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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Padding one's cockpit?
Posted By: Greg Stamer In Response To: Re: Padding one's cockpit? (risto)
Date: Wednesday, 11 October 2000, at 10:02 a.m.
: I seem to remember having read somewhere that at least the hunting boats of
: the inuit where actually often built according to some system based on the
: user's actual body dimensions. Might even have been Nansen's book.: That would have made them tailor made much like really good suits are even
: today. And what we get these days are "off-the-rack" boats, and
: oversized ones at that!: Wonder how many of the people who today themselves build greenland-style
: boats actually manage to tailor the dimensions to fit their own size, or
: is it mostly just pre-cut kits that are then assembled as such?Risto,
While I was in Greenland I was told that the current measurement used for the racing and rolling kayaks used for competition was the width of the hips plus the flat of the hand on each side of the hips. For a "large" kayak, such as for used for hunting, the measurement was the width of the hips plus a fist on each side of the hips. The depth behind the seat for a rolling kayak is the width of one fist, for a rolling kayak, a fist plus an extended thumb (like a hitchhiker's signal)
Some recreational paddlers outside of Greenland use these same measurements for building skin-on-frame kayaks, but the tendency that I see is for builders to add a little volume here and there until the kayak loses much of its original character and handling properties. While it is true that Europeans have a different body shape, mostly by having longer legs than the Inuit, even the Inuit have to wriggle into their kayaks. The feeling is that of putting on a tight boot, and once you "pop" into place, the fit can be extremely comfortable. The close fit allows the kayak to respond to such subtle body movements that it truly becomes an extension of your body. The downside is that unless you have flexible hamstrings, the almost straight-out leg position can become very uncomfortable, and will not appeal to everyone, but regular stretching can alleviate this.
Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida
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