Seat pedestals and Floor

[smiles16]

A few weeks ago, you guys may have seen the thread involving my new to me '86 Ebbtide Caroline 190ss. So far, everything is going as planned with the spring prep. But I need some advice.

The PO before last installed very nice, but very awkward captains chairs on nice fully adjustable bell pedestals. The problem is that they set way to high up. I look like Dino from the flintstones when I'm sittting in it. One drawback of this, aside from the obvious, is if you lean back the floor flexes up off the stringer about 1/8". At first this scared the crap out of me, thinking I bought a boat with floor rot again. After removing a couple screws, drilling an inspection bore under the pedestal, and doing a visual from underneath (in the ski well) I can see no indication of excessive moisture or rot ( and after my last boat I definitely know what it looks like). It doesn't look like any fasteners were used to hold the deck to the stringers. I like this fact, but how can I go about a remedy. Just for clarification, again, the floor does not flex when stepped on... only when the chair is leaned back.


Oh and since we are talking about my seats, is there a way to shorten these pedestals? I was thinking of cutting a couple inches off the male and femal poles and removing the gas strut.
Thoughts?

 

[smiles16]

No Title

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[CrazyFinn]

No idea how to shorten the pedestals (sorry), but shortening them (if possible) will reduce the amount of flex, as it will simultaneously reduce the leverage that your body weight has on the base of the pedestal. Basically, you're shortening the length of the lever.

 

[jbcurt00]

The deck (floor) bulges when you lean back in them because the thickness of the deck combined w/ the lack of fasteners allows flex. IMO, it's not a good thing, so it needs to be resolved.

I'm guessing pulling the carpet to install fasteners to hold the deck down isn't an option (wouldn't fix it permanently anyway I don't think)

If pulling the carpet back to that ^^^ isn't an option you'll consider, I doubt pulling a section of deck to install doublers isn't either. This would be my 1st choice

If left alone, you'd risk the deck further pulling up from the stringers, or the pedestal fasteners pulling thru the deck. Neither are good.

This is part of the problem of buying projects completed by someone else. You have no idea what all they did or didn't do, that they should have or shouldn't have done.

So, fixing the deck and mounting is an unlikely option, that leaves changing the pedestals ability to act as a lever against the deck.

I suspect those posts aren't inexpensive, I'd pull them, and either keep them for another boat or sell them and buy shorter pedestals. It'll be hard to know how short is short enough to 'fix' the problem (it really isn't) and still tall enough to allow you to comfortably sit at the helm.

Cutting what you have may not work either depending on how the pedestal and shock are mounted together inside the pedestals.


Good luck

 

[smiles16]

It doesn't have carpet. Just toughcoat or something of the like. Adding fasteners isn't out of the question, just last on the list as drilling into the stringers scares the bejesus out of me.

What's a "doubler"?

I do have about a 2-3" lip between the ski locker hole and the stringer to work with. One of my ideas was to tab the deck to the stringer with some 1708

 

[jbcurt00]

To support the pedestals, most here use a double layer of deck plywood beneath the pedestals. Either below the rest of the deck, or on top of the plywood deck.

Spreads the pedestal load out to a larger surface area and gives a thicker plywood base to bolt the pedestals too.

Same idea as the expensive (?) extra plate sold by some pedestal makers

This member made their own aluminum backer plate

Re: 1990 Glastron Futura 227 SL Rebuild

It's amazing to me how I can spend 20+ hours laying what seems like miles of fillets and glass tape only to stand back say, "That doesn't look I did much."

I'm trying to figure out a way to make bullet proof seat pedestal mounts. I ordered 2 12"x12"x3/8' aluminum plates this morning. I'm planning to use the plate along with an extra piece of ply as backer support for the pedestals. Something like this:

The holes in the wood will be over drilled and filled with thick epoxy. Stainless hardware. The wood will be epoxied together and possibly covered in 17 oz biax. 1708 epoxied on the surface below the pedestal.

What do you think? Pro's and con's.

Also, what's the best way to bond aluminum to wood?

 

[smiles16]

Very good info! I think this will be my plan of attack. I'll grab some plain-Jane pedestal and make these.

 

[jbcurt00]

Very good info! I think this will be my plan of attack. I'll grab some plain-Jane pedestal and make these.

Just make sure the pedestals are helm rated, many arent.

 

[smiles16]

Will do. Thanks!