Pedestal seats too low

[Glcires]

I have two pedestal seats on my 19ft cobia and they are way too low. I have to stand up to see over the console. When im going idle through the intercoastal id like to be able to sit down and relax. Is yhere any products i can buy to extend the height of the pedestals?? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

What kind of pedestals? The 3/4" pin or what? You can get taller pedestals and can even get the air height adjustment like office chairs for the 3/4" pin pedestals. Other kinds you should have options too.

 

[Glcires]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

Im trying to avoid getting new pedestals because if the are bolted down i dont have access to undo the bolts. If changing the pedestal is my only option im just gonna put in a leaning post. I tgought there might be an extention that would slide into the existing pedestal to make the seats higher. Not sure what diameter they are. I can post that later if it helps.

 

[Don Macleod]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

I just bought some seats from Veada including a helm seat with a pedestal. This pedestal can adjust the height by three inches it can also swivel, and go forward or back up to six inches. I did not bolt to fiberglass, I got a friend to laminate three one inch pieces of plywood into a 12x12 square and then 45 degree angled all sides. I glued the wood stand on to the fiberglass, put the pedestal on top of the stand and secured it by using 2 1/2 inch screw in the holes provided by the pedestal.. Man is it ever secure lol this baby is not going anywhere... Now I can sit on the chair and safely see completely over the bow no problems

 

[Don Macleod]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

btw sand the plywood stand, paint it with a marine paint and presto you have it completed

 

[ziggy]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

my seats are a shade low for me too. i got back to back though. anyways, i sit on my type IV throwable pfd and i'm just at the right height. one type IV is mandatory in my state + when i sit on them (i got two on board), i know right where they are if needed.
don't know if that'll work for ya or not since yours are way to low, but that's what i did and works well for me. no work needed too, which is a + imho..

 

[sktn77a]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

If you have a standard 2-7/8 inch pedestal you could try this:

http://www.arrigonidesign.com/hriser.htm

or fabricate something yourself that serves the same purpose (an outer sleve with an extension the same diameter as your existing pedestal).

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

It seem like everyone thinks their seats are too low!

Mine came with a fixed 6 inch pedestal. It put the helm seat at about 12" off the deck. Too low!
I located a 12-15" adjustable pedestal from the manufacturer's Scratch and Dent site for $35 marked down from $99.
The scratch was hard to find, and being under the seat, Who Cares?

I just unbolted the old one from the floor and in went the new one. 20 minutes.
At the 15" setting the seat is 22" off the deck. It's like sitting on a stool!
The view is great.
I was concerned it would be too high and unstable. Solid as a rock. They are way overbuilt!

For the Back-to-Back Port side seats I made a new base from plywood and carpet covered it.
Raised the seats 6 inches, that put the seats at 18" off the deck, same as a standard chair.
The area under the seats is now two storage compartments big enough for a spare gas tank or three 6 inch fenders.
The front compartment is now where all the crew's loose footwear gets stowed. It really keeps the deck ship-shape.

I'll Post some Pictures.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

If you have a standard 2-7/8 inch pedestal you could try this:...

Or the entire Pedestal HERE!

 

[sschefer]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

my seats are a shade low for me too. i got back to back though. anyways, i sit on my type IV throwable pfd and i'm just at the right height. one type IV is mandatory in my state + when i sit on them (i got two on board), i know right where they are if needed.
don't know if that'll work for ya or not since yours are way to low, but that's what i did and works well for me. no work needed too, which is a + imho..

The only problem with that is that you now no longer have a legal throwable. Check out the USCG boating safety laws reqarding using throwables as seat cushions. According to them, using them as a seat cushion crushes the foam material and makes them less boyant and unable to meet the minimum floatation requirements.

 

[mippel]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

What i did was i got a 2x12 and longer bolts. Cut it in 2 pieces the length of the seat base. Glued and screwed them together. Then drilled holes for the bolts and mounted them between the bottom of the seat and the seat base mount. So for a pretty cheap fix i have this:

 

[ziggy]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

looks like mipple has a real good idea to me.
as for this.

The only problem with that is that you now no longer have a legal throwable. Check out the USCG boating safety laws reqarding using throwables as seat cushions. According to them, using them as a seat cushion crushes the foam material and makes them less boyant and unable to meet the minimum floatation requirements.

can you lead me to this rule. i don't see it.
in NE. this is the rule.

Life Jackets: Every vessel except sailboards, including any buoyant device capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, shall carry one U.S. Coast Guard-approved, Type I, II, lIl or V Life Preserver for each person on board. Every vessel except personal watercraft, canoes, kayaks and sailboards, shall carry at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved throwable flotation device (Type IV) in addition to other required devices. All such devices shall be in good condition and be so placed as to be readily accessible. All passengers and operators of personal watercraft shall wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life preserver while the PWC is under way.

as for the uscg, i still don't see the rule your talking about. this was the best i could find.
best i can see, a type IV need to be servicable, just like any other pfd.
please enlighten me so i'm not breaking the rules, which i don't want to do.

also, a type IV must be readily available to deploy. i can't think of a place closer to deploy than sitting on it.

 

[bayoucat58]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

Im trying to avoid getting new pedestals because if the are bolted down i dont have access to undo the bolts. If changing the pedestal is my only option im just gonna put in a leaning post. I tgought there might be an extention that would slide into the existing pedestal to make the seats higher. Not sure what diameter they are. I can post that later if it helps.

You won't like a leaning post if you are wanting to sit and relax fabricate some extensions to extend the existing tubing is an opt.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

... because if the are bolted down i don't have access to undo the bolts...

They are bolted down in the sense that they use machine thread screws to attach them.
There are NOT loose nuts under the deck that fall off when you remove the bolts.
There are usually "T" Nuts pressed and glassed into the bottom of the deck for the bolts to attach to.
When removing the bolts just unscrew them, but don't go pushing down with unnecessary force.

Changing the pedestal is a clean and easy way to raise the seats.

 

[cjkeeme]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

I'm happy I found this thread. Maybe someone can help me figure out my options for my seats.

I have a 2001 Bayliner Capri 185 Sport that I just purchased a few months ago. I love it, but my seat is way to low. Can I just add the pedestal extender from the link above? Oh, and the lever in the picture is just to swivel the chair - no height adjustment that I could fiture out.

Here are some pics if it helps:

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Pedestal seats too low

Finally got the pictures.

The original pedestal is 6 inches tall.
The New pedestal adjusts from 12 to 16 inches.
The highest position is one inch taller than the original pedestal was with the seats bolster up.
This is the $35 pedestal in the link in post #9.

The Back to Back seats are now 6 inches taller than original.
Notice the spare fuel tank now stored under the seat.