Solo seat location

[Lew's Canoes]

I am building a 14.5 foot solo canoe - wood/canvas - and would like some recommendations on where to place a slanted solo seat and how to anchor it to the hull. Specific questions include:
1) How far back from the center rib should the leading edge of the seat be placed?
2) What angle from the horizontal will be comfortable for a paddler kneeling, and how high above the bottom of the canoe should the low (leading) edge of the seat be?
3) How best to fasten the seat to the hull or inwales?
The canoe is quite narrow - about 30", and about 11 inches deep. I envision the seat as a regular caned seat with a wooden frame, slanted slightly forward.
Thanks for your thoughts - any pictures of installatin methods will be appreciated. Lew

 

[pklonowski]

Another point to consider is the size of the paddler's feet -- big feet need more clearance to get under the seat, for kneeling. With my size 12s, I bolt the back rail of the seat right to the inwales, and the front seat rail gets maybe a 1/2" spacer block. Adjust to suit. You can also relieve the front edge of the front rail a bit, so it dips down off the plane of the top of the seat frame. Every little bit helps!

Distance from center can be variable, depending on the boat... somewhere between 5 & 8 inches works for me, on my solo boats, and I tend to go toward the 7-8" spacing. If it ends up not quite right for trimming the boat, you can always throw some ballast in, or move stuff around.

Once the boat is assembled (except for the seat), you can try clamping the seat to the inwales, and paddling like that, to see how it works for you. But clamps do get in the way of paddling, and have issues with denting finished wood. Be very careful with this.

 

[normsims]

You might consider one of Tom Seavey's bridal leather seats, which are adjustable and hang from the gunwales. You can locate it almost anywhere you want, and getting your feet underneath is no problem.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Or......you could do what I once saw Norm do. Take the solo canoe out to a nearby lake and put a three-legged stool in it. Sit on the stool and mess around with its position until you find the "sweet spot".

 

[Doug]

I have previously done a sliding seat to adjust for weight , canoeing conditions, water type etc. Now i am trying to figure out a way to adjust the slant and height dependent on shoe size and kneeling or sitting

 

[ken.kelly]

Many good ideas already expressed. What I'd like if it was for me is for the leading edge to be in the range Paul suggested...like 6 inches behind center. I'd want the canned area of the seat to be very wide across so when I'm doing Canadian style I'm leaning against cane...not wood seat frame. The Seavey saddle is sure to be the most comfortable and adjustable, but I can add/substitute that later if preferred.
Is there a way to hinge the rear securing point of the seat so the angle can be adjusted...or brought into a position with no angle...straight across...for when I need to take a break from kneeling and want to sit on it?
Good luck and show us photos of the finished project!