: Took a picture of my progress so far carving a seat. Its much more work than
: just carving a simple seat bottom.

: I was in an auto accident over twenty years ago. I had my left foot on the
: clutch pedal as we got rear ended. Two minutes later I discovered my leg
: was still extended, and the pedal still depressed.

: I didn't notice any discomfort until about five years ago. But now when I get
: into my Pygmy with the Thermarest seat pad, I am in severe pain in about

I built a Pygmy Osprey which I adore paddling. I am still using the stock Thermarest pad and my legs also become numb and fall asleep. To remedy this I carved foam blocks to go under my thighs. Since doing this I have had no further problems. I intend to carve a seat and incorporate the thighs supports into the seat. This works for me.
D. Sunshine
: ten minutes, while my leg goes numb. Yes, its hard to imagine pain in a
: numb part of your body until you actually experience it. I didn't think
: about changing the seat until recently. There was a letter to the editor
: awhile back in April 2002 Sea Kayaker where an M.D. berated Chris
: Cunningham for suggesting to someone (in Dec, 2001 issue) to go to a
: carved seat to avoid leg numbness. The M.D. felt a flat Thermarest type of
: seat was superior to a carved seat because it allowed one to move one's
: legs around to get the circulation going.

: Judging by the popularity of the Thermarest seat, the M.D. is probably
: correct for kayakers who are healthy. But I think the Thermarest seat is
: terrible for some people with injuries. I noticed that I am comfortable
: while in my Ford F-150. My butt is sort of suspended because it is wedged
: against the seat back and the legs are supported on the lower thighs by a
: high spot towards the front of the seat. I am trying to duplicate this in
: the foam seat for my kayak.

: The seat is about 3/8 thick at the butt dimples and about 3.5 inches thick at
: the front of the seat. The seat with the thigh extensions is 18 inches
: long front to back, and about 17.5 inches between the hip braces. Having
: support for the seat was also why I made the wrap-around rear bulkhead.

: I have tried putting foam, towels etc, under my thighs while paddling but
: this has never helped.

: I'd be interested if anyone else has had similar problems, and whether a
: custom seat helped them.

: Regards,

: Steve Pituch