I am a born again paddler, my GP tells me I am clinically obese, my brother
uses a different term for it.

I bought a used Pyranha H3 255, great boat but I did my most of my paddling
20 years ago and I am not used to all the adjustment options. Not that I am
complaining, but I could use some advice.

I used to be able to roll fairly well but at present it is a bit of a 50/50
thing, less flexible around the mid rift - you get the picture.

If I put the foot plate in a position so it gives me meaningful support,
this forces a knees apart seating position which then allows me to wedge
myself in using the adjustable thigh braces. If I then ratchet myself in
with the adjustable back band I have a wonderful human-machine interface,
can fine tune the edging even of this big beast of a boat.

I wonder if this setup negates the whole safety aspect of the 'keyhole
cockpit'. I thought the idea used to be, if your roll goes pear shaped, you
stretch your legs slightly, put your knees together disengaging from thigh
brace, and then you can make a smooth downward exit, if you resist the
reflext to twist your body and get yor face out of the water.

Trouble is, I am so ratcheted in, I have to stay cool as anything, let go of
the paddle, release the ratchet left and right before I get any chance of
getting out of the boat to catch some air. The central pillar in the front
also makes it neigh on impossible to get my knees togther.

If there were no mates to help me recover, I'd havce images of floating down
the river upside down, feeding the fishes.

I should say I intend to use the boat only for class 2 to 3 river running. I
used to do a fair bit more than that in the Alps, but it is a case of
getting back into the swing of things for now. Any ideas how to make the
outfitting more exit friendly?

Cheers

BD