For whatever reason, some of us still prefer a keyhole style cockpit. The problem with most home made long cockpits is a lack of positive thigh and knee hooks to keep a good grip on the boat while manuvering and rolling. Here are some quick and easy knee hooks you can make at home.
I start with a couple blocks of minicell foam 4" x 6" x 1.5" thick. If you really want a good grip you could even go bigger.
Next I cut them into a hook shape. I used a band saw which seemed pretty dangerous, I'm sure there's better way.
Then I get into the kayak and position the hook so it feels comfortable and captures my kneecap and some of my thigh. Once I'm positive I have it in the right spot I'll mark where it goes on the coaming.
I make a mask out of paper to shield the surfaces that won't be glued. Next I spray the area with a light coating of spray adhesive, and I spray the top of the thigh hook with spray adhesive.
Once both surfaces are tacky I glue it together being careful to get it perfectly lined up before sticking it together. I found toeing the block in slightly like this gave me the best support.
The finished block looked kinda squarish to me, so I take some sandpaper and smooth it into a more natural shape.
These work well for me and gave me a good combination of support and freedom to raise my knees when I wanted. I also found that in a 23 inch wide kayak, the cut out pieces were perfect for support outside of the knees along the gunwale. Working with the minicell foam is easy and your thigh hooks can look however you want!
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