Hi, new to the group. I am not the person who uses the Kayak. I just purchased one for my son. He is 26 and a river guide during the summer. He is doing that on the Ocoee where the summer '96 Olypmics where run. Intense course at times, so he says, especially in those large boats and no experienced paddlers.

Well I purchased, as I said,a Riot 65 I think Thunder. My son Josh is a tall guy. Muscular also. He is 6'2"'s. He has moved the seat back to the last hole. I think it could still go farther back, but no more holes. In the livingroom he sat in it and still he needs more room. He says he really needs to remove the bulk head and put in a thick foam block. Is that possible?? He has moved the bulk head as far back as he could, he might be able to get another inch. He really could use another 2-3"s. So any suggestions. From the seat to where his knees go, that is fine. What can he use to replace the bulkhead. Will this cause any problems with the strength of the boat? So open to any suggestions.

This kayak has only been used about 3 times. I hope he can adapt it somehow. All the other kayaks I found where way way too short for him. Thanks for any ideas.

Lynda

What is his weight, as well as his inseam? The Thunder 65 is a river runner, so you may have gotten it without realizing that it may not have as much room as you expected. As for the bulkhead, you can take it out without damaging the boat, but be sure to glue the foam in. DON'T take out the pillar, as this will reduce the integrity of the boat. Also, moving the seat all the way back will probably throw off the trim of the boat, which means that the bow will be way too high out of the water, with the hull possibly resembling a surf kayak. If you end up getting another boat, try to trade with someone who has a boat that is too big for them and is used, so you don't end up losing too much money on the transaction.

Well Josh says, the seat is back to where it could go. The last hole on the metal bar. Guess we will leave it like that. The factory must have figured out how far back it could go.
About the bulk head, we where thinking of putting in a thick load of foam.
About the PILLAR, can one remove it and put it back?? Is it glued in place, and screwed in place??

His weight is about 190, we might be a little more than he is. He is off somewhere so I couldn't ask. His inseam is 32". Thanks for your advice. The man we purchased this boat from, said his friend used it once and he was 6'1". Maybe he lied, or maybe his friend was fine feeling squished. Josh can get in and out of this kayak. Some of the others, we where told that Josh couldn't use the boat, he couldn't get out of it. I will see if I can trade and equal boat, for a longer person. Thanks for your help

A few boats to consider are the Jackson Hero (26"-37" inseam), Jackson Rocker, Fluid Solo M, Bliss-Stick Mystic, the new Wave Sport Diesel (most likely 70), Eskimo Salto, Prijon Hercules, and the Prijon Embudo. The Eskimos and Prijons have no bow/stern pillar, so he could have more freedom inside of his kayak. I believe that there is an Eskimo dealer in Duluth, GA, which is the only dealer in the US, according to eskimo-kajak.de. Also, look at the Pyranha Burn/Everest. . One final question? how much did you buy it for?

HI purchased it reasonable. $250 for 2 skirts, life jacket, paddle, water bladder, helmet, and kayak. Not a bad price. We couldn't afford anything much more than that. It is a new boat, has a few scratches on the bottom. That happened when this guy Paul wrecked his face using this boat on the Ocoee. He broke his nose, knocked out his front teeth. He was a mess for awhile. He was stuck upside down in the water getting beaten up. He is moving to Colorado and needed to sell some of his stuff. Josh isn't having problems with the pillar, it's not in his way.Just with his feet, needs a few more inches. He can't get his knees to where they need to be with the bulk head in the kayak. He needs to remove the bulk head and replace with foam. If he does that he should have the room he needs. As I said his inseam is only 32" to 34". Thanks for your info. We had to go used with a good price so we could get him this kayak. I guess the guy wasn't that honest. He did say his friend who is 6'1" rode this kayak down the ocoee, that is why we purchased it. Thanks again

you can easily sell the boat with one of the skirts for a lot more than you bought it for, based on your description. If you could get around 500 dollars, you could get a decent boat listed in the previous post. since it's only been used a few times, it should actually be worth as much as 700 dollars, and you might want to let your son pick his next boat. Two good resources are craigslist.org and Boatertalk.com . The only reason that I am recommending a different kayak is that if you pile tons of foam in, it may feel "squishy" because it will absorb so much of the impact that he may slide forward on any large drops. Also, I have no clue how the footrails are secured, but they are most likely held in place by 2 screws, so you would also have to make sure that no water gets in. Since the seat is all the way back, this means that the trim may be out, plus if anyone else paddles it, they would probably have to put in loose foam, which is a terrible idea. the Fluid Solo S has tons of leg room, and I imagine that the medium has even more room.