Seat replacement ideas?

Foam seat
I bought my foam from Redfish Kayaks and Joe Greenley gave me some great tips for carveing the seat. It is pretty easy. Or you can have him make one for you. http://www.redfishkayak.com/foam.htm

Second what DonG said: We have two
custom Redfish Kayak seats in our NC17’s. Great

improvement and easy to install. Joe does a great job and you can just pressure fit the seat.

Technically, two…

– Last Updated: Sep-16-04 8:13 AM EST –

...but my original one is now set up for my girlfriend. She was looking for one and I found a used one locally, but it suits me better than the original one does, due to the bulkhead and compass placement. Consequently, it's time for another "seatectomy". I'm building up quite a collection of VCP fiberglass seats! ;-)

Motorcycle seat foam
I saw that on a recent episode of American Chopper. It looks like it might be ideal for custom kayak seats. Any sources that you know of?

bynystrom/others: carving methods?
I’m hoping to remove the seat from my Capella this winter and install a custom minicell seat. I looked at the pictures from Bnystrom’s replacement, and I see that you used a wedge and then a sheet over that, as opposed to carving down into a block. I was planning on using the carving down into a block method, but this other method does look easier. Any comparison on pros and cons of the two different ways of creating a custom seat?



Thanks for the input!



Cheers,

Lupe

Butt mold
If you want a true butt mold then go get some florist arrangement foam blocks. This stuff is semi-rigid and spongy at the same time. You can sit on it and it will compress and take your contours. Glass it and you will have a contoured seat pan to upholster. Bob

NIce wow what an idea I like it
Thanks for mentioning it!



HOw many layers of what kind of glass. Would you make minicell pillars to reinforce it or do you need to make it thick!



would you lay it up with epoxy. Do you gelcoat coat the outer layer.



I want to do this!

It’s up to you.
I would do a glass layer thickness depending on the lower support structure. The more support structure the thinner the glass layer needs to be. As a reference I would do a glass layer around 3/16 thick to give the upholsterer a nice rigid pan to upholster. I would use 1/2 inch of the type of rubber pad used under a mouse pad under a neoprene cover … but an upholsterer that does marine seats may have a much better idea than me for padding. BTW I got this idea from watching my wife get fit for custom foot orthodics. I have also been foam fitted in ski boots which takes several hours and does generate a fair amount of heat as was previously stated … but the fit is perfect when finished. Working with fiberglass is really pretty easy as I have lots of experience glassing the keels of catamarans and a few vette repairs. Bob

Never tried to find actual manufacturer.
I keep ‘saving’ this idea for when I have a chance to create a matched bottom mold for my regular seat mold. Keep a 1/2" -3/4" gap at absolute bottom and pour this stiff in… viola, perfect seat.



Have not asked them in a while but was available at Diversified materials in La Mesa Ca. (619) 464 - 4111… I think what stopped me from buying it on the spot was the cost and not knowing when I would get a chance to use it.

Well I has hoping to keep it slick
for torso rotation. I reckon I’ll try something and see how it goes. the qcc seat pan style seemed like it might work. If I recall correctly it was pretty low, attached to the bottom with a flange glued to the hull.

Thank you for the info.

Slick seat
If you want it slick … after fiberglassing … bondo it, sand, and paint. Start sanding the bondo before it gets rock hard to get all the rough stuff off, then wait until it has completely hardened to finish sand. Bob

The reasons I build up the seat…
…instead of carving are:



1- The materials cost less. 3" foam is expensive.



2- It wastes less material, since you’re not starting out with a big block and carving most of it away.



3- You can build the seat progressively. Start with the minimum and build it up until you’re satisfied. One option is to build it up, then cover it with thin foam, neoprene or stretch fabric to give it a finished look.



4- If you make a mistake, it’s less of a problem. If you add too much somewhere, you simply remove it with the same tools you use to shape it. If you screw up a carved seat, it’s a bit more of a hassle to repair.



5- I find that in a boat with a backband, I don’t need the “form fitting” shape of a fiberglass or carved Minicel seat. However, I know others who use just a carved seat with no back rest at all. It’s all personal preference.



Keep in mind that I like a “minimalist” seat in my boats and that you may want something more elaborate. Either method can produce whatever shape you need. For me, the main driving factors are #1, 2 and 3.

Keep in mind…

– Last Updated: Sep-18-04 9:42 AM EST –

...that glassing the inside of a butt impression will make it smaller. If you want to maintain the correct size, the thing to do is glass the foam with several layers of cloth and matt, sand all the foam off and use the remaining fiberglass as a male mold for the seat. It will need to be filled, sanded, polished and waxed, but you'll end up with a mold that you can make multiple seats from.

Once you have a mold, you can apply gelcoat, then layers of fiberglass in the same manner as boats are built. The result will be a shiny, slick seat just like a factory model, but which fits your butt perfectly. From there, you either glass it into the boat or mount it on foam blocks glued to the hull.

Sounds like the way, more work
but best results. Think Ill stick to the foam way for this fall and perhaps do it right in the spring.