Bass boat seat setup for a 300lb+ buddy

[heckhole]

I have a buddy that is about 325lbs and he has banana peeled 2 of my seat posts. He now used a collapsible Colman chair and I feel bad for the big dude.

I've been looking at seats and I can't find one that has a max capacity over 275lbs, I can't find a post with a max capacity at all either. We went to bass pro and the disappointment on his face when we found the weight limits really bummed me out.

Can anyone help suggest an affordable seat/post for a heavy dude?

 

[Silvertip]

What exactly is breaking? It may be you need to have a standard post reinforced by a metal fabricator/welding shop. This should not be expensive and they would likely be able to offer advice on how to proceed. What needs to be done depends on what is breaking.

 

[JoLin]

I think your shopping answered the question. Even if you found a post that would support him, the decking and backing plate might not. It'd be very bad if you hit a wake and the seat and post ripped out of the deck.

Build a seat - a simple boxlike structure that'll clamp to the deck over the spot where the seat and post are now. You can swap the seating back and forth as needed. It'll be much more stable and won't put that lateral load on the deck. You can use flotation cushions, or cooler cushions for padding. See here...

http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=cooler cushion

I built a folding bench seat across the back of my 16'er and used these for the seat and back instead of sewing upholstery. They work great and come in various sizes.

(Best of luck. You're a good friend)

My .02

 

[heckhole]

Yeah. I've thought about having a welding shop just fabricate a post, but without some give I'd imagine it's going to make the deck mount or the seat the next weak spot. I've thought about a bar stool type setup that I could somehow secure to the deck, but I'm sure a hefty guy will want a back rest too so that won't work.

I'm not kidding when I say the post literally banana peels. The aluminum type body just can't handle it. The steel itself that goes into the seat and the floor mount survives.

 

[fhhuber]

Large steel reinforcing plate (diamondplate) under the seat post to spread the load on the deck mounting. Find/copy the bolt & hole pattern for the under deck fitting and sandwich bolt the diamond plate to the seat mount with the deck in the middle.

slip fit steel pipe over the seat post. cut to touch the bottom seat mount and the diamondplate

You may want to also add a reinforcing plate to the bottom of the seat itself.

Still leaves the seat back and its attachments vulnerable if he leans back....