: True... but I have not run into a commercial boat which can fit someone by
: this definition. Take the kayak from which you excised the seat several
: days ago. (picture attached)

: If the kayaker fits between the cheek plates, they certainly are not going to
: be able to fit against the side of the kayak in the same way that one can
: in a SOF. In my Perception Carolina, the distance from those hip braces
: and the side of the kayak is several inches.

: I fit nice and snug as a bug in a rug between the hip braces, but they push
: my hips an additional 3 or 4 inches up from the waterline. I think it is
: this (and the high volume of the Carolina) which give me difficulty in
: balance bracing it instead of turning turtle. I think that if the boat
: were designed in an anatomic way with no more than an inch or two between
: my hip and the side of the kayak that many of the Greenland manuvers would
: be much easier... (And the kayak would require a lot more skill, and the
: kayak could be a good deal faster.)

: No one is going to get Perception to build its production boats to this
: anatomic standard. But, it seems to me, we should, as Strip Built (see
: KayakWiki kayak builders, be able to approach the anatomic driven
: design taken as gospel by Morris, Starr and the other SOF builders.

: (adding further "wood" to the flame...

: Rick

Yes. Commercially made boats can "fit" relatively well. It's relative to the paddler. Shawn has a picture of himself doing a balance brace with his avocet (I think). Greg S. does a balance brace with his Anas Acuta. I've seen others do balance braces off Pintails, Artic Hawks, etc. I would probably fit pretty well in a Foster Rumour - 19" beam - if Seaward would ever be convinced to make them.

Using Morris' recommendation of hip width plus two fists, I would end up with about a 20.5" beam. There a number of commercial boats out with that beam length although the depth would be more than what I want. My current S&G is not commercially made but has a beam of 20". I can do a balance brace from this boat. It has a "happy bottom" seat which lifts my butt about 2" from the bottom of the hull and built in hip braces which probably separates my hips from each side of the boat by about 3". My planned SOF won't have more than 18-19" beam. This would produce a boat with a beam that truly is not commercially available currently.

sing