LOWER BACK ISSUE W/ NEW COMPASS

Bought a 2019 Compass in April and several trips, love the yak except find after trip (4-6 hrs. avg. time), I find my lower back tends to tighten up a bit. Never had issues w/ 2014 Revo, 2012 PA 12, 2015 Outback seats. Still making adjustments to lumbar strap, angle of back of seat. Thinking may adding some kind of lumbar pad to see if that solves issue. Anyone else w/ same issue??

Thx NHG

I had the same issue. I did a long day on the lake with a mix of paddling and peddling. Thought maybe I strained myself fighting a fairly strong wind....or just being out of shape :-/ I'll have to play with the seat's limited adjustment ability.

The human back is a complicated thing. No one seat is going to suit everyone. The Hobie seat does have a plethora of adjustments so maybe you just need to keep fiddling with it until you find your "sweet spot." If it takes a lumbar pad for you, so be it. Do what you have to do.

I use a boat seat/throw cushion. It made a world of difference.

I have a Pescador Pilot (as a guest kayak) that was doing the same thing to my back when I used it. I noticed the angle to the seat is similar to the Compass. On the Pilot I raised the back of the seat up about 2 inches by adding a block under the area where the back of the seat rests. That decreased the amount of incline in the seat which took a lot of strain off my lower back and solved my issue. Might be something to consider for your issue if possible.

Couple good ideas, was thinking some kind of pad on back whether just for the lumbar area or whole back. thx

Happy to report last 3 trips 3-4 hours after adding a square floating pfd pad to the back of seat and w/ the extra 3" or so of padding I was able to move back drive peddles a notch no lower back strain / tightening experienced after outing.

Hope that's a fix.

Same for me. On Hobie the back seats are not high enough, and lean backwards.

I found a system with cushions, but it don't resolve entirely the problem...

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

Those lumbar mesh panels that you can get from office supply stores or the asian import emporiums for a few dollars work well. Just tie them on. Lightweight and not effected by water

Don't agree Waverider , lumbar panels increase the problem.

As the big problem on Vantage is not the lumbar settings which are excellent, but the back seat is not high enough and the shape too curved lean too much backward...

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

My 2016 PA seat is actually not that comfortable to me. I'm 6'0" 210 lbs and the issue I'm having is my butt sinks through the gap between the bottom and back of the seat. I'm looking for something to fill that void. Felvic glad that works for you. I think it would help me but I'm concerned about that fabric stinking and them getting wet. Get some fish slime and shrimp juice on them and I'm afraid they would become garbage in a hurry. Also for me they would get soaked going through the surf and I'd be sitting on a wet sponge all day. I would like to find some breathable flexible material I can fill that gap in the seat with.

I believed I was alone with my back pain.

On FB Outback 2019 owner's group, a lot of guys talk about it.

One of them even change the seat for a Vibe:

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

I'm a Jackson convert and they partnered with ThermaRest and have a nice lumbar support "pillow". I know it's not a Hobie product, but may help to fill the gap in the seat and/or help with support. They're about $43 and I don't believe they're Jackson branded. Just Google "ThermaRest kayak lumbar support" and it will come up.