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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:04 am 
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Hi

My kayaking buddy Curt had a stroke last year. His left side was paralyzed but he is very slowly gaining some movement in his arm and leg. Before the stroke he was always out in his sea kayak several days a week. The group recovery home Curt was in bought a tandem inflatable Hobie this last fall for movement therapy. Curt can't wait for the weather here to warm up so he can possibly get back out on a lake like in the good old days. When we tested the Hobie, it was found to be stable enough for Curt to get into (with help) ...and he even peddled some, but only briefly.

His problem was that his left foot wants to drop down out of the pedal. Has Hobie or anyone else on this forum ever come across a device one could quickly connect to the peddle that would hold the heel of the foot up, keeping a "dead" foot in the peddle?

For safety reasons this device has to quickly release the foot without effort in the event of a rollover. I keep thinking maybe a shaft of some sort with a crescent shaped heel rest on the end and a clamp of sorts on the other end to attach to the pedal.

It would be even better if it unclamped quickly so the home could switch the device from the left pedal to the right for other's that are paralyzed on the right side.

The rudder lever needs to be modified some as well so those with limited hand movement can grasp it better and turn it a bit easier. But the pedal mod is the most important goal.

Any ideas or resources for such a device?

(BTW, before the stroke Curt refused to try my Outback. Though he was impressed by the speed obtained by the peddle drive, it just wasn't a "real" kayak. Now he's grateful that there is such a thing as a pedal drive!)

Thomas

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Last edited by Thomas on Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:53 am 
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Location: Los Angeles
Thomas,
I know the name doesn't sound right, but what about a set of clipless pedals. I use a set of SPD clipless pedals on my bicycle, and getting unclipped is simply a matter of twisting your leg, and they pop off. It's not as complicated as some would lead you to believe, and most of the pedal sets do have adjustments so that you can control how hard the "clamping" action is. They make a wide variety of shoes with the SPD clips as well, including flip flops.

The trick might be getting the SPD clips in place of the pedals. I believe the older Mirage drives had bicycle threads and you could replace the pedals with anything that would fit on a bike. Maybe you can find an older drive, or retrofit the ones they have.

Check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_pedal

Look at the clipless section. I think they would be excellent for holding someones foot to the drive, and wouldn't require much effort to unclip when necessary.

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 Post subject: hemiplegic peddling cups
PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:49 am 
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Location: the Netherlands
Basicly Curt needs a set-up which is also used for bicycling on trikes and on stationary bikes with active/ passive electric motion enhancement.

could make a test version out of a gallon-size container which is cut diagonally in half.
The lower part is then bolted to the pedal (using wingnuts), longer bots could hold a counter weight to keep the cradle the right side up and/or make an attachment point for a bungee cord leading in the bow direction, by tensioning this cord it helps pulling the left arm of the MD forward to assist Curt`s left leg.

Cutting board (Kitchen utensil) is easily tooled to make a backing plate in the foot cradle.

Round of carefully, sensory loss is common, so wear neoprene booties.

For the rudder control, if shoulder movement is better, I would go for a rounded PVC gutter where Curt`s forearm is resting in,
Could be attached to an U shaped SS proflie which covers the handle and is connected with one bolt going through both the profile and the tumb area of the handle.
Between the profile and the gutter 2 rubber joints like the ones used in windsurfing heighten the gutter and makes it a flexible construction.

Can post a piccie after tomorrow`s workday of a foot cradle on a recumbent

Also saw this a while ago

http://www.disabledadventurers.com/index.html


PF

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:30 pm 
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Location: Rockford, Illinois
A very interesting post as we need to help others as it could be us some day. I remembered a post about the peddles.
See if this post help answer some of your questions.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... ess+pedals

Bruce

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:34 pm 
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Thanks iDavis for the Webpage. I found that very page about an hour after I posted to this forum and have contacted them. And thanks BNelsonR for the bicycle clip idea. I was bouncing around with that idea myself but wasn't sure if they would hold as well vertically as they do horizontally (apparently they do!). But I was hoping for something that didn't require any special shoes so anyone who showed up at the lake could use the device on any Hobie yak that happened to be there (the home's yak or even my Outback).

Peddlefisher, I really like your container idea. Just earlier today I saw a plastic container cut in half except for the bottom part. It was being used to catch drips from a large coffee pot, but the long scoop shape of this thing got me to thinkin' it might support a foot as well. Apparently you beat me to this neat idea. Not sure if it would be durable enough, and it might be too flimsy, but it's worth a try.

I also like the bungee cord tension idea. Perhaps a short PVC pipe in the sail mast hole might work well as the tie down point.

I haven't quite figured out your rudder scheme yet, so if you have a pic or sketch, it be great if you could post it.

Thanks guys!
Thomas

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:57 pm 
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Here are a couple of adaptations that might work, depending whether shoes are kept on or off:

Removing the footstraps and using the ears on the pedals, the simplest solution is a sling made of light line that could easily loop on and off the pedal. It might look something like this:
Image

A little better support might be gained from a broader sling, perhaps made out of stiff canvas, rip stop nylon, or?? Here, stealing peddlefisher's jug idea, is a concept of what it would look like:
Image

Image

Finally, you could take an old shoe, cut the front half of the upper off, leaving the shoe totally open but retaining the heal section. You could screw or bolt this onto the pedal. This might work for bare or socked feet. Sorry, I don't have a pair to sacrifice for the sake of a picture. 8)


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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:39 pm 
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Sorry Roadrunner ...your solutions are just too simple and elegant. I need a solution that's far harder and more complicated to fabricate.

Those are GREAT ideas! I can even envision a strap with several holes so it could adjust to small and large feet. The only flaw I see here is if the heel area tends to slip. This concept is worth a test this spring (we have 8 inches of ice on our lakes at the moment).

Thomas

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:55 pm 
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Thomas,

I wanted to add an idea which may resolve your dilemma. Applying self adhering velcro to the pedal face and to the bottom of a water shoe will support the foot at the same time be much easier to withdraw foot in the event of a rollover. Any type of boot or heel strap could entrap the foot, unless top strap is omitted, and make it difficult to withdraw from the pedal. The question is will just a heel strap keep the foot on the pedal through the stroke. The best solution IMO is to stick the foot to the pedal with a quick release method such as velcro. Perhaps a heel strap and velcro combination.

Just adding a couple cents.

Such great ideas from everyone. I love the ingenuity of everyone on this site.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:28 pm 
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How about using those simple rubber replacement straps for open foot scuba fins. Holes could be cut on the tabbed ends for adjustment purposes and placed on the posts where the over the foot straps presently attach. These come in both black rubber and clear or white silicone. Most scuba shops carry them and pretty inexpensive.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:57 pm 
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Great thoughts brewing here! Here's an illustration of flygal's idea using an old fin strap. At 17" length, it is a little short for some of the men's sizes, but that turns out to be good in the scheme of things. Here's what it might look like:
Image

The inside needs to be very thin and possibly articulate as it crosses the pedal mount. A piece of light cord connecting the strap to the pedal accomplishes that and customizes the length as well:
Image

Finally, as you can see, the pedal now orients automatically toward the foot with no need to flip it around or counterbalance it:
Image
8)


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:04 am 
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Looks good.....the only thing I would change is to make the adjustable cord to the outside of the peddle vs the inside. This way any knotting won't catch and bind with the center arm of the mirage drive. Love the fact you just happened to have a scuba fin strap available. LOL The true water lover.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:48 am 
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Simple is best, the dive strap is perfect if Curt has enough control over his left leg.
Forgot to take my cam to work so browsed the net for Motomed, the make of the electric recumbent, found this on youtube
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=LhONiiWUNvg

To catch a glimp of the foot cradle, mind you it is about the idea, don`t think the cradle with its straps is straight away compatible for use on a Hobie

Another view;
www.motomed-medimotion.co.uk/viva2.jpg

PF

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:42 am 
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The idea of a scuba fin strap is a great way to implement that strap idea! I am going to print some of your set-up pics, load a Mirage drive in the car, find a scuba fin strap and take them over to Curt's the next time I see him. There we can do a little informal testing to see if this concept might work. If it does work, would you all mind if I spread the word to the care home that bought the tandem Hobie inflatable? I think they would love to use this strap idea as well.

I think the velcro concept may be a bit safer but it requires modified shoes, so is more limiting for multiple users. I am also not sure how mud, water, and the dead weight of a human leg would effect the bonding power of the velcro or that of the glue holding it to the pedals/shoe. So I'm thinking I'll act on that idea only if the strap idea fails in some way.

You're all great engineers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thomas

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:40 am 
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Hi Thomas,

I was thinking more of a velcro pad attached to the pedal with screws & fender washers not glued due to the wet conditions and for the shoe a strap on velcro sole that could be attached to any shoe for multiple users similar to a cast bootie. In combination with the heel strap would keep the foot in place and the ball of the foot against the pedal and not just swinging in a heel strap. Just food for thought.
Velcro could be attached to the sole of a cast boot or similar orthopedic shoe and it strapped over a foot or water shoe.
Image

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I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:43 pm 
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Thomas,
Just one more suggestion. I believe most of those fins straps come in different lengths but I found this which just might solve the adjustment issue as well in one product. I will try to provide the link here for you to check out, specifically the white ones with the open eyelet. http://www.joediveramerica.com/page/JDA ... rap/RB40XX
Sorry I don't know how to make it a hotlink. With the springs it will self adjust to the size of the shoe/foot of the person. Also having some type of over the top strap I feel is also essential so the foot does not slip off. By securing it on one side with velcro, and not fully strapping the foot in it, like being buckled in...it would act more like a break away device in case the kayak goes over. This way the person escapes and can swim/float away and not get caught under the boat still attached. Good safety device.
Carol


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