Guys I am just trying my hand at surfski, coming from a flatwater background. Borrowing a V10 (Thanks Oscar!) which is considerably more stable than my racing K1. The problem I have is that in my K1 the seat is significantly higher than my feet where in the ski they are at the same hight which feels very uncomfortable to me. The temptation is to pad out the seat area to raise me up.(I would like about 2" of padding)
My question is this. Does anyone/everyone do this as a matter of course, or am I being stupid and will find I need to get lower when the going gets rough?
How high should I go??

Thanks for any help.

Bum pads are very commonly used. Usually about 1-2cm.

How high to go? The higher you go, the less stable you will be so go as high as you feel comfortable.

Comming from an unstable K1, you have an advantage over many of us in that your balance is probably excellent.

The effects of instability are subtle and insidious - you'll lose efficiency in the stroke long before you actually feel tippy. But then you probably already know that!

Ivan, Most paddlers who use both K1 and ski get used to the difference in seat height. It will just take more time in the ski for it to feel normal.

I think most ski paddlers sit on something 1 cm to 3 cm high. I've never seen a anything higher than that.

Also, the seat height in the ski might feel a bit better when you get used to slightly higher knees in the ski.

Seat pads are very common. For flatwater races, I have padded up my S1X Special quite a bit--certainly over 1 inch.

I have found that after a while, I got used to the lower (unpadded) seat and it gradually became more comfortable (less un-natural)--but fundamentally, I agree that it is nice to have your backside higher than your feet. Also, you should use a shorter paddle for your ski compared to your K1.

Why do you reckon on using a shorter paddle for surfski vs K1? I use the same for both.

In a K1, your seat is higher up off the water, so it is natural to have a paddle that is a bit longer.