How to install a center seat

I have a 16 ft Wenonah canoe with a center yoke and thwart. I would like to install a center seat just forward of the thwart but behind the center yoke. Can anyone give me advise as to how to do this? Wenonah’s don’t have their seats screwed in from the top of the gunnels but I guess I could do this with the third seat? I’m just afraid of harming the integrity of the canoe by screwing holes into the gunnels.

call Wenonah?
It wouldn’t hurt to call the maker and ask their advice. Wenonah is usually pretty helpful.



I assume you have the aluminum gunwales? Wenonah generally used aluminum hangers that slipped over the hull edge and were partially hidden under the gunwales and secured from sliding forward and back by pop rivets.



I know some folks who have drilled out enough of the pop rivets to lift the gunwales away from the hull sufficiently to mount seat hangers, then re-riveted the gunwales back on. Maybe Wenonah would have a simpler solution.

Get a drop in or a drop in with a thwart
Mohawk Canoe

.
Call Eds…they’ll tell you just what to do, and will get ya what ya need.

agree w/using Wenonah gear
The easiest approach would be to get some of the metal hangers from Wenonah. It is a quick and simple process: 1. drill out the rivets where you want to mount the seat hangers; 2. slide the hangers up between the hull and the gunwales; 3. drill holes through the metal hanges (hopefully using the old rivet hulls; and 4. install new pop rivets. It should take less than half an hour.