Any of you solo trippers, solo canoeists, prefer to kneel instead of sit when tripping?

I always sit because . . . I'm not sure how long I could kneel, or if I could get up and out if I did :).

I sit and am happy doing so almost all the time. I have kneeled just a few times when I really needed more stability.

Never kneel. My knees and legs could never take it. The low setting on my Wenonah Wilderness seems to keep me low enough.

I like to do both. Either sitting or kneeling for a long time bothers me. However I cannot kneel in my Magic. Can't get my feet under the seat. It has the stock Bell seat drop. When I bought it it was set up for kneeling with a very short seat drop which was too high to sit w/o feeling unstable. Even w/the short drops I could not fit my feet under the seat.

Both, depending on conditions and how much power I want in my stroke.

Sit, I don't know where I'd put my feet to kneel.

sit, I have a magic also. it wasn't designed for kneeling.

I kneel 99 percent of the time in Solo or tandem canoes.

You gotta ease into it by stretching out a little at a time. I also use a kneeling chair some of the time while doing office work.

I sit most of the time, only kneel when the water is rougher.

I sit because my old decrepit body tells me I must. If I had the choice, I would most likely kneel when traveling and sit when fishing. I feel the kneeling position is more ergonomic and allows your muscles to work less for greater reward.

sit in my prism, always, no bucket seat, installed a web seat, i could kneel, why bother.

In rough water I have sometimes kneeled...and prayed too. --Goose

Sit. I did experiment with kneeling using both single and double paddles, but sitting works better in my magic. Especially since I had the foot brace installed. With the kayak paddle kneeling was really awkward, a very brief experiment.
Like OGG I might kneel to lower center of gravity if wind/wave were an issue; probably more to ask for some calmer water.

quote bhouse46: "
Like OGG I might kneel to lower center of gravity if wind/wave were an issue; probably more to ask for some calmer water. "

Yup. Calmer water and that my knees will still work when I stand next.

Sitter here - may try yak paddle again but used my regular paddle and switched sides every 2-3 strokes.

quote jhb8426: "I like to do both. Either sitting or kneeling for a long time bothers me. However I cannot kneel in my Magic. Can't get my feet under the seat. It has the stock Bell seat drop. When I bought it it was set up for kneeling with a very short seat drop which was too high to sit w/o feeling unstable. Even w/the short drops I could not fit my feet under the seat. "

I recently purchased a Northstar Northwind Solo (new Ted Bell Company). It came with the "sitting" seat. I ordered the kneeling drops and tried that out.

I love the feeling of control you get with the kneeling position, but as with you, it was tough on my feet. There just isn't enough room under the seat to comfortably place your feet. You have to actually stretch out your feet with your toes facing the stern.

So, I put the "sitting" drops back in. Maybe I'll rig up something to allow me to exercise my kneeling muscles. I like the "freestyle" feeling you obtain while kneeling.

I would like to kneel more than I do. I have gotten cramps in my legs doing it before and I was kneeling because of rough water. I wonder if knee pads would be beneficial?

quote DanCooke: "I kneel 99 percent of the time in Solo or tandem canoes.

You gotta ease into it by stretching out a little at a time. I also use a kneeling chair some of the time while doing office work."

Good advice. I like the feeling of control while kneeling, but it just kills my feet (knees are okay). Maybe I'll build a little kneeling bench exerciser so I can do some stretching.

Always sit unless there are hurricane like winds and high rollers. Then I am kneeling, on shore.

I have an Old Town Berrigan canoe that I used in the BWCA when I lived out there. It has kneeling seats. There are foam knee pads and a tubular aluminum foot brace. There are straps which wrap over your knees to secure you in the boat. The seats provide some support although your weight bears mainly on the bottom of the canoe.This is a covered canoe with cockpits and spraycovers much like a kayak. Its primarily a whitewater canoe but the kneeling position gives a very secure feel. The very low center of gravity combined with being secured to the canoe gives a great sense of control to the boat. The boat has a narrow beam and yet the sense of dynamic stability is great. The kneeling position is also a much more powerful paddling position. Your weight is on your knees so your entire torso is involved in the paddle stroke.

I found this way more comfortable than a seated position as far as that goes. The major drawback is that since you are in a small cockpit with a deck you cannot change your seating position. You get out of the boat at the portages feeling very stiff. I think a similar position in an open canoe would allow you to change your leg position from time to time. You could kneel on one knee at a time with the other leg forward for example.

I miss the comfort and power of the kneeling position in my other canoes. In a seated position I'm only able to paddle with the upper half of my body and there is the potential for lower back strain. On the other hand, a long paddle in a kneeling position can leave you craving a seat.

I love to kneel. Better posture, control and stability. My feet are size 15. Choice of footwear has a huge impact on my ability to kneel. Flexible soles are the only way for me. However, for many the footwear I use would not offer enough support.

There's a big difference in how much I can kneel in the spring vs the fall. It's all about getting used to it.

Depends on the water conditions and the canoe I'm paddling. In my Sawyers and Wenonahs, I always sit, unless water and wind conditions become extremely hairy. After all, they are "sit and switch" style solo canoes and are fitted with the sliding bucket seats.

In my Yellowstone Solo and Mad River Traveler, I find kneeling more appropriate and actually comfortable. The Mad River Traveler is plenty roomy with a lot of clearance under the sliding center/cane seat, even for my big feet, not so much with the Yellowstone Solo. That said, they're both fairly comfortable when using with the big 36" x 31" CCS foam kneeling "T" pad.

Hans Solo