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PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:40 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 3:31 pm
Posts: 6
Hello all,

After mounting the barber hauler clamps and hooks that hogman provided the idea for, I stood there looking back and forth at the empty space in the seat well and the new skipper seat I bought from BCF on Thursday (on special $55)

http://www.bcf.com.au/online-store/products/Blueline-Tinnie-Pro-Seat-Grey-White-Padded.aspx?pid=168250&menuFrom=571482#Recommendations

I wanted to mount the seat so it was easy to install and remove and without any permanent hardware attachment. Putting it simply, Trial and error with drilling holes etc was not an option. Then I remembered the bungee chord I got from work. Looking at the fittings in the cockpit I soon realised I could make a triangle out of the bungee chord.
Image

Had to pull it nice and tight.
Then I thought, what if I use the bungee to pull tight around some bolts attached to the seat?

Image

In that configuration, I was able to put the seat on the bungee so that the forward bolts pulled on the forward part of the bungee, then I pulled the seat back and pulled the remaining two sides of the triangle of bungee forward around the back two bolts, forming a coat hangar shape under the seat. And hey presto, a suspension skipper seat. Just gave it a wiggle to centralise it and good to go.

Image

Feeling brave I climbed into the seat. It settled into a nice comfortable position and sat solidly without sliding around as I tested its limitations. It slid forward as much as I let it to get comfortable, and no more. Then I took weight off the seat and it sprung up back to its original position allowing easy access to the hatch in front of the seat.
I then thought about redundancy, what happens if I snap the bungee when I'm out in it? Simple, I will make a second bungee to stow in my hatch with the other back up parts such as the rudder pin and aka shear bolts. What about a capsize, surely the seat will come off, I thought. Nope, I lifted the seat vertically as hard as I could and nothing. No separation. Excellent.
Also when in transit the bungee will be removed from the rear hook, preventing it from stretching too much.

So, tomorrow the prototype will go into production with the following improvements:

Bushes over the bolts to prevent abrasion of the bungee
Structural adhesive for the bolts to keep them stuck permanently
Heat shrink the joint on the bungee chord for added security and neatness
Make a back up bungee for the stow kit

If you'd like to try it all you'll need is:

A seat with holes in the plastic base for four bolts in a square pattern (standard 7" probably)
Bolts to fit the holes
Bungee, zip ties and heat shrink to make a few suspension bungees
Structural adhesive

Note: I haven't tested this on the water yet, but will report as soon as I have. I anticipate it will go smoothly and be exactly as good as it is with the boat on the trailer.
It is a really nice way to mount a skipper seat to your AI without any holes, and is a breeze to install/disassemble at the water (quicker than the normal seat :wink: )

Heres a link to the Youtube vid for anyone interested. Couldn't embed... :roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO0E5O_KzRU

Try it if you're stuck for ideas like I was. You wont be disappointed.

Dan


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:49 am 
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Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:58 am
Posts: 42
Dan

Looks like a great idea! I'm wondering if the bolts scratch the hull much?

Mike


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:01 am 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:17 pm
Posts: 426
Location: Austin Texas
Dan that's a nice seat.
Are the bolts going to sit on the seat well when you are in the seat ? I'm thinking they will dig into the hull material as you move around in the seat. If so, maybe a couple of carpet covered wood skids bolted to the seat with the bolt heads in a counter bore so they are recessed. You could probably still hook your bungee over the ends of the skids if they are offset a little from the bottom of the seat with some fender washers.

Chris


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:29 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 3:31 pm
Posts: 6
Hey all,

No the bungee is pulled tight enough that when I sit In it, it only goes far enough into the well that the back of the seat base moulding is in a little of the way in the well and the front is resting on the hull just aft of the hatch. The back part of the bungee limits downward and forward movement of the seat. Bolts are a long way from the hull. I have put self adhesive closed cell foam on all contact surfaces of seat base so no hull to seat base direct contact. If you're gonna try it just pull the bungee a bit tighter before securing the zip ties.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2015 2:49 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 3:31 pm
Posts: 6
Hello everyone who's interested,
Tested the new seat setup today and I was very impressed. Quick setup, comfortable and easily adjustable by sliding your butt forward and aft to the position you want. I Found I needed to lift up and let the seat "reset" and sit straight back down so I was sitting more straight up and down when I needed to pedal, then slid the base forward and down into the well when it was sailing time. Much drier ride, much more comfortable. Only on the water for an hour and a half but could easily go all day. Also, the bungee pulled between the two side fittings acted as a great way to fasten the sail to the kayak whilst transporting. No scratching between hull and seat and no bolt contact with the hull.
All in all, I think this is quite a good mod and anyone who wants a non permanent, quick, simple and adjustable skipper seat for their AI should definitely give this mod a try.

Cheers

Dan


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