much. I think tightness at the seat is less of a
: factor than the reduced ability of the legs to pump due to stuff
: like ... low decks, thigh braces, wedging your knees in via
: splayed legs, relatively straight leg position relative to a ski
: (or straight as a board due to a masik), back bands that limit
: lower lumbar rotation etc. Sure you can pump a little ... sure
: it helps ... but IMO you can't get nearly the degree of leg
: action that ya can when you're not restricted by the deck. I
: think we agree on the principle although not on the benefit.

I agree that you can't get nearly as much as you can when not restricted by deck. I also agree that there will be some kayak such as those with a masik or low decks where there will be minimal pumping (thus different techniques, i.e. Greenland forward stroke), but I think that in a typical touring boat, there is room despite the splayed leg position.

In my Explorer I get lots of hip rotation and actually fit my seat to make sure that rotation isn't inhibited. I have pretty aggressive thigh braces in the boat, too. I had a concern about that because I use the kayak for long distance tripping, but the rotation was the same both before and after I added the thigh braces.

Despite the disagreement, I think it's a pretty easy experiment for others following along to try out.