Hello Fellow builders
Just finished clothing the inside of my Prospector. Seats will be on the agenda pretty soon. I bought the seats from Bear Mountain. Should I follow the recommomendation for diffrerent weight people or do something different?
All comments greatly appreciated.
Murray Cherkas
seat position
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Glen Smith
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- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
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cherkas@shaw.ca
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 10:26 pm
Thanks for the replies.
Well if you put the seats at the same location at both ends, you end up with a lot or a little leg room at the front end. Paddling would be easy or not so (bang up the side of canoe) .
The general theory and for all purpose use is the use the guide provided. This allows for good al round paddling charachteristics as well as allows solo padddling backwards in the front seat.
Sort of answered my own question however I just wondered if anyone had other thoughts.
Thanks again
Murray
Well if you put the seats at the same location at both ends, you end up with a lot or a little leg room at the front end. Paddling would be easy or not so (bang up the side of canoe) .
The general theory and for all purpose use is the use the guide provided. This allows for good al round paddling charachteristics as well as allows solo padddling backwards in the front seat.
Sort of answered my own question however I just wondered if anyone had other thoughts.
Thanks again
Murray
adjustable bow seat
I have become a staunch advocate of sliding bow seats. Proper trim makes paddling more enjoyable as it is more efficient. Adjustable bow sliders are simple to make. This way you can accomodate any paddler that happens to come along. I put a slider in my solo as well and mount a moveable yoke on the same rails.
Murray,
I'd go with Glen's suggestion, the seat locations shown in the plans should be OK for most paddlers. OTOH if the formula in Canoecraft is used to shift the seats around, or you move them in closer to the center, you could have problems with leg room up front as you described, or it could be more difficult to paddle if the seats are too close to center where the hull is too wide for comfort.
Going solo, a Prospector can be leaned over to make paddling easier if kneeling. It's normal for a Prospector to trim somewhat bow-light going solo, but this can make it vulnerable to being blown off course by headwinds, so you might want to go with the sliding seat option.
Sliding seats are more often a feature in asymmetrical canoes, since the bow section is narrower and bow-heavy trim is avoided by moving the seat back. The Prospector is fuller towards the ends and should be less affected by this, unless you have a heavy bow paddler. Even then it might be possible to trim properly by moving loads around.
You might want to test seat location by clamping in temporary plywood seats to see how the Prospector behaves empty and loaded, tandem and solo. Chances are it'll be OK with the seat location as shown on the plans. Prospectors have been paddled this way for many years and it's paddling know-how that increases with time that makes this a versatile and adaptable canoe.
I'd go with Glen's suggestion, the seat locations shown in the plans should be OK for most paddlers. OTOH if the formula in Canoecraft is used to shift the seats around, or you move them in closer to the center, you could have problems with leg room up front as you described, or it could be more difficult to paddle if the seats are too close to center where the hull is too wide for comfort.
Going solo, a Prospector can be leaned over to make paddling easier if kneeling. It's normal for a Prospector to trim somewhat bow-light going solo, but this can make it vulnerable to being blown off course by headwinds, so you might want to go with the sliding seat option.
Sliding seats are more often a feature in asymmetrical canoes, since the bow section is narrower and bow-heavy trim is avoided by moving the seat back. The Prospector is fuller towards the ends and should be less affected by this, unless you have a heavy bow paddler. Even then it might be possible to trim properly by moving loads around.
You might want to test seat location by clamping in temporary plywood seats to see how the Prospector behaves empty and loaded, tandem and solo. Chances are it'll be OK with the seat location as shown on the plans. Prospectors have been paddled this way for many years and it's paddling know-how that increases with time that makes this a versatile and adaptable canoe.
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cherkas@shaw.ca
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 10:26 pm
seats
Thanks again for all the replies. I"m going to go with the locations suggested in the plans.
Canoe is glassed inside and out. Really looks good(just a little self pat on the back)All our canoes look good.This really is a great hobby/sport. I also have an airplanethat I built and have been flying for 2 yrs. now. This takes building time away. Oh well you gotta do something with your spare time.
Good luck to all
Murray
Canoe is glassed inside and out. Really looks good(just a little self pat on the back)All our canoes look good.This really is a great hobby/sport. I also have an airplanethat I built and have been flying for 2 yrs. now. This takes building time away. Oh well you gotta do something with your spare time.
Good luck to all
Murray