Dear Mr. srchr/gerald,
Your concerns for comfort are the concerns of us all, regardless of physical condition. Wasn't Verlin Kruger a trans-Atlantic paddler? I have read that changing your seating position during extended paddles is a must (John Dowd, "Sea Kayaking, A Manual for Long-Distance Touring", Greystone Books, fourth edition 1997). Although it wasn't clear whether he was actually adjusting his seat while paddling or just shifting his position within the cockpit. George Dyson's work, "Baidarka", didn't indicate any special kind of seat arrangement outside of the paddler either kneeling within the cockpit or sitting on some kind of fur padding (copyright info for that source has been returned to the library; sorry, Mr. Dyson.) I aggree with you that innovative materials and technique should be employed when building boats. I imagine the ancient kayaker would not hesitate to innovate on someone else's boat, and then after observing success or failure incorporate that innovation into his own. This last is an attempt at humor on my part. In any event, I will post my results.
Thanks for your response, sincerely,
Bill

: The question about seating is a good one. I've never tried a sling type seat
: but the concept is worth exploring. One of my foremost requirements in a
: kayak, or any boat, is comfort. Comfortable seating has been elusive. Not
: simply because there aren't good seating designs, but sometimes the
: designs don't take into consideration the physical capabilities of many
: paddlers. Contrary to popular belief not all kayakers are young with the
: physical capabilites of a world class gymnast. Some of us are older and
: suffering the ravages of...a working life. As a result I can't do some of
: the things I use to do...such as drive 33 hours straight through to
: Florida. I now hurt after driving for less than an hour. That's just a
: simple fact of life. One thing I have done that helps to stay out for many
: hours is to develop, or try to develop, a seating system that adjusts for
: height from near floor level up to 8" off floor level. It is
: difficult to sit 8" off the floor in an 18" wide kayak, so mine
: are necessarily wider than that. Not the best solution, but on my fishing
: kayak I have been using a plastic boat seat, bought from Walmart, fitted
: with brackets that allow adjustable seating. I can also lean back in
: comfort. I believe Verlin Kruger also had an adjustable height seating
: system with his boats... I've never seen one. I've heard that it was a
: sling system, but I don't know. Verlin did spend a few hours paddling
: around. Anyway...the sling system looks like it has possibilities. I may
: eventually explore them. If you try it out, please post your results. I
: see no reason why slings can't be adapted to strip, or stitch and glue,
: boats. I also see no reason to build kayaks in a way that kayaks have
: always been built simply because that's the way kayaks have always been
: built. I say to try new things, stretch the limits, just as many people on
: this board , such as Tom Yost (with his folding kayaks), and many others,
: do. What do you think an ancient kayaker would have done with access to
: modern materials and understanding of the possibilities?