Bumfortable Kayak Seat

It all started
      with a pain in the bum . . .

Everything else was awesome, my paddling skills were ripping, and I was paddling like the wind! But it hurt.

There’s a famous saying: “energy flows where attention goes” and most of my attention was going to the pain instead of fun and good technique. My energy was bottoming out instead of heading forward fast.

The duration I could train for was limited by pain too. I was desperate to make my kayaking comfortable.

I was working as a graduate design engineer in the foam plastics industry, so it was inevitable I suppose, that I, a competitive kayaker, would invent a solution for sore bums and numb legs! … I was sitting on some good information!

As soon as I’d chopped and glued a foam seat masterpiece together for myself, my mates wanted one too. (I must’ve had an annoying grin as I kayaked past them!) So I gathered a list of all of the pains and ailments that paddlers suffered from. The number one complaint I got from my research was numb legs, followed by sore “sit bones”, then chafing, then cramps and coldness. Then I spent a couple of months developing and testing the best seat I could to solve our combined posterior problems.

The results?  The comfortable Bumfortable:

The Bumfortable is a factory moulded, closed cell foam seat with the following features:

• It's a material difference (foam vs. harsh fibreglass)

  • Warm closed cell foam - the Gurney Gears Bumfortable is warmer and more comfortable than fibreglass. Less abrasive and much less likely to make your legs fall asleep.
  • Soft: The softness reduces pressure points and allows extra rotation.
  • Smooth surface finish allows ease of rotation to aid in paddle efficiency.
  • This closed cell foam can be custom moulded to your particular bum shape by gentle use of heat, (hairdryer, hot-water bottle, or domestic fan heater), if you so desire. Or it’s easy to cut, grind or glue.
  • Light weight & nonabsorbent

• Good for your body:

  • Reduced pressure on ischial tuberosity (bum bones) by concavities in the underside of the Bumfortable.
  • Designed to prevent chaffing by structurally supporting your back while kayaking through proper posture, rather than allowing pressure on flesh where chaffing occurs.
  • Extended length into the hamstring area to reduce pressure and keep hamstings warm. This aids circulation and reduces cramps.

• Good for your kayak:

  • Lowers your centre of gravity which increases kayak stability (choose the model to suit your kayak's dimensions)
  • Reduced incidence of kayak hull damage - A rigid seat structure is more likely to hole the kayak when a rock scrapes along the hull because it represents a sudden change in elastic flexibility of the hull. A Bumfortable, by comparison, will allow the hull to continue elastically flexing as the hull passes along the obstruction highly reducing the chances of structural damage and subsequent required repair.
  • Available factory installed: Increasingly, kayak manufacturers are offering the Bumfortable as an option when ordering new boats. If you are a manufacturer and are interested in more information on OEM, please contact me.

• Packed with features

  • Bilge pump flow tunnels incorporated into the underside allow liquid to flow to your bilge pump
  • Back strap option through the moulded backstrap tunnel. (25 mm webbing)
  • Wedge kit available to allow proper fit in wider kayaks
  • Seat Tilt kit option available

Of course everyone is different, so the Bumfortable kayak seat may not be the solution to all of these symptoms for all people. However, I’m confident enough to guarantee that this Bumfortable seat will improve your kayaking comfort, and therefore your performance, to some degree so long as you follow our fitting instructions; or your money back!

The bottom line

I rate kayak comfort as more important than hull speed, 
          to finish first, first you must finish!”