"Lou" wrote in message
...
Hi

I want to fit a kneeling thwart just aft of centre in my Wenonah
Adirondack
kevlar tandem canoe, for soloing.
. . .
So, in order to minimise the 'chopping and changing', what is a reasonable
starting height for fitting a kneeling thwart, measured from the bottom of
the boat? (The Adi has a fairly flat bottom and hasn't yet oil canned.)
I
am 182 cm / 5'11" tall.

Lou,

The only answer is to build an adjustable frame you can set on the floor,
use the knee pads you're going to use, and test different heights for
longish periods of time. Furniture designers will tell you that there is no
such thing as 'best' or 'most comfortable' position, The key is to be able
to change among many comfortable and efficient positions.

Unless yours is a play boat, you probably don't want to build knee pockets
to hold you in one position. My preference is a floor pad that lets me move
fore and aft, plant my knees into the chines or closer to the center
depending on the time of day and the water. With all this variability, you
can see it's hard to pick one preferred height. Too, it's hard in winter to
simulate that last of a three or four week trip when you have no cushioning
left on the bony parts of your butt.

For inspiration, you might look at Mad River's new thwart system with the
pivoting, adjustable rake seat.

I've evolved away from the center seat thwart. Partly because it degrades
the structure of the boat, partly because it gets in the way of carrying,
and partly because it gets in the way for poling. I removed the center
thwart of my RX Explorer and replaced it with two, spaced fore and aft. For
solo paddling, I kneel on my pack. For tandem (which for me rarely includes
whitewater), I put back the stock cane seats.

hth,
Fred Klingener