C-Forum

I figured out from research that the thwarts in a canoe help hold the canoe together and supports it, correct? Ok, now what is the difference between thwarts and kneeling thwarts?

guess.

Regular thwarts are usually just structural to help hold the boats shape. Kneeling ones do this too but are wider (so you can place you're bottom on them) usually mounted lower so you can kneel and use them to paddle from.

Question for you - what are you planning to use them for... boat and type of paddling? Although keeling thwarts work they are a pain in the knee (...to me at least) when it comes to white water! For cruising I like a nice padded seat!

^^What PAC said

I've used a kneeling thwart on a glass tripping boat and that was a pain in the a..well you get the picture.

For whitewater, I can't see how you'd get it to work, you'd just fall out of the dam thing, at least, I would.

If i decide to get a canoe it will be a WW tandem canoe used for class 2 and 3 WW and possibly small class 4's later down the road (if i get good enough).

White Water type saddles are WAY more comfortable and safer than kneeling thwarts in WW. I actually like to use a kneeling thwart but I much prefer a saddle.

One thing that you need to know is that there is no one boat that is going to be able to do everything. You are talking about tandem then you need a tandem partner to paddle with. If you are just starting then this is all the more challenging, especially if you want to do class IV WW.

What is your background as a boater?

I am not going to argue that foam pedestals are not better than kneeling thwarts, but I have paddled a Dagger Caper-T equipped with kneeling thwarts in Class III water quite a bit and found them to be not too bad.

A couple of easy modifications that make them more suitable for whitewater use:

1. Glue minicell, or better yet neoprene foam to the seating surface to pad it a bit.

2. Make some hip pads out of blocks of 3" thick minicell foam. Most kneeling thwarts are 3" wide so this works well. Glue the blocks to either side of the top of the kneeling thwart and make them wide enough so that you stay centered on the thwart. You can adjust the width to allow for a little wiggle room if desired.

As an added point, I've never been entirely comfortable with having a kneeling thwart somewhat trapping my feet in the boat in the event of a swim.

hmm? like this? http://youtu.be/4G2ZsXNjEHk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; i have had my feet slow my exit. note use a webbed old town canoe seat with slight tilt. i can put my entire butt on it while kneeling. this canoe was made as a tandem and some had a third saddle for solo.

*Unsupported* kneeling thwarts can be an entrapment hazard - a friend of mine had to be cut out of his boat on the Ocoee back in the day when he pinned and his boat collapsed down over his ankles. It turned out OK for him, though not so much for the boat - he switched to a C-1. If you really like a thwart, put a block of foam under it.

It all depends (how often do we hear THAT!!)...

My own heritage is slalom C-1, and I expect my boat to respond fast & crisp. This means a low, rigid thwart. I also tolerate a modest amount of discomfort, although daily time-in-the-boat tends to breed accommodation.

So my personal preference is for a kneeling thwart. And low. Kneeling thwarts definitely cement the close relationship between me & my boat.

However, getting your foot trapped under a low thwart in a long swim is definitely a bad experience. (Actually, any swim.) It is quite possible however to rig a thwart in such a way that it pops up/releases in the event of a swim. The best option is a hinge-type arrangement, another (less stable/predictable) is a pop-out (preferably with a leash of some kind so it doesn't float away). Use some creativity.

For a newbie (implication: without a 99% roll and without ankles conditioned by hours-upon-hours-in-the-boat) a pedestal is probably best for starters, but don't rule out a thwart as a possibility. Just rig it for exit -- esp for cruising.

@ BobP: Awesome outfitting, as always..

PatK