C-Forum

A canoe friend told me that he likes to have his feet pointed in, under his seat, so that they are almost touching (he cuts out a space under his seat for this) and this makes kneeling much more comfortable. Has anyone else tried this, and if so does it work better?
Alden

I couldn't make up my mind, so I have my left foot straight out and my right foot pointing in. I've tried to be symetric, but I'm most comfortable that way.

So I'm odd.

I have my toes pointed in and find it to be a lot more comfortable. I didn't cut any foam out though.
Will

I find that I can't move my feet once I'm seated, and usually toe are out. After a few minutes my feet are asleep and it doesn't matter which way they point

hey Bob,
thanks for all you did at the Punch Brook. I don't know if it has anything to do with seat position, but both you and Kaz looked faster in your open boats than in C-1s. I mean, I'm sure that wasn't really the case, but it sure looked that way to me! I'm going to have to try me out one of them things someday . . .
later
Alden

For the most part, my feet are pointed asymmetrically in my c-1's. I try frequently to sit symmetrically with my toes pointing straight back, but my left foot always rotates inward and my right foot pretty much stays straight--at least until my feet start cramping and I am squirming my toes and feet around inside the boat trying to get rid of the cramps, keep the boat on line, stay off of rocks, and not flip !

The one position that is worst will be with your feet pointing outward. This position will twist the tibia outwardly (put the lower leg in external rotation) while the femur stays fixed in a non-moving position. The result is a torque in the knee joint generated by the tibia. The articulated surfaces of the tibia and femur become twisted in a bent angle and this stresses the menisci (the pads in the knee joint that prevent bone from rubbing on bone). Over time, people can develop knee problems such as PAIN!

Probably, the best position is with the feet pointing either straight back or somewhat inward, though you do not have to turn the feet in a lot--just a little bit. The bottom line is this: if you can paddle comfortably without straining your ankles, get out of the boat and do not have knee joint pain, then your foot position in the boat is good. If you have pain in your knee joint, see if repositioning your feet as described above helps any. By the way, if the information in the second paragraph sounds confusing, do not worry, I probably did not do a good job of describing the alignment issues and naming the parts in the knee joint.