Replacing Bench Seats

[jeff_smith_0423]

I've got a 14' Sea Nymph Cartopper who's seats have seen better days. It seems as if there are brackets riveted to the hull and then the seats are riveted to the brackets. There are cracks in the aluminum on at least two of the seats. I'd like to replace all of the benches with a carpeted wooden bench and then mount low swivel seats on them.

Has anyone done something similar with this type of setup? Suggestions for attaching the wooden seats to the aluminum hull? Here are some pics of what i'm looking at.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

No pics came through..

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Should be there now.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

I'm thinking the quick fix would be to simply use some pop rivets to attach a wooden seat to the existing seats and then attach your seat mounts to that.
Less work, less hassel and done a whole lot quicker. As long as the factory seats are structurally sound why mess with them ?

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

They're not structurally sound - they've all got cracks in the aluminum in various places, rivets are popping up and out everywhere, and they're noisy as all getout.

 

[dwyork@hotmail.com]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

My buddy has just put new seats and floors in his aluminum boat...see if his links help at all. http://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5726&sid=b635d3e7aeb23c531568eec2d5f2f0fd&p=76285#p76285

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Your friend did a nice job building up that boat, but I'm afraid he's going to have problems with the center of gravity and with weight. My 14 footer is only rated for 500 lbs of passenger, motor, and gear. He's easily got 200 lbs of wood and carpet in an already very tippy boat.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

They're not structurally sound - they've all got cracks in the aluminum in various places, rivets are popping up and out everywhere, and they're noisy as all getout.

OK,, sounds like they need to come out. A number of things to think about.
The seats probably have floatation material inside of each one. Helps to keep your boat from sinking. Good stuff to have.
You should make a plan as to how you want your layout to be. Steering console, front casting platform, rear tiller-steering seat, storage compartments for rods/gear, etc etc etc.
The best place to start for me is what do I want the finished project to look like.
You need to determine if the brackets each seat is attached to are riveted or welded to the hull. You can remove each seat from the hull brackets. Try to leave the hull brackets intact. I would also remove only one seat at a time as these are what help the hull keep it's shape.

You need to decide on how you are going to attach the new seats to the hull brackets. Providing you can save the hull brackets. You can use pop rivets, screws or nuts and bolts to attach the vertical seat boards. If you are going to install a wooden deck, I would do that first and then you can use the new new decking to attach the seat verticals to as well useing L shaped brackets and screws.

If you are going to use only the hull brackets to attach the new seats try to keep the integrity of the old rivet holes as much as possible. This way you can use the same holes for the new pop rivets. If not you will have to drill new holes in the hull brackets for the new pop rivets or whatever fastener you decide to use.

You can remove the old rivets in several ways. The least desireable is to grind off the heads and punch them through. Punching them through will probably increase the size of the hole. I drill the heads off and the entire rivet shaft will usually just push through real easy. Not knowing what size rivets you have, I would start with a small drill bit and work up in size until just the head of the rivet comes off. The secret to drilling rivets out is to take your time, don't lean on the drill, let the bit do the work for you.
Hopefully you will get more replies on this.

I suggest you read through all of the forums on rebuilding. There is a wealth of information here and each person has his own method of doing things. Some other approach may work better for.

Good luck on your project. Post pics.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Yeah, what Murphy said.

I just want to add that these are light weight, low capacity boats. So don't over build it. Remember that every pound you build into the boat in the way of framing, casting deck, etc is one less pound of cargo you can bring with you.

Weigh what you take out, weigh what you put in, and you will know what the new capacity limit of the boat is. A simple bathroom scale works well for this.

So keep it simple.

Have fun!

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Yeah, I want nothing more in this boat than carpeted wooden bench seats with pedestal seats mounted. No storage, no decks. Weight will not be an issue.

Flotation will also not be an issue. This is my "river boat", which really translates to "creek boat". The river pool i use this boat in averages about 2.5 feet deep and has little to no current.

Ok - so far the plan is to tear out the front bench and attempt to reuse the mounting brackets and mount a sealed plywood seat.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Here's another thought for you. It appears you have a wire chase on the starboard side. That's the PVC pipe with a wire running throught it. It doesn't look long enough as there is a wire dangling out of each end. The chase should be long enough so no wires are left dangling out of an end. This way you won't be getting something or your foot or whatever caught on that wire and possibly pulling a conection loose. Disconnect one end of the wire in the case and tie a long string to it. Position the new chase. Tie another long string (or twine) to the end of the wire you are pulling out. Pull the wire and the 2nd string through the chase from the opposite end. Now you have one wire and one string in the chase. Take off the first pull string. . Secure both ends of the 2nd string (the one still in the chase) to either end of the chase with a knot, tape, whatever. Make the electrical connection and there you are. Now, incase you decide to add something up front, say a fish finder or whatever, you have a pull string still inside the chase to pull the new wire through. This make a couple of hours' job take only seconds.

I learned this the hard way. duuuh.

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Replacing Bench Seats

Oh yeah, the previous owner did a bangup job on the wiring. That's all getting removed and redone. I'll most likely put the wire chase underneath the seats, with the battery located underneath the front seat.