Hi,
Does anyone know of a bucket seat that is available to fit a Bell / Northstar Magic? I know that Ed’s makes a cane “bucket” seat which is an option, but I am really interested in a true bucket / Wenonah style seat.
Unless I can find something specific to the Magic I will probably get a Hemlock / Deal kneeling bucket which I think should work.
One other question I have is about the seat height. I previously owned a Bell Magic and recently bought a Northstar Magic. I recall being able to kneel in the Bell (although it was not ideal for this) in the Northstar I can barely get my feet under the seat and don’t have the flexibility to kneel in it. Not sure if I am just not as flexible as I used to be or if the seat height is different.
Check the distance between front and rear rails on both seats…don’t think Bell and Hemlock use the same dimensions…your existing holes in the gunnels probably will not work with Hemlock seat.
Not sure about the Northstar Magic, but I easily kneel in my Bell Magic, but I’m only 5’6” and wear size 8 a Chota Mukluk Lites, which have very flexible ankles. Mine has what I think is the original woven nylon seat. No foot braces, yet so I kneel as much as my knees and ankles will tolerate, which isn’t very long.
Matt it doesn’t really matter whether you got old ( sorry) or the seat height is different… Bottom line is it doesnt fit you… Can you shorten the seat drops?
I have a Ed’s Contour Bucket which I like… Its quite different from Wenonah bucket. The Conk seat you are interested in ought to fit. I bet Dave Curtis can furnish you with dimensions if you call him.
I am not worried about the fact that I can’t kneel in the boat because I don’t really plan to. I bought this as a boat to use for sit and switch pretty much exclusively. I was just curious about what had changed or if it was just me.
If I do get the hemlock seat I will have to drill new holes to accommodate the difference in the bolt spacing for the seat drops. Not s huge deal, but would be nice if I could find a true “drop in” replacement that does not require putting more holes in the gunwales.
Hey Matt, I think your memory is correct. My favorite dealer told me that Northstar is setting up their solos for sitting so that they don’t scare off first time buyers. I had a Magic that I knelt in…although I got it used so can’t be sure of the factory set-up. I briefly owned a Northstar Phoenix and then their longer Solo and both came with seats set super low and even the center seat in the tandem Polaris I ended up with will have to be raised for kneeling.