About a month ago I finished my West River 162 from plans and have paddled it a few times since then without fixing the seat in place or installing the hip braces.

I am very pleased with the boat and look forward to building another so that I can take family and friends for a paddle.

On the advice of a more experienced paddler I raised the seat off the bottom of the boat (by puting my PFD under it) and found that it mde the boat much more responsive and improved comfort no end.

My questions are..

Does the seat position need to be adjustable fore and aft for different paddlers, and if so how much travel is needed?

Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to raise the seat from the floor of the boat (standard cut out closed cell foam as per CLC plans)?

Is there a benefit in tilting the seat back from the horizontal slightly, and if so how much is optimal?

Where are the hip braces or cheek plates supposed to be installed. Is it directly at the hips or slightly forward to allow some bracing with the thighs?

I look forward to your responses.

As a side note to LeeG:
Following your advice in my last thread, I have ordered plans for a 16' Merganser. I look forward to getting back into the building again when the plans arrive from the US.