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PostPosted: January 25th, 2021, 3:18 pm 
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Lots of good information has been shared.

North Water is a good place to get outfitting stuff if needed.
Here are a couple of examples related to this posting.

https://northwater.com/collections/sadd ... ble-saddle

https://northwater.com/collections/sadd ... noe-saddle

https://northwater.com/collections/d-rings-anchor-rings

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PostPosted: January 25th, 2021, 8:22 pm 
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Location: Duluth, MN
This thread has been super helpful and informative, so thanks! I'm going to have to wait til spring to get my boat out and check available options (seat placement, yoke, etc.), but I'm thinking a saddle makes sense--provided I can figure out the portage situation. The homemade, adjustable height saddle is an intriguing possibility, so thanks for sharing it and posting the link to the other thread.

For whatever reason, I feel most comfortable and secure paddling on my knees (despite the discomfort of being in that position for long stretches) but the seat extraction continues to bother me, in whitewater and at portages in lake country. The Northwater adjustable saddle is intriguing, but I think it will compromise portaging, and I don't want to be in a position of having to remove the saddle to install the detachable yoke at each portage, as the yoke by itself is enough of a pain.

A saddle that could be sat upon for stretches would be ideal, as that would be a nice way to get the best of both worlds. Anyway, this thread has provided much food for thought (and future tinkering), so thanks again.


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PostPosted: May 24th, 2021, 10:29 pm 
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Though I've yet to install it, I went with the Northwater adjustable saddle: https://northwater.com/products/adjustable-saddle

It's been a bit of an ordeal getting my glued in knee pads removed and the gunk cleaned off, but I'm slowly getting there. I presume the daisy chains get adhered as closely to the saddle as possible (see picture in link)?
Have any of you installed this particular saddle before? Anything I should be mindful of?
Thanks.


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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 8:50 am 
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Pat, don't you have the same adjustable saddles in your Vertige X? Picture?


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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 9:53 am 
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Yes, I have a Vertige X outfitted for solo & tandem with North Water saddles.

You are correct tom-o, place the webbing pass-throughs of the daisy-chain attachment right along side of the saddle. Having them snug makes it slightly more fiddly to move/secure the saddles, but leaves no room for wobble or loosening.

To be honest, they are really good, and I'm sure they'd work fine no matter how you install them!

Other than that, just make sure you know where you want everything go. And then follow the instructions on the adhesive - if it says both sides, thin coats, let it dry, apply heat, whatever, just do as it says.

Cheers, P.

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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 4:30 pm 
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Definitely try out a saddle with fixed yoke. I recently temporarily secured a yoke to a canoe with webbing straps to test it for balance. Test before cutting, drilling and installing.

In my case the saddle was close to the balance point so yoke is off-centre, off unbalanced, forward of the saddle and knee pads. To portage the canoe, the more balanced the better so I left the front painter and bailer as well as my bent shaft and whitewater paddles on the bow deck. The added weight balanced the canoe for portaging. It’s an easy solution provided the canoe is light enough that adding the weight to balance is still within your portage weight range and you have an easy means of adding and securing the weight.

The other saddle and fixed yoke was stated by sbaillie, including a photo, on the previous page.
“I place the saddle behind the middle yoke, up against a thwart. With a couple packs placed in front of the yoke I find the canoe balances perfectly”

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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 9:17 pm 
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Thanks all. Very helpful. My plan is to shave a bit off the top of the saddle so it can slide just under the rear thwart, and install the daisy chain goin back that far as well. That way I can make sure it is out of the way of my removable yoke and I have enough head space to portage (in a perfect world I could loosen the attachment, slide the yoke back, and have it be more or less wedged under the yoke). That's my current theory anyway. We'll see if that's how it turns out in practice....


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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 11:37 pm 
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Interesting. I actually didn't like the stock North Water removable saddles because they were already too low profile! I had them make me removable saddles with the regular, taller back. I didn't like a low saddle with nothing behind me to get any purchase against (but primary use was ww play).

Anyway, I wouldn't plan on "just sliding back the saddle" as part of a quick system at portages. Undoing the webbing attachments is a little more finicky than a quick slide-back, especially if it's cold, raining, buggy and your friends are waiting for you - get the webbing undone can take a bit of concentrated finger-effort.

Can't really comment further on how to figure out your exact situation for the saddle, yoke, head, but be warned that relocating the detachable saddle isn't super-quick in the context of portaging.

P.

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PostPosted: May 25th, 2021, 11:48 pm 
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Even for a true centre position, I think the front of my saddles are behind the balance point of my canoes (maybe not?). If that's true, can't you just use a removable yoke, basically right above the front edge of the saddle, and not have the saddle interfere with your head?

I've been meaning to figure this out for myself in my own boat, but seeing as how COVID eliminated my opportunities for ww tripping the past 2 springs, I haven't gotten around to it.

Last time I tripped in that boat, I either shoulder-carried (a very heavy boat) or put the front of the saddle on the top of my head (...so maybe it would be in the way of yoke?), or dragged it through creeks or forests when that seemed best. After that I decided that I do want a proper yoke.

My Plan A is that a detachable yoke at the centre point won't create a problem for my head & the saddle. If it does though, my Plan B would be to move the saddle back towards the stern just enough until I get that clearance, possibly carving down the front edge of the saddle if possible too, and I'd just sit slightly astern for my paddling position and adjust trim accordingly with my gear.

Good luck, P.

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PostPosted: May 26th, 2021, 8:57 pm 
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Remember a portage yoke can face forward or aft.

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PostPosted: May 26th, 2021, 9:22 pm 
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With the saddle up against the rear thwart, I may be able to affix and use my solo yoke without having to adjust the saddle at all. In the event it doesn't quite work, if I shave a touch from the high part of the saddle nearest the rear thwart, it seems as though I'll be able to more or less have the saddle permanently placed in that position, with enough room for yoke/head/portage.

Because I think it will be close, I was assuming, in the event the saddle had to be moved, it would be a game of inches, and I may be able to get away with justly loosening the connection, sliding the saddle back and inch or so, and tightening when I get back on the water. Maybe that theory isn't practical in a real world situation?


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PostPosted: May 26th, 2021, 9:33 pm 
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Yeah that, I find if the saddles are cinched-down well, loosening them is a bit of the PITA. No big deal if make an occasional switch of placement, but it would get me for frequent portaging.

Personal I'd prefer to get the saddle back enough to at least allow for a removeable yoke (or possibly a permanent yoke. It all depends on frequency of use and frequency of portages.

No sweat though, you'll figure out what for you. Maybe you'll come up with a "quick release" mod as an alternative to the stock straps. Or maybe you'll just be better at it than I am and/or it just won't bug you. Either way, you'll work it out.

P.

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PostPosted: May 27th, 2021, 6:49 pm 
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Yarnellboat, I appreciate the real-world advice, as I don't the saddle to be a PITA at every portage. It sounds as though I should aspire to place the saddle so that it doesn't need to be moved to portage, which I think is possible.


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