05-10-2011, 04:08 AM
I'm sure TubeDude will chime in here with pics and some good words on how he has his seat setup for himself as well as for TubeBabe. They have dome some extra work for the specific purpose of back support and comfort to help with being on the water for extended periods of time.
For myself, I ruptured my disk between L4 and L5 a number of years back. This has impacted my ability to bend as much as I'd like and I can still cause the nerves to make it feel like the backs of my legs are hurting. So I've been very worried about similar things you are. I have not however been on as many types of craft yet.
My first craft was a Classic Accessories Arrow Backpacker Pontoon. Wife gave it to me as a Christmas gift and I think I really lucked out as far as the seat went. It had a chair that sat on top of the cross frame that looked a lot like this: http://www.rei.com/product/800086/crazy-...chair-2010
This chair had some metal strips in it to give it stiffness vertically in the back but also let it curl horizontally to conform to me as I sat in it. It really worked well for giving me some reasonable support for my lower back where I'm most at risk of fatiguing.
So when I moved on from the toon to a new craft, a Scadden H3 tube, I was a little worried about seat conform. Not because the H3 looked questionable at all, but simply because if the support sucks for my back then I'm in for a lot of discomfort. So I already had in mind that I could augment the back support some on the H3 before I ever even got it out on the water. The H3 has an air filled seat and backrest. It has two straps, like many tubes, to adjust the seat forward or backwards. I find that if I make sure the backrest of firmly filled up the H3 seat as is does a great job and I've not ended up needing to do anything else.
I've been in a SFC as well, though just for a short sit, and I thought it felt similar enough on the back.
This is probably one of the hardest parts to pick a toon or tube for since a short sit in some store on the floor doesn't equal being out on the water for a few hours or more. It's also so much the personal preference that matters vs some spec or detail on how a craft is made.
Anyway watch for some info from TD or PM him directly and you can see what he does for him and TubeBabe. Others I"m sure will be able to add their valuable insight into this too.
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For myself, I ruptured my disk between L4 and L5 a number of years back. This has impacted my ability to bend as much as I'd like and I can still cause the nerves to make it feel like the backs of my legs are hurting. So I've been very worried about similar things you are. I have not however been on as many types of craft yet.
My first craft was a Classic Accessories Arrow Backpacker Pontoon. Wife gave it to me as a Christmas gift and I think I really lucked out as far as the seat went. It had a chair that sat on top of the cross frame that looked a lot like this: http://www.rei.com/product/800086/crazy-...chair-2010
This chair had some metal strips in it to give it stiffness vertically in the back but also let it curl horizontally to conform to me as I sat in it. It really worked well for giving me some reasonable support for my lower back where I'm most at risk of fatiguing.
So when I moved on from the toon to a new craft, a Scadden H3 tube, I was a little worried about seat conform. Not because the H3 looked questionable at all, but simply because if the support sucks for my back then I'm in for a lot of discomfort. So I already had in mind that I could augment the back support some on the H3 before I ever even got it out on the water. The H3 has an air filled seat and backrest. It has two straps, like many tubes, to adjust the seat forward or backwards. I find that if I make sure the backrest of firmly filled up the H3 seat as is does a great job and I've not ended up needing to do anything else.
I've been in a SFC as well, though just for a short sit, and I thought it felt similar enough on the back.
This is probably one of the hardest parts to pick a toon or tube for since a short sit in some store on the floor doesn't equal being out on the water for a few hours or more. It's also so much the personal preference that matters vs some spec or detail on how a craft is made.
Anyway watch for some info from TD or PM him directly and you can see what he does for him and TubeBabe. Others I"m sure will be able to add their valuable insight into this too.
[signature]