Seat tracks from a GM van are mounted to a set of custom fabricated brackets. One side
bolts trough a sole support and the other bolts to the side of the motor stringer.
(02-JUN-2008)
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Normally we'd build the seat frames with 3/4" marine grade plywood. We had several
leftover pieces of 1/4" plywood, so we chose to create a template, cut multiple pieces
and laminate 3 layers to the required thickness.
(02-JUN-2008)
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Rotating the 'C' shaped corner pieces 90 degrees for each layer produces a very
rigid rectangular frame free of fasteners.
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The 3 layers were epoxied and clamped.
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Here's the top layer after curing.
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Rubber webbing will ultimately suspend the seat foam. The webbing
slots were laid out on the stock. A 1/4" drill bit was used to drill the slot
end points. Most of the material was removed with a jigsaw.
(07-JUN-2008)
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Jigging a hand-held plunge router was too complex, so we mounted a 1/4" straight-cut
router bit in the drill press. Moving the stock back and forth while
lowering the router bit 1/8" at a time did the trick.
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Here's the finished piece. No, we won't be using regular lawn chair webbing ! We've
ordered a stretchy UV-resistant rubber webbing commonly used in the upholstery trade.
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Since we're trying to launch ASAP, a local upholstery shop will be commisionned to produce
removable slip-on cushions. They'll be fastened to the seats with straps and
snaps. More traditionnal full uphostery can be completed over the winter months.
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The second layer was built up from 4 laminations of 1/4" marine grade plywood. A
template similar to the one employed in the first layer was produced.
(21-JUN-2008)
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The second layer was epoxied to the first layer.
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We splurged on a 5"x6" industrial duty dual-swivel metal bandsaw. It walks through
1/4" steel or aluminum plate with ease. What a difference a tool makes !
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These aluminum corner plates will bolt to the seat rails.
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We fabricated a steel backing plate to which we've bolted the seat back tilt mechanism.
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Here's a close-up view of the tilt mechanism.
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One of many trial fits.
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The seat rails provide 6" of horizontal travel, 3" of vertical travel at the front
of the seat and reclining backrest.
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Front corners were radiused and the top edges were rounded-over before applying the
first coat of epoxy.
(22-JUN-2008)
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1/4" diameter holes were drilled through the 7 layers of plywood to retain the
aluminum seat mounting plates. 1/4"-20 stainless steel nuts were set into
1/2" counter-bore holes.
(02-JUL-2008)
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To prevent the bolts from bonding to the epoxy, the nuts were drawn down with
lightly-greased bolts and capped with an epoxy mixture consisting of West resin and
403 / 407 fillers.
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A passenger seat base was laminated over a buck built from scrap
1"x6" stock. Dimensions are 22" wide by 36" long.
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(04-JUL-2008)
Two coats of Nason Clear applied with an HVLP spray gun finish up the driver's seat.
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At the bottom of the photo, we see the passenger side seat base after routing
for webbing. At the top of the photo, we're laminating the bottom half
of the seat base.
(06-JUL-2008)
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The two pieces are epoxied and clamped.
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We could have built the passenger seat base supports from plywood, but
aluminun will last forever. Our new horizontal metal bandsaw made
quick work of cutting the 3/16" aluminum plate. Hope
to install the seat base over the weekend.
(31-JUL-2008)
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Passenger seat back hardware layer.
(23-AUG-2009)
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Passenger seat back webbing layer.
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Both pieces are glued and clamped.
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Driver's seat back webbing layer.
(23-AUG-2009)
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Parts were trimmed and fitted.
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Driver's backrest is fully adjustable.
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Seat back tilt mechanism was taken from a GM van.
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Passenger seat back folds to horizontal position.
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Here's the finished passenger seat ready for final installation. (Click the image for a higher resolution photo).
(23-MAY-2010)
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The rubber webbing was a very labour intensive job, but will make for very confortable seats !
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The webbing was looped around a strip of 1/2" wide by 1/8" thick flat aluminum stock.
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Two #6 x 3/4" stainless steel pan head machine screws were used to retain the webbing to the seat frame.
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Soles were cut from 1/2" exterior grade fir plywood. Both sides were laminated with 10 ounce
fiberglass cloth and West System epoxy. Once sanded, the parts were primed with DuPont Uro Prime
urethane primer surfacer.
(30-MAY-2010)
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The 'down' side was topcoated with DuPont Imron single stage two-part urethane paint. Also visible is
the adjustment slot for the foot pedal. We'll have more on the foot pedal soon !
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Soles rest on 1"x2" douglas fir battens. An aluminun angle ledger strip was fastened to the engine stringer.
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Battens are fastened to aluminum angles bolted to the side of each frame. Fastening
the batten through the top of the frame would allow moisture to penetrate into the frame and eventually cause it to rot.
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We installed Sert-a-Nuts so that the soles can be easily removed without compromising fastener
thread holes. They're like a blind rivet with a built-in thread.
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Sole was covered with outdoor carpet. We'll upgrade to marine grade carpet when the boat is totally finished !
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The driver's seat is adjustable (8" of horizontal travel) so the Glenwood foot pedal is also adjustable.
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The pedal is mounted to an aluminum plate which can be moved by loosening the three bolts on the left
and removing the bolt on the right.
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Once the pedal has been repositioned, the bolt on the right is inserted into a new hole position and all bolts are tightened.
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Time to get back to some finishing and get the seats ready for upholstery. The seat tops were trimmed
at a 10 degree angle so that the tops are flush with the deck. The simple rotisserie jig made
spray painting the parts a lot easier !
(21-APR-2011)
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We encapsulated with three rounds of West System 207 Special Coating. After block sanding, we sprayed three
rounds of Perfection two-part polyurethane varnish.
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The rubber webbing we originally used for the seat base and back was too soft, so we replaced it with seat belt webbing. Here
are a few photos of the final installation.
(16-JUL-2011)
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Custom fabricated steel brackets mount the adjustable driver's seat base to the engine stringer.
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Here's a close-up shot of one of the brackets.
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Here are some photos of the completed upholstery.
(23-JUL-2011)
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The passenger seat back folds down for access to the v-drive. There's enough space behind the seats to store
the paddle, rope boarding ladder and other boating stuff.
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Driver's seat back cushion is slipped onto the seat frame and attached with a velcro strip along the seat back's bottom
edge. The passenger seat back is held in place with snap buttons.
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Seat pan cushions fit like a glove ...
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We'll have to raise the passenger seat's hinge pivot point so that the seat back lays flat on the seat pan cushion.
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The seat tops are just proud of the deck surface.
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Many thanks to Marcel Vaillancourt for doing a great job on the seats. The final product is exactly what I had in mind !
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