C-Forum

My wife thinks that c-1 boaters might be more prone to spinal cord injuries because they sit higher than ww kayakers? Thoughts on this, please.

Charles Lee

Simply put,

NOPE!

More $0.02,

KNeal

Your butt is on a foam block and you have additional support and shock absorption from your knees, so I'd say no.

From fellow paddlers the BIG deal seems to be the "twisting" motion of kayaking can do some not-so-good things to the back over the years... or suddenly, depending the altheticness of the paddler. The "forward and back" motion of CBoating keeps the spine aligned "normally".

The biggest issue with CBoating (assuming you don't try to high brace when you shouldn't) is circulation in the legs. Stretching, exercise, and proper outfitting helps a tremendous amount.

It was not exactly a spinal cord injury, but it could have been - a local kayaker was taking a course to become an instructor when paddling on flat water he got speared in the kidney by another kayak. I was amazed at how bad of an injury it was (shock, pain, extended recovery, etc). A C-boater would be less likely to incur that particular mode of injury *because* of our elevation.

Do you mean like an impact injury like landing flat off a drop or bending a funny way? I could see having more chance of scraping my back on rocks on the very very rare occasion I am upside down.

Maybe she means that more of you sticks out when you flip and are setting up for a roll.

Actually, however, a c-boater setting up to roll gets his/her body out to the side where it is much less exposed than a kayaker's body.

Just my odd sense of humor, but do we look like we are here to entertain your wifes wims? Jk, haha. Adam had it right, the natural twisting of canoing realligns the spine, it is the carrying that is a pain when your back is out. I have worked out ever since my last back injury 15 years ago and have not another peep out of it. Exposure during rolls has never been an issue.

What was an issue once was that I caught a wave just right as I was going under a log in swift class 2. (I was leaned forward) The hit was like an exdplosion through my whole body, my vision went black with stars exploding too. There was a second strainer that I was not going to be able to paddle under just 20 feet down stream. I was conscious and swam through current till I felt it ebb. My vision slowly returned. My boat was in the eddy with me but the stick I had made was deep under the next log.

The moral of the storey is, paddle kayak, it's lower<<<NO>>> just be more carefull around strainers.

Jim

the only time i've hurt my back in a c1 is from getting too much rock on a rock boof. kind of a lower back wiplash effect. i think c1's are supposed to be easier on the back for flat landings on green water of larger drops. now safer for the ankles.....

Well if butt boater have more spine injuries, that would kinda knock the "spineless butt boater" theory in the head

Or if it wasn't true BEFORE....





I'm thinking of a new "Armada", for paddlers of ALL stripes, to try each others boats. I suspect we'd all be more tolerant of one-another