Hiya,
I recently purchased a Coleman Outfitter 15 Canoe. It appears to be in great shape… Have a question though, the boat has an aluminum bar that runs down the length of the bottom of the boat, as well as an aluminum yoke, and a bar that connects the two. If I want to install a center seat in this boat, should I take out the old yoke, and or bar, or should I simply place the new seat in front or behind that current yoke? I don’t want to sacrifice too much strength…
I intend on just putting in a simple wicker seat in the middle.
Thanks!
Coleman seat
Is the center bar a yoke or a thwart? I’m pretty sure you need the upright “post” that connects the keel runner and the yoke. Have you looked at attaching a seat to the gunwhales? This could be put either forward or behind the yoke, couldn’t it? I’m not that into canoes, but my Coleman had the same design, and I can’t imagine it maintaining its shape without the three pieces.
Agree, don’t take out tubing that
supports the hull shape. If you have a plan to mount the new seat, put it just far enough behind the center cross thwart to allow you to get in and out and put your legs the way you want them.
I would put a center kneeling pedestal under the center thwart, and around the center upright. But you may not be into kneeling all that much. Unless you can scrounge Ethafoam packing, Minicell foam (the gray stuff whitewater paddlers use) is kind of expensive. Not having a Coleman to look at, I don’t know what to suggest about hanging a center seat.
Coleman seat add
Thanks for the advice, all!
Not sure of your boat, but I have …
– Last Updated: Jul-14-09 6:47 PM EST –
replaced center yokes with aluminum tubing thwarts, and I have removed thwarts and replaced them with seats.
I have also moved thwarts several inches in one direction or another
If I had your boat and wanting to do what you want, I would go ahead and replace the yoke with a seat,(cross supports to be connected approximately where the yoke was connected) but then I would connect that vertical piece from the bottom of the seat to the tube in the bottom of the canoe.
Keep your eye on it the first time out, and if you see any weird stuff happening, just reinstall everything the way it was.
cheers,
JackL
On most of the Colemans
I have seen with a center seat from the factory, the seat had a either a plastic pedestal or an aluminum tube and bracket that actually attached to the aluminum keelson that runs along the botton, just like the center thwart or yoke does so that the support is not compromised.