About 6 months ago I purchased a used Placid Boatworks Rapidfire. Long time flatwater kayaker and canoeist here--25+ boats over the past 30 years. I'm just delighted with the Rapidfire, fast, nimble, tracks great, very lightweight and obviously much easier to get in and out of than my touring kayaks which has been an issue for me due to knee problems and the fact that a lot of our lakes are reservoirs with steep sides that get drawn down quite a bit as the summers progress.

The day I bought her i took her to a local lake for a test paddle, and the wind was blowing pretty good--20+mph. I was quite surprised how well she handled the wind and waves, I even started surfing her down some of the waves! Very impressed with how she handled the rougher weather/wate

I'm in Oregon, and I paddle our alpine lakes a lot, and usually solo. Our problem is that you can start out in the morning with the lake like glass, and then later in the afternoon be faced with 20-25mph winds and 2+ foot chop. While the Rapidfire does great, there's been a few times where I really wished I could brace better--especially when riding the trough in larger waves.

I tried making some closed-cell foam hip braces that I wedged in by my hips, and while they helped with bracing, they really made my hips quite stationary with the end result being some back and torso aches at the end of the paddle as they weren't able to flex much at all while paddling. They way there were wedged in meant that I had to put them in at the beginning of my paddle as there's really no way to install or remove them while under way.


So, I thought that maybe thigh straps would be the way to go as they could be laying there ready to go if I needed them, but I wouldn't have to use them if the weather stayed calm.

I finally had a couple of hours of sunshine yesterday and I got them installed! I test-paddled them for about an hour and I'm quite happy with them! Definitely felt a lot more comfortable doing edge turns and bracing. Didn't push it super far as I didn't have a ton of time and didn't want to get wet, but I'm hoping to get a pool session in soon when I can really edge hard and check it out.

Total cost was about $100 for the thigh straps, snap buckles, d-rings, and the special adhesive for the d-rings. Couple of pics below, curious if others have put thigh straps in their solo/pack canoes?

i would be really concerned about becoming entrapped in those straps. i've done a fair amount of whitewater paddling, always kneeling, foam pads gave me all of the grip i usually need. occasionally, like hitting a rock, you could be knocked out of position, but those instances are rare. we have experimented with straps but i didn't like them due to concerns of getting entangled in the straps

I will be setting up my solo canoe this spring (once I can actually sit in it on water). I hope to set it up for kneeling. I have also thought about thigh straps because I was used to them when I paddled whitewater. I like feeling I am "wearing" a boat if I plan to do anything that requires a lot of leverage or the ability to heel the boat onto an edge. But I will wait to see how the boat feels.

In terms of becoming entrapped, you will find that just like whitewater canoeists and kayakers, if the boat flips, you fall right out. Of course, practicing a capsize is always recommended.

I looked again at the photo. I take my comment back. This looks like a well designed system.

jwartman59: "i would be really concerned about becoming entrapped in those straps. i've done a fair amount of whitewater paddling, always kneeling, foam pads gave me all of the grip i usually need. occasionally, like hitting a rock, you could be knocked out of position, but those instances are rare. we have experimented with straps but i didn't like them due to concerns of getting entangled in the straps"

Yes, I used to do a lot of whitewater rafting and I'm always concerned about entrapment issues. I see your followup comment too, thanks. The way these are set up they quickly lift off your legs/knees once you remove pressure with you legs against the straps, so I don't believe it will be an issue, but, I do plan on some pool sessions in the coming weeks so I can do some hard edge turns, capsize, and make sure I'm comfortable with the set up.

straighthairedcurly: "I will be setting up my solo canoe this spring (once I can actually sit in it on water). I hope to set it up for kneeling. I have also thought about thigh straps because I was used to them when I paddled whitewater. I like feeling I am "wearing" a boat if I plan to do anything that requires a lot of leverage or the ability to heel the boat onto an edge. But I will wait to see how the boat feels.


In terms of becoming entrapped, you will find that just like whitewater canoeists and kayakers, if the boat flips, you fall right out. Of course, practicing a capsize is always recommended. "

I like the idea of kneeling and have paddled a few boats with saddles--and one of those had thigh straps too. I'm a big guy, and very broad across the shoulders, thus quite top-heavy. I found that when kneeling not only did it hurt my knees on a long paddle, but that my being so top-heavy really changed my center of gravity in the boat and thus decreased stability quite a bit. I also tend to prefer a double-bladed paddle over a single blade, and thus sitting in the bottom of the boat works much better for a kayak paddle IMHO.