My poor toes

[Li'l D]

I know this may be a gross topic but I am having a problem with my toes. I paddle an open canoe (Zoom or bow paddler in a Blast). They both have Esquif outfitting with adjustable foot pegs. When the ball of my foot is on the foot peg and I am strapped in my big toes are on the bottom of my boat. I am wearing either Keen sandals or NRS wetshoes depending on the weather. Last year after paddling for about two months my toenails split in half from the pressure. I taped them up and waited for them to grow out. Now it's happening again. I put a layer of padding in the Blast under my toes but it doesn't seem to help. Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions?

[Mike W.]

Are your toes vertical or are they tucked under the pegs & horizontal on the hull? Mine are horizontal & over the years have flattened out on top. This has led to right angles where the nail goes from flat in the center, to straight down on the sides. They have not split, but I have to be careful clipping them.

If they are vertical I wonder if taller ankle blocks (tall enough to keep your toes suspended) would help.

I once knew a girl who's fingernails were soft & would split easily. She used the stuff that she put on her horse's hoofs & it really strengthened her nails.

[Jim P]

I used to have to wrap my toes in tape b4 paddling or end the day with holes worn thru the tops of my toes. I used to glue Neoprene sheets on the bottom of my boats. Then I discovered NRS workboots. Thick enough to pad things out and protect the feet. So thick that I had to modify most boats to permit moving the foot pegs back another inch or so beyond factory settings.

Course I just gave k1 a try due some other medical problems - NO large steaming pile of dog doo Kayaking is canoeing for dummies. Two blades and a low center of gravity, the only hard thing is being able to see with all thast wter in your face and figuring out what to do with that other blade. I kept finding myself wasting the blade with crossforwards. Beats golf anyday.

[sbroam]

I found early on that the top of my foot suffered a lot more than my nails - in an open boat I have my toes under the pegs and the "knuckle" of my big toe is on the floor. [I've got 4 or five pairs of river shoes with perfectly serviceable soles but with that part of the top worn through.] I used to wear flat spots in the nail (sort of beveled off the end) but never really damaged the nail. The C-1s are easier on my feet, I'm not using my feet as much to hold me in. I glue a piece of neoprene foam to the floor in my C-1s.

However, that does not mean I have pretty nails. About once a year while hiking or backpacking I lose the nail on one of my big toes. [That takes forever to grow back] The last time was about two years ago and I think I got a fungus in there, perhaps due to paddling and being wet a lot or maybe it was funky water and it hasn't grown back right. And that was the end my lucrative foot modeling career with Chaco...

The options so far appear to be a cream that doesn't work or medicines that do work, but fry your liver. I'm sorry I don't have anything applicable to your situation except a warning to not let a fungus gain a toe hold!

[chuck naill]

Get some Northwest River Supply wet shoes. These shoes have thick soles and toe protection. Put some minicel foam to the side of those toe blocks and let your feet rest on them whenever possible.

Here is the link for NRS:

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp? ... eptid=1169

Chuck

[Larry Horne]

scott,
too much information man, you are gross!
i just finished my dinner

[fez]

diving-shoes and good angle blocks eased my pain...

[madmike]

maybe you should put little kevlar patches on your nails

[LEW]

Of course a River Princess should keep her toes looking pretty!
Maybe you should start paddling stern in the Blast? My toes are quite comfortable back there. With my mug up front, I don't think we will be described as elegant again though.
For solo, the Oxygen might be a good solution. You seem more stable in it than me anyway. Then I can take over the Zoom.

L

[sbroam]

maybe you should put little kevlar patches on your nails

With some gel coat and metal flake...

[Mike W.]

Yeah, switch to the Oxygen Kevlar toe nail patches covered w. alpha jewel! There's just something about metal-flake & squirt boats

[Craig Smerda]

Problem #1. Adjustable aluminum footpegs (Yakima) where originally designed and used in kayaks. Then OC'ers started using them. The system is good except for one weak point. OC paddlers feet and toes don't stand straight up and down. If designed specifically for us they should actually pivot to allow us to put the ball of the front of your foot (right behind your big toe) against the peg to maintain pressure to keep you in our outfitting.

Things you can do...
--Think about your outfitting... are you too low and stressing your joints? We all want to sit as low as possible but don't sacrifice comfort completely.
--Live with it.
--Put your feet under the pegs to hit the ball.
--Pad more.
--Ankle blocks specifically for you only. (If you are putting your feet under the pegs and using ankle blocks there is a chance you could entrap your foot!!! BE careful!)
--Bend your toes frequently upwards.. especially the big one to maintain flexibility and avoid pain. (I have to do this quite often prior to paddling season)
--Cut your toenails.. they are disgusting!!


There are no good booties that are made for canoeing in my opinion. Because there ain't enough of us to buy them. I have taped (band aided) small pieces of minicell to my toes. Keeping flexibility in your toes and ankles isn't something we think of often but for comfort it is sometimes crucial.

If worse comes to worse... just have them broken. That's what I am going to do when my knees finally give out.

[Li'l D]

I am on the short side so my the saddle is a comfortable height for me. My thigh goes down to my knee at a fairly steep angle. If it were higher I would almost be straight up on my knees. If it were lower I wouldn't be able to reach over the gunnel. When the ball of my foot is on the foot peg the tip of my toe is sitting on the bottom of the boat or it is bent slightly forward. I push the foot pegs back and put the instep flat on the bottom if I want to rest. I don't have ankle blocks. They would have to be quite high to reach my ankles and I don't know if my feet would get trapped.

I agree, I haven't found a good shoe for canoeing.

I cut my toenails as short as possible and put some tape around the toes.

[chuck naill]

LIke I said in a previous post. Try the NRS shoes that I provided a link for. I had you same problem when I was paddling a Spanish Fly and these boots came to the rescue.

I also had room to put some foam just under the toe blocks so my toes were always resting on foam. I had foam to the side for times when I did not need to use the Yakama's. Over the years I have gotten completily away from using ankle blocks. I also think that sometimes the knee foam thinkness I had always used was too thick.

Chuck Naill



Chuck

[ChrisKelly]

I could never stand to curl mine under the foot pegs like some people do but that works if you can do it.
I think higher ankle blocks might be the answer but be careful not to cut off even more circulation in your legs.

Have you considered the angle at which your calves lie in the boat? By that I mean are your knee pads glued in parellel with the keel line or up a bit on the chine so that your legs are at a more natural angle? If so sometimes it helps to take a piece of minicell, cut it so it will fit over the footpeg and cut an angle in the front side so that your foot is not bent to conform to the peg.

Chris Kelly