: Can someone confirm my suspicion that the reason my legs go numb after an
: hour or so is because I have made the seat too deep and too close to the
: shape of my backside?
: The seat is ground from closed cell foam and covered with vinyl. It has quite
: a deep concave shape and feels really good and secure for the first half
: hour, but I think the sides press too firmly on the sides of my backside.
: A temporary solution of some extra foam just on the bottom to raise me
: enough to stop this side pressure seems to have solved the problem.
: Is this a recognised problem?

I haven't had the numbness problems you are describing. My Lightening 17 came with a S&G seat that is shaped to conform but designed fairly wide with a front edge that does touched the back of my legs. Slight pressure from the front edge of the seat can produce the numbness over time. I lined my seat with two layers of 1/2 inch closed cell foam. I also used three layers of closed cell foam to give me a fairly tight fit at the knee braces while still allowing me some room for relaxation. The hip braces are snug but do not put much pressure on my hips. All in all, my seat is lined so that when I need to firmly grasp the kayak I can do so easily while leaving me just enough room to relax without that annoying pressure. I did a thirteen hour paddle last year, stopping for a few minutes eavery few hours to stretch and did not have any problems. It took me a few trips to figure out just how much foam I needed. Experiment as the everyone else says and find your own level of comfort. Hope this helps.

Robert