How to sit comfortably in the sea kayak

When you are paddling a kayak, you should sit comfortably in it. When I first started to test kayaks, I did not recognize this was possible (all kayaks were small). But since I did not know that kayaks are available in other sizes for tall people, I tried to find a suitable kayak among the standard size kayaks. Then I learned that there are kayaks made especially for tall people . With that, I could find a kayak in which I could sit comfortably. There was space enough for the feet in the kayak, and there was room enough for the knees as well, without having to sit with my legs almost straight.

However, although I have a quite comfortable seat, the seat is not better than I get a pain in the posterior area after paddling a longer distance. While out on the water, grabbing the kayak and raising myself just a little helps, but I am still searching for a better solution.

The best solution for sitting well in the kayak that I have found so far is the skwoosh x-treme kayak cushion. It is comfortable to sit on, yet not thick. It does not move in your seat but allows your own movement while paddling. I can definitely prolong my paddling while using this. However, I have a problem with getting it to fit well on the seat. So it is still not the perfect solution, although it contributes to improve the sitting a lot. One problem is that it raises my seat a little more than wanted, not due to its thickness, but since my seat is contoured. It is hard for the cushion to follow the contour of the seat, especially in the back, and that is where my need is highest.

With the above solved, there are two more areas that I think contribute quite a lot to being comfortable in the kayak:

• Sitting dry.
  • When the weather is too warm for my drysuit, then I am using 0.5 mm Neoprene shorts
  • When weather is within the drysuit comfort zone, I am using my kayak drysuit from Kokatat, with suitable rash guards underneath
• Being relaxed
  • Probably my biggest problem with kayaking. I am very relaxed on shallow water. In deeper water, especially far from land, I easily get nervous. Thus, I have just learned the eskimo roll. My next step is to get the roll to become trustable...