TexasKayakFisherman.com

I'm considering this kayak and have a couple questions.

Seat - The seat back looks kind of short. Do you like the seat? Do you find the back too short? Does seat have enough padding?

Standing - In order to have enough room for your feet, do you have to move the seat back? The pics I've seen, it looks like there's not much foot room. Unless they had the seat all the way forward, maybe?

Thanks.

Me and my daughter rented a ride 115x this weekend along with the native slayer 12 , my opinion of the ride was I thought it was easier to paddle and a little bit faster, ours had the low seat, the seat was comfy but nowhere near as comfortable as the slayer. I also thought the ride was a tad bit more stable and I did move the seat back when I stood but it wasn't hard to slide back. but I think I am going with the slayer simply because of seat comfort and more room to stand at the cost of no under deck storage. wish I could try out the coosa but maybe that will be a yak for my wife, then I can use either.

65 views and 0 replies?

I find the seat to be very comfy.... Im 6'1" with some back problems and can sit in it all day.

As far as foot room for standing. .. I have a size 11 shoe and from all the way back to about halfway forward your good. Further forward and you will need to stand in the section front of the hatch. Though as easy as it is to slide the seat there is no reason to worry about it. Just keep it where ya want and when ya want to stand slide back and stand up with maximum foot room

JimM wrote:65 views and 0 replies?

Maybe there are not that many RIDE 115X owners? I have the 2012 R115, so my opinion is not good, but here it goes...

The R115 models 2012 and newer can benefit from two seat options. The seat cushion itself is the same regardless of high/low seat you choose.

High Seat: The high seat is great for long paddling/fishing days so you can bend your knees and don't suffer cramps for poor blood circulation. It is also good to help you stand and fish vertical. There is a trade-off with the seat though.

If you look at the design the Airpro High seat has a bulky semi-circular form in the back that takes more space in the boat. Usually I can put a small cooler in the back with the low seat, but that is not an option when using the high seat.

Another problem when using the high seat is that you will have a harder time to access the center hatch between your legs as you are putting extra distance to reach down and grab things that you put inside the hull. Might be that I'm not flexible and my tummy get's on my way?

The high seat is great for lakes, bays, and marshes where the water is calm. However, since you are higher up your center of gravity changes a bid, so it is not a seat I would recommend for open water or the Galveston Causeway.

Another thing to be conscious about is that using the high seat will make it harder to side-saddle your yak and you will notice the yak leans way more on its sides increasing the feeling of tipping. I don't side saddle when using this seat. It will cut your blood supply to your legs when you do so also.

Low Seat: The low seat is a great seat when doing offshore fishing BTB or you are going to rough waters. It is the seat to use for side-saddle fishing IMO. Your will have a hard time to tip the yak on the side-saddle position with this seat. It will give you plenty of space in the back where you can put a small cooler or tackle box for easy access without having to reach all the way to the back tankwell. That space can be used to slide the seat all the way to the back and give you extra room to stand up in your yak. The negatives are that it will be harder to stand up from a seating position and that after some hours of yakking your blood circulation to your legs will start to give you cramps.

The only problem is that you need to choose one or the other when you go out and can't adjust to high/low once you are on the water like a Cuda. Other than that I enjoy both seats and just choose according to the place I will be fishing that day and the wind predictions.

Good luck!

JimM wrote:Seat - The seat back looks kind of short. Do you like the seat? Do you find the back too short? Does seat have enough padding?

Standing - In order to have enough room for your feet, do you have to move the seat back? The pics I've seen, it looks like there's not much foot room. Unless they had the seat all the way forward, maybe?

Thanks.

I, think your asking if the back rest is high enough.
I have a couple ride 115s and both high and low seats. I think they are high enough for me...
I'm 5"10 and about 225. If the back rest were any higher, it would make it hard to, turn to retrieve gear from the rear of the yak.
I have a bunch of back and knee problems, but can fish most of the day, with either seat. I will say the high seat takes some strain off my knees, especially when standing and sitting back down.

I don't have to move the seat back to stand.

I have a Jackson Big Tuna and like their seating, but find it difficult to change from, high to low or visa versa while on the water...

God bless,
Doc S

Same here, I have a Ride 115. Low seat back isn't an issue for comfort. Even after a 3 day trip I had no back issues, and I've had some back pains in my life.

As for the standing room... I have the majority of my gear behind me. Consequently, I have my seat pretty far forward to trim my boat out. I notice that my size 11 just barely fits in the standing portion. I usually don't stand for more than 10 minutes at a time, so it doesn't bother me. Sometimes I move up front and stand up there.

Thanks everyone, that helps.