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Fishing kayaks come with a wide range of standard seats that offer different types of adjustments and comfort. For those of us with bad backs and legs, seat comfort is a highly important feature of any kayak. My first kayak (2001) was an Ocean Kayak Drifter that came with an unpadded snap in seat and minimal padding. In addition to offering a wet ride, that kayak was quite uncomfortable, with a time to butt fatigue of only about an hour. I tried sliding a thick boat throw cushion under the seat (blue cushion in the second photo), but found that pad to be uncomfortable.
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After fishing with a guide and using a Native Manta Ray kayak, I was amazed at how much more comfortable that seat was. I bought a Manta Ray 14 in 2008 for my own use. It came with an angled, padded wedge seat and tall seat back. To this day, the Manta Ray seat is the most comfortable kayak seat I have ever used. I use my Manta Ray 11 on more than 80% of my trips.
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All the later pedal drive and paddle kayaks I bought from Native came with a raised frame seat (like a small lawn chair). Quite a few of the newer kayaks offer that type of seating. Here is an example from a Slayer Propel 13 that I bought in 2013.
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Over the years, my spinal issues grew worse, such that I could not stay in the standard kayak seats for very long. I looked around for cushions that could be placed on top of the standard seats to improve butt comfort. The first ones I bought were Skwoosh pads. They were fairly thin with gel-filled cells that provided some cushioning. The Skwoosh pads folded down the middle and were small enough that I took them on many plane flights. These were an improvement over just the bare seat. Over time, the gel cells tended to shift a bit, leaving some unpadded areas.
Next I purchased a gel pad made specifically for kayaks called Yakpads. It was better than the bare seat, but offered less cushioning for my body than the Skwoosh.
Somewhat out of desperation, I tried different types of heavily padded cushions I had around the house. The photo shows a seat/back combo pad that was meant for a boat. It was cumbersome on my kayak and was tried only once.
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I kept looking for other options. A few years ago, I was in Sams Club in the office furniture aisle. I spotted a gel honeycomb pad meant for office chairs. Sams had a low price on the pad so I bought one. I was really pleased as this Wondergel cushion was by far the most comfortable cushion I had tried. It could get wet with no problems and had a black fabric cover. I ended up buying several and sharing them with guides in FL and TX who thought they were a real improvement. The shape of that Wondergel fit perfectly on the Manta Ray 11 seat.
wondergel 2.jpg
minnow cup 2.jpg
A few years later, I bought a kayak with a raised seat. The trapezoidal shape of the Wondergel did not fit well on the raised seat. I returned to Sams and found that they carried a square pad of similar material made by Purple. I bought one of those and find it to work as well as the Wondergel pad.
purple 2.jpg
These days, I used the old Wondergel on my Manta Ray 11. On my Falcon 11 kayak with a raised seat, I use both the Purple and Wondergel pads (one on top of the other) to increase my comfort and extend the time to butt fatigue.
I hope others will chime in with how they deal with seat comfort.
011.jpg
2008-02-03 002.jpg
After fishing with a guide and using a Native Manta Ray kayak, I was amazed at how much more comfortable that seat was. I bought a Manta Ray 14 in 2008 for my own use. It came with an angled, padded wedge seat and tall seat back. To this day, the Manta Ray seat is the most comfortable kayak seat I have ever used. I use my Manta Ray 11 on more than 80% of my trips.
002-snow.jpg
All the later pedal drive and paddle kayaks I bought from Native came with a raised frame seat (like a small lawn chair). Quite a few of the newer kayaks offer that type of seating. Here is an example from a Slayer Propel 13 that I bought in 2013.
013.jpg
Over the years, my spinal issues grew worse, such that I could not stay in the standard kayak seats for very long. I looked around for cushions that could be placed on top of the standard seats to improve butt comfort. The first ones I bought were Skwoosh pads. They were fairly thin with gel-filled cells that provided some cushioning. The Skwoosh pads folded down the middle and were small enough that I took them on many plane flights. These were an improvement over just the bare seat. Over time, the gel cells tended to shift a bit, leaving some unpadded areas.
Next I purchased a gel pad made specifically for kayaks called Yakpads. It was better than the bare seat, but offered less cushioning for my body than the Skwoosh.
Somewhat out of desperation, I tried different types of heavily padded cushions I had around the house. The photo shows a seat/back combo pad that was meant for a boat. It was cumbersome on my kayak and was tried only once.
002_3.jpg
I kept looking for other options. A few years ago, I was in Sams Club in the office furniture aisle. I spotted a gel honeycomb pad meant for office chairs. Sams had a low price on the pad so I bought one. I was really pleased as this Wondergel cushion was by far the most comfortable cushion I had tried. It could get wet with no problems and had a black fabric cover. I ended up buying several and sharing them with guides in FL and TX who thought they were a real improvement. The shape of that Wondergel fit perfectly on the Manta Ray 11 seat.
wondergel 2.jpg
minnow cup 2.jpg
A few years later, I bought a kayak with a raised seat. The trapezoidal shape of the Wondergel did not fit well on the raised seat. I returned to Sams and found that they carried a square pad of similar material made by Purple. I bought one of those and find it to work as well as the Wondergel pad.
purple 2.jpg
These days, I used the old Wondergel on my Manta Ray 11. On my Falcon 11 kayak with a raised seat, I use both the Purple and Wondergel pads (one on top of the other) to increase my comfort and extend the time to butt fatigue.
I hope others will chime in with how they deal with seat comfort.
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