Seat Fitting Instructions

The Bumfortable is simply glued directly into the hull of the boat.

Firstly, determine the position for gluing the Bumfortable. There are two alternatives:
The “She’ll be right” method can work well for experienced paddlers, but I actually recommend the “Methodical Measuring Method” which takes a few minutes longer, but guarantees a symmetrical installation.

“She’ll be right method”

Sit in the kayak with the loose Bumfortable and shift it around until you find a comfortable position that “feels” right. Mark the position with a marker pen before you get out, and then glue it in. You could do this method either on the land with the hull supported on the sides with rugs, or you could take it to the water and paddle whilst adjusting the Bumfortable for a position that feels right.

However, I recommend getting a little more methodical about it, as below.

Methodical measuring method

1. If you are happy that the old seat was in the correct position for boat trim, then record the position of the old seat as follows:
   1. Position the boat on a level floor or deck. Put a spoonful of water in each butt cheek recess to find and calibrate the lowest point of the seat.
      (I could’ve used marbles...
      but I lost them already …).
   2. Put a mark inside the bottom of the hull of your boat with a pen or piece of tape, approx 10 cm in front of your old seat.
   3. With a tape measure or a ruler, record the distance from that mark to the middle of the pooled water. Alternatively if your eye judgment is top notch, then you could “eye-chrometer” it by standing directly above the pooled water, and mark this position on the side of the cockpit. We will use these measurements later to position the Bumfortable.
2. Remove the old seat, and chop off the flanges if you are installing a wedge kit.
3. It is important that the hull is clean and dry before gluing the Bumfortable in, otherwise the glue could fail, causing the seat to move during racing or training. If the hull is really dirty use a scrubbing brush and soapy water to remove dirt and sand. Alternatively, use a wire brush to scrub off old glue and dirt.
4. Use medium grit sandpaper to give the area to be glued a quick buff.
5. When the hull is dry, use methylated spirits / alcohol to clean the hull and Bumfortable by wiping, using a clean cloth.
6. Mark a centerline along the inside spine of your boat using a 600mm long strip of cardboard, or thin wire, as follows;
   1. Lay the cardboard strip/wire perpendicular to the length of your boat, across the bottom of your hull. 
   2. Trim it to length so that the ends rest exactly at the seam lines half way up the insides of your boat. 
   3. Now mark the mid-point of the cardboard strip/wire by folding it exactly in half and back out again.
   4. Put it back inside your boat and mark several centre-line points inside your hull from the front of the cockpit to the back.
   5. Use a long straight-edge to draw a centre-line
   6. Use this centre-line to line up the centre of the Bumfortable
   7. The Bumfortable has centre datums for you to align with your centre-line you drew; use the small nipple on the back surface, and the inside of the front curve.
7. Next we need to test the Bumfortable position before gluing it in.
8. Place the kayak on flat ground, no stones, with blankets supporting the sides around the cockpit area so as not to strain the boat when you sit in it, and to maintain the natural shape of the hull. Place the seat in the boat.
9. Either position the Bumfortable as in (1) above with a spoon of water in each butt cheek recess and measure to your mark; or you could figure it out by sitting in it, with your feet on the footrest in your normal paddling position, jiggle it around until you get the familiar seating distance.
10. If you need to adjust the seating position to get the boat trim correct, then you can paddle the kayak with the Bumfortable loose in the kayak, with an observer. Take a marker pen in the boat with you to record the final Bumfortable position when you have the kinetic trim balanced.
11. If you need to pad out the sides for more support, place the wedges from the wedge kit between the hull and the seat and mark their positions. You may need to trim bits off the wedges to suit your requirements.
12. It’s easy to route rudder cables; drink hoses etc conveniently down the sides, between the Bumfortable and the hull.

Gluing in the Bumfortable

If you are using a wedge kit, I recommend you glue the wedges onto the kayak hull before gluing the Bumfortable in. See the section on fitting wedge kits.

Align the Bumfortable with your marks from the fitting instructions above.

There are 2 alternatives for gluing:

1. Contact Adhesive such as Ados F2 or Bostick Contact Adhesive. Contact adhesive requires you to spread a thin layer of the glue over the entirety of both surfaces using a plaster spreader, an old knife or a flexible piece of plastic cut from an old container. You’ll need to wait for 5 to 10 minutes until the glue’s just gone touch dry and then bring place the Bumfortable accurately into place. You only get one chance to locate it accurately as it’s an instant contact bond. Then push the Bumfortable firmly all over to ensure a good contact. You could even sit in it to apply pressure. The bond is complete and you can go paddling immediately to revel in your new comfort! Follow the instructions of the glue manufacturer.
2. Construction adhesive with a cartridge gun, such as “No More Nails”. Construction adhesive is simpler in some ways than Contact Adhesive, in that it allows you to shift the Bumfortable before the glue sets to align with your marks, thus reducing the pressure to be so accurate in initial placement. However, you will need to allow some hours for the glue to set before you can use the kayak. You may need to hold the Bumfortable in place while the glue sets too, with something like tape or stuffing the seat cavity with an old pillow to press it against the sides of the hull.

Using Velcro?
The adjustability question….

Bumfortables are best glued securely into the hull, as with any seat. However, some folks want to have adjustability in their kayak seat position. Some have tried using Velcro with varying success rates.  I’m currently working on a better adjustment system than Velcro.

Reasons for having an adjustable position:

• Multiple users of the boat. Eg a club or families. It’s often quicker than adjusting the foot rests for different users of the boat. But beware this alters the trim of the boat
• Removability for placing buoyancy and gear in the back of the boat.

We've tried using Velcro to fit Bumfortables. It works if you don't transport the kayak on a vehicle, if you never push too hard on the footrests, if you never roll or fall out and if you never get sand or dirt in the bottom of your kayak.

In other words, in my opinion it's not practical at all.  Nice try, but I believe Velcro is not secure enough and will likely eventually give the following problems:

• It only takes a little sand, dirt or fluff to clog the velcro, and effectively render it useless. Sand and dirt always collect on the bottom of the hull, exactly where the velcro is
• Pushing hard on footrests will dislodge. (Pushing hard is occasionally part of the kayak technique isn't it?)
• Rough water may dislodge, such as using an energetic support stroke, or roll.
• Taking an accidental swim will almost certainly dislodge the Bumfortable. Bumfortables are very buoyant, but it is yet another thing to retrieve (or lose) whilst swimming through rapids.
• Even if not dislodged, i would never be 100% confident. I have more important things to focus on. I want Bumfortables to make the paddling experience simpler and more enjoyable.
• It is very likely that the Bumfortable will blow out when transporting the kayak on the roof racks.

If you really, really want to use Velcro

We've got one or two customers that have successfully used Velcro by using our webbing Back-strap kit for extra support and security, keeping their boat clean from dirt and sand, and being careful while getting in and out. If I thought it was a viable solution I could manufacture the Bumfortable with moulded Velcro on the underside. Instead I'm working on a better adjustment option, due to be released spring 2011.

If you're a flat water paddler who keeps your boat clean and is prepared to remove the Bumfortable for transport then Velcro might work for you. Use construction wallboard adhesive in a cartridge.