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Replacing or upgrading the seat in a sit-inside kayak can be surprisingly difficult. In fact, questions about uncomfortable, damaged, or inadequate sit-inside kayak seats are among the most common seating questions we receive.
Unfortunately, there is often no simple replacement.
Unlike sit-on-top kayaks, which generally have an open seating area and can accommodate a wide range of aftermarket seats, sit-inside kayaks come with many different cockpit shapes, seat wells, mounting systems, and factory seating arrangements. This is especially true of lower-priced recreational kayaks, where the original "seat" may consist of little more than a thin pad attached directly to the molded plastic hull, with limited back support and little or no adjustability.
If that describes your kayak, the good news is that you may still be able to make it considerably more comfortable. The key is to stop thinking about a "replacement seat" as necessarily being a single product.
Back Support & Bottom Cushioning: Separate Problems
For most sit-inside kayaks, it helps to divide seating comfort into two separate problems.
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| The Tall Back Band: 14" of Back Support |
Back support: A kayak back band can replace or supplement an inadequate factory backrest. Most traditional back bands are relatively low and are intended primarily to provide lumbar support. The 14" high Tall Back Band—our #1 all-time top-selling product—extends farther up the back and has therefore long been our most popular back band for recreational paddlers looking for more substantial support. Unlike most back bands, the Tall Back Band comes with no brass clips, just webbing for forward and backward connections. For a standard back band with brass clips (forward straps only), the Classic Back Band is a popular choice and comes in several colors.
Keep in mind, however, that support and comfort are not necessarily the same thing. A low-profile back band may provide excellent support for the lower back while still feeling quite different from the taller, cushioned seat back that some recreational paddlers are looking for.
Bottom cushioning: If you're sitting on a thin factory pad—or essentially directly on molded polyethylene—changing the backrest won't solve the other half of the problem. You need to protect your sit bones.
For many paddlers, the answer can be surprisingly simple: add a good foam or padded cushion between your backside and the seat area. It does not necessarily have to be a kayak-specific product. What matters is that it fits the available space, stays reasonably secure while paddling, doesn't absorb excessive amounts of water, and provides enough cushioning to distribute your weight more comfortably.
For years we recommended products such as the Skwoosh Classic Paddling Cushion and the inexpensive Paddlers Pad for precisely this purpose. Unfortunately, the selection of dedicated kayak seat cushions and pads has declined considerably as products have been discontinued. We will be actively seeking replacement products going into 2027.
What About Installing a Complete Aftermarket Seat?
This is possible in some sit-inside kayaks, but it usually requires more ingenuity.
Most full aftermarket kayak seats—those combining a seat bottom and backrest—are designed primarily for sit-on-top kayaks. Sit-on-tops typically provide plenty of open space and conveniently located attachment points for the seat straps.
A sit-inside kayak may provide neither.
Before attempting to install a full seat, check the dimensions of both the seat and your cockpit carefully. You'll also need to determine where the seat's forward and rear straps can be attached.
In some cases, the existing hardware can be reused. In others, you'll need to create your own attachment points.
Creating Attachment Points: Deck Loops and Rivets
If your kayak doesn't have attachment points in the places you need them, adding deck loops (also called pad eyes) may be the first step toward creating your own seating solution.
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Our Rivets and Deck Loops Starter Kit:
All You Need Is a Rivet Gun |
Our Rivets and Deck Loops Starter Kit combines deck loops (a/k/a "pad eyes" or just "anchor points") with self-sealing rivets and nylon deck loops suitable for many kayak outfitting projects. Once installed in appropriate locations, the deck loops can provide anchor points for the straps on an aftermarket seat or back band.
Installation requires a rivet gun. These are widely available hardware-store tools, and we also occasionally stock a Rivet Gun for customers who need one.
As with any modification that involves drilling into a kayak, determine exactly where your seat and straps need to go before drilling any holes.
Why Are Replacement Sit-Inside Seats So Hard to Find?
If you've been searching online and wondering why there seem to be so few options, you're not imagining things. We'd rather be upfront about that than suggest that there is a universal replacement seat when there isn't.
The aftermarket selection has become considerably smaller in recent years. A number of the kayak seats, specialized back bands, cushions, and pads that we carried and recommended for years have been discontinued. As a result, we have considerably fewer sit-inside seating solutions to offer than we once did.
If you are looking to replace an existing seat on an older model of kayak and you don't see it on our site, we recommend you check with Topkayaker.com, a site which specializes in aftermarket and older replacement parts for kayaks.
For many older or inexpensive recreational sit-inside kayaks, the most practical solution is therefore not to duplicate the original seat. Instead, work with what you already have: improve the back support, add cushioning underneath you, and, where necessary, create appropriate attachment points for aftermarket components.
A Notable Exception: Wilderness Systems Phase 3
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| The Phase 3 AirPro Seatback Kit: For One of the Best Seating Systems |
One of the most common—and, in our experience, one of the best—sit-inside kayak seating systems is the Wilderness Systems Phase 3 AirPro system. Found in many Wilderness Systems kayaks, Phase 3 seating offers an unusually wide range of adjustments for back support, seat position, and paddler comfort. We sell a large number of Phase 3 AirPro Seatback Kits, which can replace or upgrade the seatback on compatible Wilderness Systems kayaks. This is a good example of why it is worth checking whether replacement components are available for your kayak's original factory seating system before attempting a more universal retrofit.
It may take a little creativity, but even a very basic factory seating system can often be made considerably more comfortable. A "comfy kayak" doesn't have to be an oxymoron!
Further reading:
A Beginner's Guide to Choosing a Kayak Seat: Part One – Sit-On-Top Kayak Seats
Canoe Seat Buying Guide
