Guide to Kayak Cockpit Outfitting and Seating

This page will help you navigate the ins and out of sit-in-side kayak seating and outfitting by brand, time frame and type. 

Our outfitting department has an extensive range of replacement parts used in the cockpit of your kayak including; Self-Adhesive and Regular Close Cell Foam, hip pads (generic for the most part), seat pads, thigh braces, BackBands (generic for the most part), Seat Ratchet parts, Back Band Strap parts and Seat and Foot Brace Knobs.

As your kayak ages some of the seating components in your kayak's cockpit will need to be replaced and sometimes a Comfort Enhancement is needed. Each kayak brand has its own unique outfitting system. Kayak manufactures change the seat outfitting in their kayak models every few years. Do not expect seat parts to be universal but some Generic Seating may be applicable. Some kayak sister brands share common outfitting parts*. Seats for sit-on-top kayaks are different than seats for sit-in-side kayaks.

Below is a list of outfitting types by brand and era. This is a work in progress! some of the links to brand information have not yet been fully developed. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for additional information on outfitting and seating. The Generic Seating may be applicable to your kayak. These generic items are used on too many brands to list.

Aquaterra, see Classic Aquaterra and Perception Outfitting Information, 1990s.
Boreal Kayaks Outfitting
Current Designs Outfitting
Classic Dagger Outfitting, see Classic Dagger Seat Restoration Info.
Dagger White Water, Touring and Rec Outfitting
Dagger Zone Seating components, see Original Zone Seat Info, 2006 to date.
Dagger Zone DLX Seating components circa 2009 to date.
Dagger ConTour Outfitting circa 2013 to date.
EddyLine Kayaks Outfitting
Elie Kayaks, see also Pelican
Emotion Kayaks, aka Coleman
Epic Kayaks
Heritage Kayaks
Hurricane Kayaks, see also Legacy
Hydra Kayaks
Impex Kayaks
Islander, aka Perception, see Classic Aquaterra and Perception Outfitting
Jackson Kayaks
Kajak Sport
EddyLine Kayaks Outfitting
Elie Kayaks, see also Pelican
Legacy; aka Hurricane Kayaks, Liquid Logic and Native Watercraft
Liquid Logic, see also Legacy
Mainstream, aka Perception, see Classic Aquaterra and Perception Outfitting
Native Watercraft, see also Legacy
Necky Kayak Outfitting, see the Necky Seat Info Page, 2017 and before.
Necky ExtraSport Extra Comfort Seat and Active Comfort Seat Info 2005-2015.
Necky Kayaks Active Comfort Seat 2.0, aka ACS II, 2016-2017.
Nimbus Kayaks
Old Town Kayak Outfitting
Old Town ExtraSport Extra Comfort Seat and Active Comfort Seat Info 2005-2015.
Old Town Active Comfort Seat 2.0, aka ACS II, 2016 to date.
Pelican Kayaks Outfitting, see also Elie
Perception Outfitting, Islander, Mainstream, LL Bean
See Classic Aquaterra and Perception Outfitting and Classic Rec Kayak Seat Back and AirCore Info.
Perception Zone Seating components, LL Bean, see Original Zone Seat Info, 2006 to date.
Perception Zone DLX Seating components, LL Bean, circa 2009 to date.
Perception CSS Comfort System Seat Outfitting
Perception Hi Life SUP-Kayak seat parts.
Prijon Kayaks Outfitting
Pyranha, P&H, Venture Outfitting
Riot Kayaks Outfitting
Seaward Kayaks
Seda Kayaks
Tahe Marine, aka Bic kayaks
Valley Kayaks
Walden Kayaks
Wave Sport Outfitting, See also Dagger Outftting
Wilderness Systems Phase 2 Seating, circa 2001 and before.
Wilderness Systems Phase 3 Seating and Phase3 Lite, see Phase3 Seat Overview, 2002-2012.
Wilderness Systems AirPro Outfitting, see AirPro Seat Overview, 2013 to date.
Wilderness Systems CSS Comfort System Seat aka Phase3 Lite

*Some kayak sister brands share common outfitting parts. The main family of brands are; Dagger, Perception and Wilderness Systems (Confluence). A 2nd group; Necky, Ocean Kayak and Old Town (Johnson). A 3rd group; Hurricane Liquid Logic Native Watercraft (Legacy). There are other groups too. This can make a search of this site difficult sometimes. As a strategy, search for the model name of the kayak and one key word, such as "seat". Then try a search with the brand name and a key word. (The drop down menu will not produce ideal results, simply click the Search Button.)

Bear in mind that many brands have been producing kayaks for decades with many changes to the seat, and that model names are used over and over again also with many changes. Do not expect early model kayak parts to be easily replaced with late model parts.

If you are having a Kayak Comfort issue complete seat replacement is not likely to solve your problem easily and may lead to other problems. It is best to identify the comfort issue and try a targeted comfort enhancement on, or with, the existing seat. Please read the Kayak Comfort Checklist. Expect to play a game of Goldilocks and the Three Bears before you find the comfort option that is just right.

See the Confluence Seat Adjustment Video. (shows both sit-on and sit-in seats) for a basic understanding of seat adjustment.

Complete replacement with one of the modern or available Kayak Seat Assembly Options is not necessarily your best first choice. It is best to work with the existing seat parts as much as possible.

Some key seat retrofit concepts are:
The only seat that will fit perfectly in your kayak is the original seat the kayak came with.
Choose a seat for a kayak that has similar dimensions, mostly the overall width.
The cockpit opening is not ideal as a fit guide but can be used to some extent for generic kayak seats.
Expect to play a game of Cinderella’s Slipper when retrofitting a seat that is not identical to the original.
Expect an engineering challenge in retrofitting, maybe longer screws, possibly trimming the seat.
The seat should not hang from the mounting screws. The seat MUST be on the floor of the kayak.
The weight of the paddler should transfer through the seat to the floor of the kayak.
You may need a sheet of Close Cell Foam to shim under the seat.
You may need to use longer screws and-or Nylon Spacers to secure it.
A new seat should be placed in the same location as the old seat.
A seat typically goes into the cockpit sideways and then rotates into a forward facing position.
Keep all your old seat parts until you are 100% satisfied with your retrofit.
Do not destroy the original parts.

Assuming you do end up replacing the seat… Your old kayak parts have some value, do not throw them away. Keep as spare parts if applicable. Or, Make your old parts available to other kayakers who may need them. If you are tempted to trash these old parts please send a photo and we may ask you to mail to the address on the contact us page. We will at least cover the postage you pay, and a little extra depending on what it is. We use old parts in our archive to work out substitutions and retrofits. Sometimes we rebuild old parts for sale.

We must approach White Water kayak outfitting very carefully. White Water kayaks are used in hazardous conditions. Inappropriate outfitting can lead to entrapment, injury and even death. The White Water environment puts the paddler trough some extreme hazards such as sudden drops and hydraulic traps. As such, non-original parts and configurations are not recommended. Consult with a White Water Outfitting expert as needed.

It is recommended to restore a White Water kayak with its original factory outfitting as much as possible.

There is a need to anticipate potential hazards that could result from custom outfitting. A primary concern is entrapment leading to injury or worse. Your foot might force through a gap in non-original bulkhead foot brace and past, then not come back out again. A paddler could then be trapped in the kayak, and if it is pinned you could end up underwater without hope of wet exit and escape. There could be other unknown risks of using non-original parts, maybe as simple as lacerations, or more dire such as drowning.

Bulkhead foot braces are superior to Old School foot braces for two reasons; Safer and Stronger. 
Correct fitting bulkhead footbraces reinforce the footwell area to prevent folding and foot entrapment. Old School foot braces, such as Keepers, could break with a hard piton and if you do not have spares, one would struggle the rest of the way down river. Old School foot braces, such as Mohawks, aka Yakima and Werner, are stronger than Keepers and their use is unlikely to create an entrapment hazard, but could still cause an injury in extreme situations. If you are just running a regular river, no more than class 3, Keepers should work.

It is also understood that there may be some inclination to use a White Water kayak as a toy for paddling on a pond or for Eskimo Rolling lessons in a swimming pool. Pool sessions are actually a very good use for an older boat. While there is no dire risk associated with these settings, there is a chance that someone in the future will acquire your kayak and have expectations of it being safe and suitable for running rapid rivers.

A full understanding of White Water river running, practices and principles, goes hand in hand with appropriate equipment in good condition.

There may be hope in finding original parts for white water kayaks. C1 boaters will remove the seat, thigh and foot braces from a white water kayak to turn it into a white water canoe that they will kneel in and paddle with a single blade canoe paddle. We do not know what they do with the parts they remove. We hope they do not throw them away. The guts from a white water kayak are worth as much as $300-400. Search the internet for C1 boater chat groups, bulletin boards and newsletters. 
Ask them for white water kayak outfitting parts.

K1 = white water kayak, paddler seated.
C1 = white water canoe, paddler kneeling.

Copyright 2020 TopKayaker GeoOdyssey Publications, Tom Holtey