General outfitting question for C-1

[ezwater]

Mr naill

I have a Zealot slalom boat for which I am now too heavy, and I have a Millbrook Wide Ride which I have only paddled a few times. I am still outfitting it. Because I am very tall above the hip bones, I figure that for any specific purpose, some extra hull length is OK. If I were converting a k-1 playboat, I would look for an older design about 8' long.

For many years I paddled a Phoenix "Seewun". After getting the Zealot, I soon realized that the Phoenix cockpit had always been too far forward. I am amazed that I got along as well as I did in the Phoenix.

[chuck naill]

Mr g2d,
I suppose we adapt to whatever we are paddling. I had a Gyromax for several years and only learned later that the cockpit was bow forward because the designers needed that for racing purposes. I never noticed a problem, I just adapted.

I am 5'9" @ 175 which put me about average. Most of the boats out there @ 8 feet have a rating around 230 lbs. THis disqualifies most people from that design.

[RiverRogue (Ms.)]

Mr. Rogue....

One reason some of us hyper-pronate our ankles in c-boats, rather than using foot blocks, is that some of us are 6' 5" with size 14-15 feet. So our feet have to lay flat. Even if there were enough room for us to get up on our toes, the result would be increased flexion at the knees, which already are flexed a lot.

Once accustomed to this situation, I kneel on the tops of my feet in my open boats also. The outfitting can be adjusted so that I will not slide forward or back if the boat gets vertical.

Thank you for your post. I have paddled several times and now am quite comfortable with laying the tops of my feet flat. I still occasionally have the urge to dig my toes into something but I am learning to use my hip flexors more. I installed rudimentary thigh straps and paddled with them yesterday and was very pleased with how easy it was to wet exit, even though the straps are almost at my hips! I also stayed connected with my boat when I rolled and never fell out. This was a relief. There are plenty of things to continue to "tweak" but as long as I am on the water, I am having fun.

I, too, have very large feet standing at 6', but fortunately in the sense of height vs. weight, etc....I think I have the best of both worlds since most of my height is in my legs and not in my upper body. However, although my upper body is short, my arms are long, so it is easy to reach around the bow. Also, I am a woman, so my center of gravity is naturally going to be lower.

My only concern now is getting my left foot out when I want to wet exit. I have had a spinal injury and still have residual numbness/paralysis in my left foot. It is improving, but obviously sitting in that position causes numbness for even the healthiest of bodies. Any advice?