C-Forum

I'm converting a Pyrahna Micro 250, which does not have a plastic or minicell pillar in the bow. I am thinking about a minicell bulkhead instead of thigh straps. Question: will this keep me tight in the boat without foot pegs? My experience with other C1s with straps is that without foot pegs I tend to loosen up, but with foot pegs I have trouble exiting unless I pull off both straps. How does this translate to the bulkhead setup? My general impression is that bulkheads work well for some paddlers. If so, how?

When I experiment with backing off the foot pegs in my Option, I tend to fall out of the saddle when I try to roll. One of the variables that seems to be important is that, in an OC1 like the Option, there is enough room to set the pegs so that when I straighten my feet I stay in, and to exit I flex my feet. However, in a C1, there isn't room for my big feet to straighten and flex as much.

Thanks for any advice.

The dilema is that unless you sit in a low saddle 6" or less straps or bulkhead alone won't keep you in the boat upside down. The issue with pegs is that as you describe. The solution in theory would be foot nubs. Something you can hold yourself in when you want but you can slide your toe off of when you need to get out.

I seldom use toe blocks in a C1 and have not had a problem falling out. I think the difference may be in how you use your thighs. I tend to grip either the bulkhead or tension against the straps. If I have been out of a boat for a while at the end of the day my quads are sore from gripping. Try that and you may solve your problem. I have to use toe blocks in my OC1. I cannot seem to keep the same tension in the larger(Detonator) boat.

Thanks you guys. I like your suggestions: "foot nubs" and squeezing. Also, it makes sense that carving the bulkhead for a lower saddle height would help hold you in. I have a friend who uses plastic pegs which he says (and hopes) break if he pushes real hard on them in case he needs to get out. That sounds a tad dicey, and I'd like to experiment with the nub idea.

I used to glue down a thin sheet of foam. It helped to insulate and keep my feet warmer but it also provided a bit of toe resistance or grip compared to the slippy plastic inside hull. That might help you stay a bit tighter but still make it easy to release your feet.

My experience is that a bulkhead alone without footpegs doesn't work in a C1.
When I first got my Robson finkenmeister it came from the factory with a bulkhead only setup without thigh straps. I tried everything , but no matter what I modified, it was either so tight that I would have had a really hard time to get out in an emergency or I would get sucked out when upside down in a hole. In the end I put thigh straps in. Problem solved.
There is a reason why the vast majority of C1'suse either thigh straps or a lap belt.

TGG!

The key for me has always been a tall backrest. The boats that I have the least trouble in have the back rests ~6" above the seat, a foam bulkhead and a lap belt. Be sure to round off the corners of the backrest where it contacts the skirt.

Mike W has a point, the high back rest is definitely needed, but it was in my experience not enough. The back rest in the Finkenmeister is a good 7 to 8 inches above the saddle and I still fell out of the boat before adding thigh straps. A strapless system may work in mainly low volume runs, but in Ottawa and Quebec type big water it does not work well, the forces in when hitting big features are just too high.

TGG!