Seating for long rows

[Robt.Lee]

I do not have a good seat for rows over an hour. What are people using for a seat pad? I have tried two of the Concept2 foam pads, packing foam, garden kneeling pads and probably something else, but I get very sore or my leg goes to sleep. What's a good solution?

[2whlrcr]

I use bubble wrap.

[johnlvs2run]

Loose fitting stretch shorts that have plenty of room in the butt.

[romad63]

I am having the same issue. Have tried towels, various types of clothing etc. I am putting in some LONNNGGG rows for NARC and while I can deal with the multiple blisters on my hands - the ones on the posterior are killing me.

Was thinking of taking a padded yoga mat and cutting it up - has anyone tried that?

[Robt.Lee]

I have seen gel pads from Echo Rowing and others. Do they work?

[chgoss]

I love Concept2, awesome engineering, great support, just fantastic.

but(t)

I have no clue why they cant produce a comfortable seat???? What's the deal???? All that has to be done is make the current model more contoured.

Some Model B's have a "tractor seat", which is a bit narrow, but(t) vastly more comfortable.

Anyway, I have tried:
- towel
- folded towel with sitz bone holes cut in to it
- C2 pad
- multiple C2 pads
- multiple C2 pads with Yakpad Gel Seat on top (this arrangment lasted the longest.. got me through 6m meters)

finally, dispairing that I would ever be able to get through a 12k w/out my legs falling asleep I:
- built a wooden box, 3" deep, 15" wide, 12" long. 3/4" plywood base
- filled it with plaster of paris
- sat in it until it dried (about 10 minutes for that stuff). It now has a perfect cast of my posterior..
- endured the ridicule of my family as I took my current seat off and bolted this thing on in place. I hear a lot of "Dad's butt mold" jokes now...
- threw my Gel Pad over the whole thing..

so far, it is working beautifully.. I may go into business selling butt molds..


NOTE: for the time and money that I spent on this whole thing.. I would have been better served to contact PaulS.. I remember that he posted a picture of a really nice wooden contoured seat that a friend of his made..

[Nosmo]

NOTE: for the time and money that I spent on this whole thing.. I would have been better served to contact PaulS.. I remember that he posted a picture of a really nice wooden contoured seat that a friend of his made..

I think that was a Carl Douglas seat put on an erg. Don't expect it to work for everyone. It is made for a large man. My wife had it on her Van Dussen single and it prevented her pelvis from moving resulting in back pain. The holes are much too big and far apart. Didn't work well for me either. I cut a way a bunch of it which helped. She ended up getting several seat tops from Durham Boat company and found one she liked.
SOmeone else (Bob S. perhaps?) used a Maas seat. I think that is much more likely to work for most people the the Carl Douglas, even though doesn't look nearly as good.

I have no trouble with the C2 seat. I don't think it is possible to design one that works for everyone.

[andyb2004]

My legs or feet used to go numb. The answer was to sit further forward, pretty much on the edge of the seat.
I tried the seat pad etc, but now I don't use any extra padding.

[michaelb]

I think rowing less is the obvious answer. I also want to see a picture of the "Chad Goss Butt Mold Seat".

Are you strapped in or rowing unstrapped? I found rowing unstrapped changed the pressure points, although I think most everyone gets uncomfortable over an hour, and I am not sure how people row full marathons nonstop without changing positions or doing anything.

This thread comes up periodically, and there is never one clear answer. The UK deluxe pad looks nicer, but you can't get that here in the US. There is something called the Skwoosh pad that looks interesting:

http://www.row2k.com/rowingmall/index.c ... 0Row%20Pad

they have kayak and canoe versions too, but have gotten mixed reports here over the years (I think some people complain that any pad slips around on them).

[chgoss]

There's no way I'm posting a picture of this thing
It works great, but it looks like a 6 year old did it... I will take a stab at fabricating something a little more professional looking and post a pic of that

I row most of my stuff strapless, I only strap in for thursday night intervals, and personal best attempts.

cheers
-chad

[Cazneau]

You know, the ones that look like bike shorts, but presumably have the padding in different places?

My longest rows so far are about one hour, so it hasn't been much of an issue. But I'd like to go for a Half Marathon distance soon.

[johnlvs2run]

I've rowed 110km in a day, and prefer unpadded cycling shorts, which are good as they are flexible and tend to have more room in the butt.

Any shorts with padding tend to hold in and build up the heat. Tight shorts will make your butt ache.

I fashioned a seat out of a 6x10" piece of 3/4" thick plywood, with two pieces of 1/2 inch foam on each side and a 1 inch gap down the middle. This works well and is better than the C2 seat though I usually just use the latter.

[johnlvs2run]

finally, dispairing that I would ever be able to get through a 12k w/out my legs falling asleep I:
- built a wooden box, 3" deep, 15" wide, 12" long. 3/4" plywood base
- filled it with plaster of paris
- sat in it until it dried (about 10 minutes for that stuff). It now has a perfect cast of my posterior..
- endured the ridicule of my family as I took my current seat off and bolted this thing on in place. I hear a lot of "Dad's butt mold" jokes now...
- threw my Gel Pad over the whole thing..

so far, it is working beautifully.. I may go into business selling butt molds..

How is the plaster seat coming along?

[applied_gravity]

1) Biking folklore is that as you increase time, a firmer seat typically works better than a softer one; the idea is that of a an overstuffed armchair vs. something that provides good support. When I started bike riding, went with a fairly soft gel saddle to reduce discomfort, which I loved, but found that as hours ramped up a more conventional, firmer saddle worked much better.

For the rower, I use an ~1/2 piece of ensolite trimmed to the seat (from an old sleeping pad), which works great for me.

2) Your butt will toughen up a bit over time - mine is usually rather sore for the first two or three longer rows (2~3 hours) or rides (4~5 hours) of the season, but(t) this goes away.

3)And most important of all - Butt Butter!* Friction between butt and shorts is the enemy - tight fitting bike-style shorts are designed to move with your butt, transferring the friction to the short-seat interface; of course this is not perfect, so a liberal dose of skin lubricant helps minimize the effects of whatever sneaks through.

Being cheap, I use the most basic bike shorts I can find (don't wanna wear out the good ones on the stinking rower!) Either some well-retired road shorts, or whatever's available from the close-out bin.

* "paceline chamois buttr" is what I like - stinking board doesn't seem to want to let me post a link, but I get it online from Bike Tires Direct... your local bike shop should have this and/or other options.

[Terry S.]

My problem is not friction but a bony butt that gets bony-er when the erging helps me shed some baby fat. Calluses won't help this problem.

A small bath mat (the "furry" variety--not just terry cloth) folded in half so the furry surface is on the outside makes a very nice seat pad. I sandwich a foot square sheet of large cell bubble wrap in the middle, and it's proven to be cheap and remarkably comfortable for up to an hour's row (haven't tried longer).

Someone years ago recommended the Trico Painkiller Saddle Pad (a bicycle gel seat cover) in the XL size. I've just tried it, and found it too firm and too thick. Others may like it. Find it at REI for $36 plus S&H. My bath mat is way cheaper, and you have a choice of colors.

Terry