Pedestal seat reninforement

[diaster]

As most boaters know, pedestal seats suck on a performance boat. They are used in narrow cockpits where bolsters won't fit. I was jumping a wake, my passenegr was standing, gripping the window frame. he was afraid he would hurt the window, let go, fell in the seat and it broke our of its floor mounting. As i was examining it later, it seems the previous owner had this happen as he had rotated the mount slightly and installed in now holes. this option was now no longer available to me so... I made a newer stronger mount.
Following are some pics of the build. Total cost was about $375
the Boat


original installation (factory style)


I made a template from cardboard


Then I had the plate made from 1/2" aluminum


here are the parts before powder coating


tapped the holes for seat attachment bolts


checked the fit


countersunk, floor attachment holes


blue locktight for seat bolts


seat installed on powder coated plate with powder coated bolt heads to match


bottom side (ground these flat)


The whole affair installed in boat (led lighting is on)


different color setting


final view led lights on


hope this little post may help anyone considering reinforcing their seats.

 

[mishawakajim]

Sweet, looks like a great idea and a nice fix. Jim

 

[diaster]

Sweet, looks like a great idea and a nice fix. Jim

Thanks

 

[Rob B]

That's a great idea!! FYI, hope you used short screws 3/4" or 1")to mount the aluminum plate to the floor. Anything longer there's potential to screw into the core underneath. Also hopefully you sealed the old holes to keep water from penetrating the floor. I would pull the carpet back and glass those old holes up, that way you're assured no water penetration. I had that happen on my Pulse170 and ended up replacing the floor plus the core.

 

[diaster]

Yes. I sealed with silicon and used bolts just long enough to penetrate the floor, most were the old screws