Take Home Points:
- They’re adjustable long-term (an improvement over Yakima foot braces)
- They’re rigid like Yakima/aluminum foot braces, not loose or flexible (which is good)
- They’re a bit heavier and take up a bit more room in cockpit compared to Yakima
- The pegs have a bracket that your foot can catch on which may take getting used to
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| Photo 1 |
First, about the Yakima foot braces being replaced: Yakima adjustable foot braces were once used on nearly every sea kayak - and came on all the sea kayaks I've owned. (They are now called "Mohawk" foot braces made by Mohawk Canoes and sold by TopKayaker). They’re super lightweight (aluminum and plastic) and very strong. If you rarely need to adjust their position, then they’re still among the best ways to go, short of a bulkhead-style footrest which you can make yourself if you’re handy (I’m not). Set the Yakima pegs to your preferred position and forget them.
But at some point, you'll want to change the position of the pegs – e.g. when you loan your boat to another paddler or if you yourself need more room for comfort or when paddling conditions change. After several years the Yakima footpegs tend to become frozen in place. The metal spring-and-lever mechanism that locks the footpegs gets gummed up with corrosion. Then you must unscrew the rear screw that attaches the aluminum rails to the kayak, slide the non-functioning footpegs out of the boat, and work on them in the sink with a toothbrush and soapy water (usually does the job) then add some grease/oil. That’ll fix the problem for a while, but they’ll often freeze up again in a year or two.
SO, a nice alternative is the Sea-Lect Designs Adjustable Footbrace. [Just as an aside, how awesome is it that this company exists simply to make replacement gear for all types of kayaks – hatches, footbraces, rudders, deck hardware…kudos to Sea-Lect Designs!]. After getting frustrated with a pair of repeatedly frozen Yakima foot braces, I installed the Sea-Lect Designs Adjustable Footbraces and they work great. The hardware matches the 14-1/2" hole distance of Yakima foot braces so no drilling is required. They come with sizable rubber-backed washers that seal the drilled holes in your kayak from the outside (Yakima has neoprene washers fitted on the inside), which will cover and seal up your kayak’s existing foot brace holes even if they’ve become a bit worn/enlarged over time. The Sea-Lect footbraces are very solid feeling – just like Yakima footbraces, they do not flex or shift at all. The solidity of the Sea-Lect footbraces is the first of their three benefits. Their second benefit is that the mechanism for adjusting the position of the pegs is entirely rigid plastic, so they won’t become frozen with corrosion over time (yahoo!). Their third benefit is that the footbrace pegs are unlocked by a lever that you can easily reach while sitting in the cockpit. So, if you’re wearing minimalist footwear and are good using your feet, you can adjust their position with your toes while sitting in the kayak. If you’re wearing thicker-soled booties you may still have to get out on dry land or have a paddling buddy reach in and adjust the pegs for you. But at least they’ll be adjustable corrosion-free.
The only downsides I can see with the Sea-Lect footbraces are minor. First, they seem marginally heavier than the Yakima foot braces when held in your hands (maybe ½ lb total?). The weight of the Yakima (now Mohawk) foot braces is not published online so I’m only guessing. The second minor downside is that they are a bit beefier (the rails and the pegs) so there’s slightly less room inside the cockpit for your feet – not a problem unless your kayak is especially tight-fitting. The final thing you may notice if you wear thicker-soled shoes is the brackets that attach the footpegs to the rails. (See Photo 2 below). Unlike the Yakima footpegs, which sit flush within their aluminum rails, the brackets that attach the plastic Sealect footpegs onto their plastic rails are raised, sitting on top of the rails. As a result, your shoe hits this raised bracket first as you extend your feet towards the footpegs. Your shoe may catch on the edge of this bracket and you may mistakenly think you’re “on” the footpeg until you apply more pressure and your foot slips “clunk” forward to the peg itself. This is a minor annoyance, and one you’ll probably avoid altogether if you wear flexible booties rather than stiff-soled shoes.
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| Photo 2 |
By the way, another option sold by Harmony and SmartTrack are the "wand-type" foot braces, which allow you to easily pull/push the "wand" attached to the pegs to change their position. I remember these wand-type footpegs were super convenient for "fleet" boats, but they could be knocked loose when doing rescues. And they didn’t give a super solid feel as you pressed on them while paddling. Now I read SmartTrack has introduced a new and improved “performance” version of this wand-type footbrace, that may be less prone to accidental dislodging. (I haven’t tried them). They are worth a look for sure.
