I have an Osprey with the adjustable seat. It is a 2001 model that I recently got used.
It is missing the front two wing bolts on the adjustable seat and the back two don’t seem to do a good job of securing the seat.
I have tried using spring clips to act as seat stops and it works well, but is not very elegant.
Teh other thing I have noticed is that the track is pretty flimsy. The wood track is flexy and appears weak. The Metal hanger that it is attached to is riveted on but has a lot of play.
I am concerned that this seat could potentialy break at some inopportune time (in the middle of a trip).
Anyone have any suggestions or feedback?
Maybe I am just paranoid and the seat may be a lot more bombproff than it appears. Or maybe the later models have improved the design (I may call the company and see if I can order a new seat assembly…but then would be the issue of getting out the old rivets / re-riveting a new one.
I know little of riveting…maybe just replacing the rivets would be a good idea???
Just some random thoughts… wondering if any of you out there can provide some feedback based on your experiences.
thanks
Matt
Sounds Quite Different From Mine
On mine the rails are hung from the gunnels with long bolts through 2"+ wooden standoffs.
I do need to tighten the nuts every so often but otherwise they seem quite secure.
The seat slides freely on top of the rails. I have no stops. %90 of the time that does not bother me but I have though about adding something.
I’d be interested to see pictures of your seat set up. I could take some of mine if you want.
Tommy
Contact Swift
Why not contact Swift directly. The maker may have a simple solution for your problem.
FWIW, it seems that Swift had a few different generations of their sliding seat mechanisms – early ones didn’t lock in place. I had one on my Shearwater (circa ’03) that worked pretty well (did have locks). I liked how easily it worked and how well it could bring that boat into trim (the most trim sensitive canoe I’ve ever owned). In time despite its nice looks and function I really got sick of all the squeaking noises that sliding seat made – I learned to really dislike it. I’d much rather adjust trim with gear placement than deal with a sliding seat – but that’s probably just me. -RK