Re: 216 bay reef - switch seat to leaning post
I don't know about a local welder or fab shop. They will not have the "tooling" for the leaning post. Someone has to have all the necessary arbors and presses to make all the appropriate bends and weld points. A local welder will charge much much more. AND it will not be anodized. To anodize the entire t top would be a minimum of $200. They are very large, they will need a special tank to be dipped into.
The best bet is Ebay. There would definately be someone selling a leaning post for under $900. I want to do the same thing you speak of, remove the cooler seat and get the leaning post, but the cheapest one I've found is $850. It doesn't include shipping but it does have the rocket launcher back rest. I would normally encourage people to make their own stuff, but not in this case. Unless bottomless pockets are something you have.
