AirPro Back Band Kit
[CNF-8070032 (SR7)]

Though the seat back itself is comfortable and seems to be made well, the strap and buckle system needs some thought. I get that it's supposed to be 'interchangeable' with a Phase3 standard seat, but how many people are actually switching back and forth?

The 3/4" buckles that connect the top back of the seat to the cowl of the kayak are too small. They simply are not strong enough. After getting the seat installed with these buckles I slid in to test it out when the one on the right simply failed. One of the teeth on the fork simply cracked. Not having a replacement I used some 1" webbing and a triglide attached to the cowl and a single piece of 1" webbing passed through the guides in the back of the seat. I will email photos to Tom of my modification, it really should be the default method of attachment if someone is just replacing the seat or modifying another boat and does not intend to switch seat backs 'back and forth'. Also, the lower center 3/4" adjustment buckle needs to be set as low on the seat body as possible to be able to get any significant adjustment from it at all. I will include these photos to Tom as well, hopefully he will addend them to his instructions.

These mods went into 2 (two) Wilderness Tsunami 140 boats, were tested over two days in lake (15 knot winds) and streams. The boats were loaded and unloaded onto a Thule 'J' carrier twice. Each boat had at least 10 enter/exit cycles and I intentionally 'sat on' the back band with my full weight (240#) and they did not fail with the modifications detailed above. Only three stars for the kit. The back itself looks like a 4 star product.