I really enjoy the freedom and comfort of the benches, but from a pure sailing point of view, just shifting your bum out 1-2' windward of that rear seat position will yield similar results.
BTW, I'm still a fan of the "mini-batwing" concept. By extending and reinforcing those PVC tubes out 1 length on each side. you would have a terrific rear bench.
He also wrote:
The Hakas will do it all. But to go simpler/lighter, and retain foldability of the Amas, (at least forward) a small batwing is a very comfortable option. I would use it for light duty solo sailing or to supplement the tramps with 2 aboard.
Nice thing about that aft outboard position is that it's the easiest to transfer to/from. You can grab the rear windward aka for stability or lean onto the Akas for leverage.
A mini batwing presents a couple of problems. The original batwing seat rests on the hakas, which are in turn firmly fixed to the akas with pipe clamps . A stand-alone mini batwing would cantilever out from the hull and would be prone to see-saw and flex when you sat out on it.
Anyway, I've been meaning to make some hakas, so I thought I would try to create a haka which could be used as a rear seat/batwing (a "Raka"?).
I've stress-tested it (on my old cracked hull) and it performs fine, both as a haka and as a batwing.
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