I have followed this guy on YouTube for years he comes out with some really well thought out ideas for kayak mods. Saw his recent video on his swivel seat mod. I know you’re not looking for a swivel seat but I think you could use a board (possibly a 2x8) to span across the gunnels and stand on the board. You could raise the seat up and put the board where the seat is so that it doesn’t change the center of gravity too much on the kayak and it only would take a few seconds to put in place. In the video he uses clamps to secure the board in place but that wouldn’t be necessary if you were to stand in the board. Just a thought.

https://youtu.be/yeD8wt6BxbU

Thanks Jerry713! That’s a really simple idea and would probably be all the elevation that I’d need. Doing that from the seat location would also help with staying centered in my kayak.

OP... you might be able to modify the concept that Jerry linked and build a "bridge" that rests on the H Rails and straddles the seat. This will elevate you another 6" or so. 2x6 "risers" and a 3/4" plywood platform will be relatively light.

Now that I think about it, you might be better off building something that goes over the pedals... this forward position should keep the tail end straight as you pole.

You can cover it with boat carpet or paint it with rubberized paint to give you some grip.

If the h-rails will support the weight placing the board in top of the h-rails to me would be a better option than in the gunnels as it would take a lot of the stress of the gunnels of the kayak. My biggest concern with using the board would be stepping off the board on to the deck of the kayak. I would make sure and install some stout vertical foam blocks or supports in the hull of the kayak to help prevent caving in or cracking the deck of the kayak when stepping off the board.

Push polling my Vibe Shearwater kayak from the perch while searching for shallow water redfish.

https://youtu.be/exYpixvYtII

Pics of my Vibe Shearwater 125

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/LjHLJFzBRb-h5wdQD7hp_Q.gqk3-r8YRkBULWA6CRVQeF

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/nKskQKy3RYWJajH4_Y-DvQ.9bXYIGzcd2REajJ1fW72rC