On the way
Got the runners which go between the ends of cane seat assembly done and attached to the seat. Got the stainless bolts which will fit thru the runners and slide up and down in the aluminum seat installed in the runners and have a mock-up of the aluminum sheet made out of hardboard. It’s coming together.
Progress so far
Here are some pictures including hanging brackets mocked up in hardboard.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150333084609129.419694.507714128
Don’t want it to slip
Just looked at your project pictures. The slot in the side plate is quite long. If one side slips from the high position to the low while underway that will be trouble. Your feet will be pinned and you’ll risk a swim trying to reset it. This is what happens with the Wenonah seat, but the drop is not as large. You might want to think about some way of locking the seat in the high position.
Peter
shock cord
At the moment I’m thinking of a shock cord system which would pull it into the up position and hold it there. It would require some kind of latch to resist the shock cord and hold it in the down position. Haven’t figured it out quite yet. It depends on how much of a tendency there is for it to pop out of the up position. I could modify the short top angled slots to drop down more which would decrease the likelihood of it coming out of place.
Now that I think about it, there may be enough room behind the bracket to put a knob on the end of the bolts or at least one or two of them, which would clamp the seat to the bracket.
Pedestal in a Yellowstone
Jeff B has a pedestal (and short bags) in his Yellowstone that he uses for tripping. You can kind of see the pedestal here
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2989723540075003331NOugex
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2024650580075003331HFTnYW
Yellowstone is a submarine in drops
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2163575180075003331LoCzGp
But it surfs OK
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2488394910075003331BYgCxf
Jeff has a whitewater boat for the bigger stuff
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2176687820075003331ZiiNKg
knobs
Added some pictures of the locking knobs I put on either side. I’m pretty sure there will be enough room between the bracket and the hull on the Yellowstone to access the knobs. If not, I’ll get smaller thumb nuts.
Paddle It!
The more seat time you get in it, the more stable it will get!
wrapped it up
Added finished photos to the album. Hanging brackets were made from .80x12x24 aluminum sheet I bought on Ebay for $8 plus shipping. Sheet is bolted to a piece of 1/8" aluminum angle which in turn is bolted to the gunwale. Seat has the original 4" drop in the bottom position and has roughly the same top kneeling position as it had when I had it permanently attached high up.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150333084609129.419694.507714128#!/media/set/?set=a.10150333084609129.419694.507714128
titghtening
It’s hard to tell in the photos but the front bolts which hold the seat have plastic knobs which can be reached and tightened/loosened while in the boat. Back bolts just a nylock nut in a loose position.
Sit on rectangular cushions
I’ve used three rectangular PFD cushions for 30 years as a way to sit or kneel while easily varying height.
I stack three cushions and kneel on them like a WW pedestal.
Sitting, I can use 3, 2, 1 or 0 cushions to vary height in different conditions or different canoes. Sometimes I use 1 or 2 of the cushions as a back rest leaning against a thwart.
In addition, the cushion stack can be instantly slid forward or aft to adjust trim for turning or wind conditions.
Finally, if you dump, you are surrounded by three PFD’s.
I hope that with the downward pressure
you will exert on the seat that the bolts will hold… I can see some slippage happening with this arrangement but I hope it works for you…
For sure that Wenonah adjustable seat does not work. Staying in place depends on forward pressure on the seat. Most of us put backward and downward stresses on the seat and it jumps track way too often.
I got mad and made a fixed seat out of mine. Two bolts…one on each side…through seat end and hanger plate. I can undo it easily for anyone wanting an “adjustable seat”
hmm
Well that’s a goofy arrangement in the Wenonah seat. Mine depends on back and down pressure to stay in place which is the normal pressure. The knobs/bolts are just added assurance. My initial experiments indicate it’s not going anywhere.