More back support for a Pungo 120

[Fishinfool]

Gents,

I am not whining, but I have a bulging disc in my L-4 vertebrae. It limits the amount of time I can spend in a kayak to @ 2.5 hrs max. The seat on the Pungo is pretty good and I have it adjusted forward to the bow as far as it can go (to try to keep my back in the reverse C position), but I am thinking that I need extra butt cushion and additional lumbar support that may buy me an extra hour or so.

I live not too far from an REI in College Park, and have seen some stuff on-line through Wilderness Systems, but would prefer not to pay out the as*. Should I just bite the bullet on cost, or are there less expensive alternatives, say at Wal Mart or wherever?

Any suggestions from others who have similar back issues?

[dhawk]

I dont know whats out there for the pungo 120 but as a guy with a seriously screwed up back I would bite the bullet and buy a good seat I did for my malibu and it has paid off. Your posture is key we tend to slouch as we sit in a kayak and that doesnt help your back anything that will help you sit up straight will help

[Fishinfool]

Thanks dhawk! I may have had the seat back too far forward which caused me to "hunch over" forward towards the bow too much.

BTW, while sitting in the kayak, what is the best angle to bend your legs. I thought it was about 45 degrees, but maybe I am wrong?

[Turtle135]

I feel your pain.

I fished out of sit inside kayaks for close to 20 years and had the same problem. Most sit inside kayaks do not have a high back seat as that would interfere with the installation of a "kayak skirt" (something that I have never installed on a kayak). The problem is that low back seat is murder on your spine.

I actually found some relief by using one of these:

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...duct/10213338/

This is probably something that you do want to bite the bullet and find the right solution. Ultimately the solution for me was to switch to a SOT kayak with a much better seat.

[Fishinfool]

Yea, thanks Dave. It's nice to know that others with bad backs have encountered the same issue with sit inside kayak seats, in spite of all the manufacturer's propaganda about their "ergonomic design". What a crock.

The Bass Pro stadium/canoe seat looks doable, but I wonder if the Bass Pro seat could sit right on top of my existing seat in the Pungo 120? I wouldn't want to take out the existing seat in the Pungo, and then try to jury rig a seat that wasn't made for it.

[J.A. Veil]

Steve -

Some day when you are over in Annapolis, you can try sitting in my Manta Ray. It has a remarkably comfortable seat with a high back and cushioned bottom. To further improve the comfort, I set a Skwoosh gel pad on top of the seat. Even for an old overweight guy like me, it is downright comfortable.

As an aside, on a recent trip to Europe, I used the same Skwoosh pad on my airline seat. It definitely improved butt fatigue.

[Turtle135]

I was able to strap that seat right onto the existing kayak seat. It was an older model Pungo and I used a couple of ratcheting straps. I don't think it added much in the way of bottom padding but the high seat back made a world of difference. My brother still paddles that kayak with that seat and he has back issues as well.

[Fishinfool]

Thanks John and Dave!

John, I would like to check out your seat. I"ve actually been kind of nursing my back along with exercises and heat/ice since my trip to Jane's Island a couple weeks ago, and it's slowly coming around. I definitely over did it with the repeated long paddle trips, hauling the kayak around by myself, etc. When I can get clear, I'll pm you, with a week or so notice if that works.

Dave, good to know about the Bass Pro seat again. I actually just re-discovered that the existing seat on the Pungo has a pull string that raises and lower the seat back about six inches. That should help, along with the Skwoosh butt cushion John talked about. If not, maybe I'll get that Bass Pro add-on and the butt cushion.