"John Fereira" wrote...

A thermarest pad provides no back, thigh, or hip support. If you want good
body to boat contact (which you would if you want good control) you're still
going to need some kind of back band and padded cheek plates.

True. The kayak is wood, and the backband wraps around from cheekplates between
the coaming and hull bottom. There is enough adjustment available in the
backband to accommodate personal preferences.