Rear seats to rear bench conversion

[jamiemac74]

I am wanting to go from the dog house seat design to a rear bench design.. I have a 1993 Regal 206sc. has anyone on here done this or have any input on this topic..

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

Posting a picture will help a lot, if you can't get a picture of your own boat then find one from the manufacturer.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

As an upholsterer, I have done this conversion many times. It's not difficult for someone with DIY skills. You should be aware that you are going to lose more walking room than you may initially think. Figure 18" - 20" in front of the doghouse as the end of your walking area.

The back of the new seat will end up at the front of the current engine cover. You will need 3 brackets per side to support the back panel as people will be walking/lounging on the new sunpad. This back should recline at roughly 5?.

The new seat (if you want it) will need a base to sit on, roughly 18" high and 18" deep for comfort. Depending on how intricate you want to get, or what your skills are, you can add arms to this as well as a lift up seat for storage.

The sunpad on top should be constructed out of 3/4" plywood for stability, with 4" foam and upholstered as necessary. 2 separate hinges in the back for raising and 2 lift actuaters for ease as necessary.

Also figure in the cost of upholstery if you can't cover it yourself.

You can PM me if you have any questions.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

You should be aware that you are going to lose more walking room than you may initially think. Figure 18" - 20" in front of the doghouse as the end of your walking area.

I agree there. I went the opposite route and eliminated most of my bench with a compromise and gained about another 15 inches of floor, and got the coolers off the floor and under the seats. you might want to build a mock-up of cardboard and see how much space you will actually be loosing.

I know under the bench looks like an attractive storage space but it usually doesn't hold as much as you would imagine.

these are pics of what I did( I haven't got any pics of the finished product at the moment).I have a 17x17x Igloo ice cube cooler under each seat for beverages.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

Great info Fireman431. I am in the process of actually converting my back to back lounge seats on the port side into an L shaped lounge, losing the one rear bench seat. I will lose some space, but when I built my doghouse I pushed it back 4 inches or so to get more floor space. I'll still have room to push the cooler under the back half of the lounge which also frees up some floor space.

And this way I'll finally have a spot I can sit and put my arm around my girl! In all seriousness with back to back loungers all the seats are singles, so you can't sit with anyone. It will also be nice to have parents be able to sit next to their kids as opposed to on their laps.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

just don't let all the fat people sit in the L shaped lounge or you'll list badly.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Rear seats to rear bench conversion

I should have added a couple of things:

Removing back-to-back seats and replacing with two forward facing buckets will modernize an otherwise older boat interior. When looking at a standard boat interior with back-to-back seats, a doghouse, and small buckets on either side, the walking room is minimal and seats 6. When replacing with 2 forward facing buckets and an aft lounger (add in a small L to the port side), you actually increase your walking room/open floor space and still seat 6 (and gain a sunpad). With these changes, hiring an outside upholstery shop to create this lounger and sunpad, you will spend $1500-$2500, depending on how intricate you get with the design, the materials, and how much you can do yourself. If you have the right boat (minimum 18'), it's a great way to modernize without buying new.