As soon as I received Seawave 2 last year I ditched the heavy and squidgy Gumotex seats (right), and implemented my proven packraft inflatable seatbase + SoT backrest idea (left and below right) at a fraction of the weight and bulk.
The seatbase is fine of course; it weighs next to nothing and lifts you off the unavoidably soft floor for a good ‘raised-bum’ paddling stance. I’ve been using it for years, but sometimes I think I could use more back support than the SoT foam backrest. It presses nicely into the small of the back, but like a low-backed chair, is not something you can lean on. You could say in a kayak you shouldn’t be leaning on anything, but sitting bolt upright, knocking out a series of ‘searchlight beam’ torso rotating powerstrokes. But after too much of that you just want to lean back on something.
I picked up a used BICSport Power Backrest (for an SoT; right) which looked like it might be more comfortable. At 37cm, it was tall but lacked a hand rear pocket and instead had a centrally positioned adjustable bungy to counter-tension the back and keep it upright. Using it for the first time on the Wey last week, it started well but after a few hours collapsed as the pull from the front and back straps crumpled the backrest.
The problem: lack of stiffness. A backrest needs to be stiff like a chair back, while a seatbase wants to be soft like an armchair. One provides support; the latter takes your weight. The best way to fix the backrest was to insert a firm plastic plate. It just so happens I kept that very part from a rotting old Aire Cheetah seat bought 15 years ago for my Sunny.
I got that boat back last year, did it up with new seats and sold it. How’s that for recycling!
To be honest I’m beginning to think separate backrests and seatbases are a bit of a faff to fit and especially getting the seatbase just right under you when getting in and out a lot (did someone say ‘Wey‘?). It was ot that hard to attach the packraft seatbase to the BIC backrest, and like all these mods I do, is easily reversible.
For the back I bought another Chinese cheapie IK seat (left and below right; with back pocket; about £25) as I did for the refurb’d Sunny. The seatbases on these one-piece seats are just an inch or so thick; OK of a molded SoT but too low for the flat floor of an IK. So I attached a packraft base to it which provides the all-important raised position. The backrest is just more bendy foam so may need stiffening but we’ve found works fine as a second seat as the Mrs who never paddles like a Maori raider anyway.
Inflatable Kayaks & Packrafts 