General fit guidelines

I am interested in collecting other paddler's ideas and observations about proper fit of a surf ski. Specifically: How tight or loose should the bucket fit and how do folks set up leg length? Also what about seat height and the use of pads, etc.

There are many discussion about wide seats for big guys but I have found few comments about "ideal" fit (especially for smaller paddlers). Also, while I know that the rule of thumb for setting up the peddles is to put a closed fist under you knee, but this really relates to the how straight the push leg get under full rotation.

I know this information is personal and variable, but I bet that most paddlers fall in a narrow range. Greg Barton's comments about boat fit and set up in "The Barton Mold" are very helpful for K1 paddlers but skis are different enough that it would be good to have some ski specific info.

If there are a few good overviews of fit elsewhere these reference might be nice to list too.

Thanks
Tom

Wow you just watch this thread explode with ideas.

I agree with you and the old fist under the knee was from a era where all decks were flat, now most are scooped.

It is a real personal issue, and is really a case of trying ski`s.

I recently sold a Gibbons at 6.5 ( Gibbons measure ) many at the same height as me thought it was too long.

I then bought a new one at 6 - and love it, but my mate just bought one at 7 and he is the same leg lengh as me.

Just find a good manufacturer and try them.

Hope I didnt confuse the issue, but it really matters what you get is what your stuck with err at slightly longer so you can chock out if need be.

Cheers

I agree that this thread will have a few responses. Can each one please just say what ski they have (the 6, 7 etc is foreign to me - and may be a fixed length spec ski?).

I would imagine that the only answer for width of bucket would be as snug as possible without hindering rotation.

What benefit could be gained from flopping all over the place?

Knees high or low will always be a personal thing with wildly varying answers.

I think that generally, height of the seat relative to the foot well always be a compromise in stability, so differing skill level paddlers will want what ever suits their particular preference.

Some find no issue with high feet/ low bum, some hate it.

I think most will agree that general fit guidelines is best satisfied by getting in the ski and see if you like it.
If you do, you do, If you don't, you don't.

It really is as simple as that.



Now lets get on with the more important issue of arguing whose backside the seat should be moulded from.

J-Lo, Cameron Diaz or Oscar C