AdvancedElements.com

[mobytom]

Greetings

I just bought an Advanced Elements Straitedge tandem kayak.

I'm over 6' tall and heavy set. I think I will need one of the tall back seats to be comfortable for any length of time paddling.

All of the tall seats I can find online are manufactured with a metal hook style clasp that fastens to a loop.

What I need is a seat with the plastic style of clip will work with what they use on the Straitedge.

Does anyone know the name of a company that sells this type of seat??

Or, does anyone know of an adapter that would permit hooking into a ring that would have a plastic clip on the other end? ... if not, sounds like a business opportunity!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

[JCOOLEY]

If you need to hook youe metal clips to something, you can loop rope or Zip Ties through the female plastic clip that is stsitched to the kayak. This will create a loop that you can attach your metal clips to.

Jeremy

[Daddy-O]

Does anyone else use a different seat in their AE kayaks. I have a Convertible that we took out for the first time today. It was a great experience. I initially had trouble with my seat not giving me good back support, but realized that it wasn't positioned just right after I got into the kayak. We repositioned the seat and wallah - instant support.

I think I would like a seat with a taller back, though, for more support on long trips. We were on the water for about five hours today, and I think I would like something a little more comfortable for those kinds of trips. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good seat that I might want to get? This is for the Convertible. Thank you.

Daddy-O

[Daddy-O]

After not hearing anything here from any of you about the high back seats, I started doing some searching on the internet, and asked the question elsewhere. I finally decided on one that I think will be perfect for my needs and my Convertible.

After doing this, I got to thinking about my foot support (or lack of) and inflated my kayak in the back yard for some seat testing. The seat that comes with the kayak was not extremely comfortable for me. After adjusting the seat a little and getting some good foot support (something I could push against with a fair amount of pressure while seated), I discovered that the included seat was much more comfortable than I originally thought.

I do still want a higher back seat than the stock seat, and will let you know (somewhere on here) if it works out better for me. I think it will.
Daddy-O

[Daddy-O]

I thought I should update my previous post with a report about the stock seat and good foot support (i.e. having something to push against). I went out today (with the stock seat) with my extra gear placed on the floor of the Convertible in front of me for my feet to push against. I was extremely comfortable all day long. I did also take some time to make sure that my seat was adjusted and kept in the proper position. I do have a high back seat coming from the states, and will report back on how I like it.
Daddy-O

[PJohanson]

You've noticed that too, eh? Foot braces make most kayak seats way more comfortable for big paddlers in particular. Glad it worked out for you.
Those zip ties that Jeremy mentions are called cable ties in stores in Canada. These are really good to keep a few in your gear bag and dunk bag. Cable ties can make all kinds of connections.
Be very careful to check whether a tie is the locking kind, or the kind that can be winkled open. And keep a small folding knife in the same gear bag with the cable ties, to cut a tie when it is no longer needed. Even the ties that aren't supposed to lock can still get jammed.

[Blane N]

Hey Daddy-O! Just out of curiosity what seat did you end up purchasing?
I have been dealing with the same seating issues as you, so I ordered a new seat just today. This is the link:http://www.boatstogo.com/kayak_seats.asp
I will probably tie loops of small ropes to the female clips on the convertible to attach to the clips on the new seat. The seat also has straps that are supposed to rings behind the seat on the bottom. I believe that this is the help keep the seat bottom from sliding forward. No place on the convertible to attach those to, but maybe I'll devise something. I haven't experienced any foot bracing in the boat yet so I have no idea how that would help with comfort, however it should improve things from what I have read here on the forum.

[Daddy-O]

Blane,
Here is a link to the seat that I purchased: http://www.austinkayak.com/products/143/Kayak-Seat-Comfy-Deluxe-Big-Back.html
It is a very comfortable seat for my Convertible. It looks like you found an excellent seat at an excellent price! Please let us know how it works for you.
Daddy-O

[Blane N]

Good morning D-O,

I just read in another post that you were considering installing some D rings on the deck and grey fabric main tube covers in your boat. I was just curious if you went forward with this and if it worked well for you? It looks like the seat you have as well as the one I ordered have the straps at the rear of the seat to clip into D rings to secure the seat from sliding forward. Did you install D rings for these clips? How is your seat working out for you?
If you ever use the solo zip on deck, do you have any trouble getting into the kayak due to the higher seat back? This is the only problem that I foresee with a stiffer, higher seat.
Do you have any pics of your new seat in the kayak?
Thanks for the help.

[Daddy-O]

Blane, I am sorry that I missed your post. I have not been posting on here in a while (busy I guess?). Anyway, I absolutely love my high back seat. It is probably the best thing I purchased for kayaking. On the Convertible, I have attached zip ties into the plastic buckles that the seats clip into. Now I can just snap my seat in place. The back straps are secured to the next set of plastic buckles behind me when I set it up for one person and in the small plastic spot behind the rear seating position (on the deck). It works fantastic. I do not have pictures of my new setup, sorry. I can sit in my high back seat all day long in extreme comfort (did I say extreme? I meant to say EXTREME).
Daddy-O

[MDO]

Daddy-O:
Would this seat work well in the Advanced Frame?
Would it work by just placing it in or how would it attach to the current buckles?
Blane - did you get the other seat you have mentionned, and how was it?

(My husband has the yellow (long) Advnaced Frame, and the current is is definietly inadequate for his tall body, and as a result the back kinda 'cuts' in the middle of his back...)

[Daddy-O]

I am going to try to upload two pictures of my new seat (see link above)
Daddy-O

[NulodPBall1]

Thanks for posting your pics.

I got a Southwind Kayak (I'd have to look to see the exact brand name, but they make it) highbacked seat (their fishing model) because it felt good and they have a lumbar support pad.

I have the 10.5 ft Advanced Frame, and I just went into their shop and found a two inch buckle that fit into my yak's buckle. It apprears to be a standard buckle, then I just removed the brass snaps, and laced my new buckles into their place. My only concern is that the seat's straps are one inch and the buckle is two inches long...I'm wondering if the buckle's plastic bar that the smaller strap goes around will fail because I'm stressing it away from it's edges where it's fully supported.

I guess some long term solutions would be to:

1. Hook in a matching buckle to the existing buckle attachment point.
...a: Actually sew in a one inch wide piece of webbing with the one inch female buckle, on top of the existing buckle attachment point (I'd have to buy an awl, or take it to a shoe repair shop). or
...b: Sew a short one inch loop into the one inch female buckle, then use a short piece of cord (or a zip tie ) to attach the one inch buckle to the existing attachment point for the two inch female buckle.
...c: Just make a loop for me to attach the brass snaps to...but I don't like the fact that the brass snaps feel heavy.

2. Sew in two inch webbing into the kayak seat.

3. Take a two inch roller pin and try to put it on the two inch male buckle that's on the seat strap to provide support that extends to the edge of the buckle's bar.

I still have not figured out how to secure the bottom of the seat (it has two straps there) to my yak, but I was thinking of maybe some kind of "Y" harness that goes around my tubes in the back...the only problem with that is that it looks like the harness would interfere with the already SMALL space that I have behind my seat. Does anyone have any ideas for this?

I find that if I get in facing to the read, then as I spin, I make sure that my feet and knees are not on my seat, it doesn't get out of position so I don't have to try to bunnyhop my seat bottom backwards.

The bunny hopping isn't good because I normally have my fish finder battery attached to the back of the seat and it tends to disconnect the battery. I'm thinking of putting my battery in a Pelican box with longer leads coming out of it so they don't disconnect so easily (the manufacturer only makes six foot power leads, won't custom make a longer one, and I don't want to solder).

Oh, on the fishing seat, there are two rod holders right behind each shoulder blade. I don't think I'll ever use them because my arms go over that area and I tend to troll with my rod mounted on a board in front of me, facing to the rear. There are all kinds of places to store things on the seat though, and a detachable bag on the back.

The guys in the shop told me that higher back does not necessarily equal more support but I feel better with the lumbar support and when I do rest, I feel relaxed. I am not tall (but I am stout) and so far, the higher back does not interfere with my paddling...n

...now, if only I can get the Eskimo Roll down in this yak...I just go over and never come up