# Are any of you pigeon toed?



## kristinb737 (May 1, 2014)

Alright,

I know this is a strange topic (and my first one at that). My friend and I are both pigeon toed (our feet go inward when we walk, etc..) and it's a bit uncomfortable to kayak for more than 2 hours because our knees go one way and our feet the other. Both of us have trouble with our feet hurting and going numb. My question is (if you have trouble with this) what kind of foot pegs do you have to make it less unbearable and what kind of seat system do you have? Does it help more, or is it just something that we will have to correct or live with if we want to kayak? I know this may sound dumb but I'm just trying to see if anyone else has this problem because we are still new to kayaking.


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## BCxp (Jun 3, 2012)

Might try sitting/demoing a boat that has a bulkhead not pegs. Bulkheads let you position your feet lots of ways. Jackson makes their Unishock bulkhead that is easily adjusted while sitting in the kayak so you can set it tight or loose for whatever you're doing and not have to get out and mess with brackets and wingnuts. Very comfy. This bulkhead is on their WW boats. Their seats adjust easily, too.

If you're looking at rec/touring kayaks consider stuffing the bow with strong float/dry bags and inflating so their aft edge is near footpegs. Not as good as bulkhead but might help and bags are a good safety element to have to reduce water volume if you dump and someone has to retrieve the boat. 

Be sure to check for adequate deck clearance for your feet. Not enough can be a killer. Also maybe try a little foam under your thighs to act as leg lifters. 

What booties do you wear? Thick ones might be a culprit.

Numbness can have many causes, generally things may be too tight, including hip pads. Google kayak leg issues/numbness. Lots of info out there. Stretching hamstrings before putting on might help, as well.


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## kristinb737 (May 1, 2014)

Thanks BCxp. That was really helpful.

I'm in a Dagger RPM. The foot system I have now is on brackets with wingnuts and they are big pieces of foam. Is that similar to bulkhead?

I am just trying to figure out how I am so uncomfortable. I have the footing as high as I can go so I don't lose control or my knees slip out from under the holds. My feet don't always go numb but I still have to take my legs out from under the knee holders on calm water to let my legs rest because they are hurting and when I do that it's a struggle to get my legs back under the knee holders without removing the skirt and positioning them in there sometimes. 

I am going to purchase a new back strap seat sometime within the next few weeks so I am hoping that will make things better.

The seat system I have now is not comfortable at all and I don't really have any adequate back support while i'm paddling so i'm constantly leaning forward without any support on my back and I think that might be making it dificult too and is probably a big factor in it. Also on those foot rests I feel like the boat is just so narrow at the top that my feet don't have a lot of room anyhow, that's why I was considering footpegs so I could have just a little more room. 

I will take a picture of the inside of my boat and show you what I am talking about. 

And I haven't bought booties yet, I am wearing vibram toe shoes which could definitely be a culprit for me. What booties do you recommend? 

Sorry if I am not making much sense, I haven't learned too much of the lingo yet lol.


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## co_bjread (Oct 26, 2004)

Before you invest too much in the RPM, I too would suggest trying out some different boats. I started in a ca 2000 Dagger Ultrafuge which admitidley is way to small for me, but the outfitting is very uncomfortable. The seat is bad, the thigh braces are bad and the backrest is bad and the bulkhead is bad. It has had alot of foam glued in various places to help out, but it is still just an uncomfortable boat. Compare that with my wifes Remix with BadAss outfitting, and it is amazing how comfortable it is. The RPM is an older boat, so it likely has the same bad outfitting as the Ultrafuge. If you try some other boats you may find one that is comfortable inspite of your feet, and your feet may not be the problem at all.
Good luck.


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