Moving the seat in a WS Tempest 170

Has anyone had experience with moving the seat back in a Tempest 170 Pro. I like this boat, and have done an extended demo in a RM 170. About the only issue I have is with exiting. I have to be careful to not scrap a shin. I am 6’, 215, with a tall torso, inseam about 32".



It looks like the seat is mounted fairly far forward in the cockpit and moving it back 1-2" looks doable. That would seem to really help entry and exits. I am moving up from a 2013 Tsunami 125, which has the same seat, after I replaced the seat back with the backband and added hip pads. The nuts that attach the seat frame are tucked up pretty far under the coaming. Any technique ideas?



Thanks,



-Paul

It’s easy to do…
…and has been discussed on this site before so you can do a search and find more than you wanted to know about the topic. I started moving my seat back for the same reason you describe and ended up just replacing it with minicell. Don’t worry about a change in handling from moving your weight back 2". It’s a non-issue.



Photo here: https://picasaweb.google.com/111037397296669047941/Tempest170Pro#5812198946422873074



Jon

http://3meterswell.blogspot.com

1 Like

What I Do
I don’t know about the pro model but I’ve moved the seat back in my 'glass Tempest 165 and my Alchemy. I simply move the seat back and line up the front seat holes with the rear coaming holes and install the bolts & nuts there. The seat is secured with two bolts only and I re-install the front bolts into the coaming holes securing nothing; they just keep the water out. Nothing has broken or failed yet. Keep in mind that you may have to saw off excess seat meat in the back because of the bulkhead.



Ahhh… much better. I was cautioned that the boat may ride a little low in the rear 'cause of this customization. Naw. It’s better all the way 'round. For me.

Moving The Seat
It’s a little tricky, but not especially difficult. I did it on my 170. To access the nuts that are ‘hidden’ under the cockpit coming(sp?), I used a deep-wall socket with 1/4" drive and a short extension. Everything else has already been discussed.



Good luck.

moving seat
I have a tempest 165pro. I dont think the set up is different in a 170. If i wanted to move my seat back I couldnt do it without atleast cutting away some of the rear seat base area or removing the bulkhead and rebuilding a straight one. The bulkhead is slanted and at the hull it is against the seat base. I dont know if you can even cut away any of the seat base without messing with its’ structural stability.

Thanks for the ideas
It has given me a couple ideas how it might be done without having to drill additional holes in the coaming rim.



I am in Seattle and stopped by the Kayak Academy over the weekend, and the fellow helping me said they do it with some regularity to achieve a custom fit.



Thanks for the picture link Jon, it helps to see the seat frame out of the boat.



Adrian, any chance you remember the size of socket that fits the seat frame nuts? I may just have to go get a deep socket set in 1/4" drive.



-Paul

I Cut the Excess Off the Seat
It’s been several years and nothing’s failed yet.