Bellyak Development: High Performance Sit on Top

I”ve never been a fan of sprayskirts. åÊThey’re uncomfortable and make me feel claustrophobic, no matter how many times I roll. åÊWhen I was a chubby eleven year old, one of the first whitewater sit on tops came out, the Torrent. åÊIt weighed 54 pounds (at least) and paddled like a school bus drives. åÊAs underwhelming as it’s performance was, I felt way more comfortable, and thus had a much better time on the river (Fear=tension=flipping over). åÊThere was a seed planted in my head that has sprouted… and that was “why isn’t there a high performance sit on top?”

So, I made one out of the Session:

 

 

 

I first cut out the whole middle section, and then took some two liter soda bottles and crafted the footcups. åÊI dug them out with a spoon. åÊThen I wrapped myself in plastic, and had Anna pour two part foam between my legs. It got really warm, and created the middle pillar. åÊI was going for a strapless sit on top that you could roll, surf, etc. åÊI figured if you took away only where your body went it would work.

 

 

It worked, but will need some more tweaking. åÊI filed a provisional patent on it, and plan to develop a Sit on Top as our boats evolve.