Hey Local,

In general, moving the front seat back will most likely increase stability, all other things being equal. It will place the front paddlers weight over more of the hull. It will tend to free the bow more, making the boat a bit more manouverable. If this is just to give the front paddler more leg room, or sometimes the sides of the knees hit the side of the hull in narrower asymetrical canoes, then you are probably talking a few inches only and there should be no issues. Raising the seat would cause more issues, as would moving it forward. Let us know what brand and model boat and we can be more definitive.

Moonman.