Thinking about changing out the back-to-backs for a couple of buckets in my 175. Some completed projects I have seen here are very tempting. My question is about the flooring. How thick is the plywood floor? I am looking at a couple of swivel/slide pedestals that have a 9" diameter base. Trying to decide if I need reinforcement for the floor or if it is thick enough to hold them firm. Floor is in great shape and has not been exposed to too much moisture. I think if it is around 3/4 inch I should be ok, but 1/2" is borderline IMO. I just haven't seen the specs on the flooring.
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I tried a bucket seat mounted onto the floor of my 2003 175 using a basic mount and it wasn't very stable, the ply is quite thin and is likely not marine grade, there was a lot of flexing when using the seat.
I attached a large square of painted marine grade ply to the floor and then mounted the seat onto that and its been perfectly stable, I used a larger piece than I really needed to, I think that something smaller could be just as effective but I wouldn't mount a seat directly onto the ply floor.
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I am doing the same project now. I will also be adding a base. I will update with pics when I am done but here are some pics of the seats and peds.
Attached files [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/655738=24812-boat pedestal.jpg[/img] [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/655738=24811-Boat seats.JPG[/img]
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Thanks for the replies.
(rc48a gave me the idea on the seats.) Correction... actually it was TailgateJeff that provided the seat manufacturer (http://veada.com/). Great site with a nice selection.
I am going to use the pedestal similar to the one molina is installing. I think I will add the support floor. I have to be careful as the pedestals are 5". It may raise the seat too high forcing a change on base type.
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Capman..My pedestals are 9.5 inches from top to bottom. I wanted the extra height cause I was always sitting on the top of the back to back seats. I like to be able to see over the windshield and being 6'2" the seats were to low from me. I got a great deal off ebay for the pedestals. The set is used but were in great condition for only $145 shipped and the seats were brand new off ebay for $350 shipped from. I see you have a swim platform from swimplatform.com, hows is it working out? Did you install it yourself? I am thinking about taking biting the bullet and buying one. Thanks
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Just a quick note about the floor reinforcement that I used, it was 22mm marine ply and was fully painted before being fitted.
The front is secured using the original two bolts from the double seat that I removed and the back uses screws that go into the original ply deck, after drilling, some sealant was used to help prevent any water ingress as the foam filled floatation chambers are below the deck and I don't want any rot in there. The original carpet is still in place so I can go back to the original seats easily
One thing that did surprise me was the weight of the original seats, it doesn't look like marine ply in those either but they're certainly not flimsy.
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rc42a - where did you get your seats from?
molina623 and Capman please post pics up when you complete your projects.
Does anyone know how the factory mounts their seats in the flight editions? Do they reinforce?
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No doubt the best $$$ spent on the boat so far. The Admiral even agrees and she watches the budget like a hawk!! My son and I installed it. Just "ok" DYIers, but it wasn't bad at all. Plenty of 3M 5200 (can't stress that enough). We spend about 90% of our "cove time" sitting on the back. The build quality is excellent!!molina623 wrote:
I see you have a swim platform from swimplatform.com, hows is it working out? Did you install it yourself? I am thinking about taking biting the bullet and buying one. Thanks
Will do. I looked, but haven't found much information about the OEM installation of the bucket(s) in the 175. I would think they have some kind of reinforcement, but I am just not sure. There should be some other seat upgrades in the Completed Projects section. I have seen other 175 upgrades there.nvrstsfd1 wrote:
rc42a - where did you get your seats from?
molina623 and Capman please post pics up when you complete your projects.
Does anyone know how the factory mounts their seats in the flight editions? Do they reinforce?
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Here is a link to my seat install:
After three years, everything is holding up well and I am very happy with the install.
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I've read your posts for replacing the seats before and good to know that 3 years later its still holding up directly screwed to the floor. What size base is your pedestal?TailgateJeff wrote:
Here is a link to my seat install:
After three years, everything is holding up well and I am very happy with the install.
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If he used this model: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPRINGFIELD-...-/190544993517nvrstsfd1 wrote:
I've read your posts for replacing the seats before and good to know that 3 years later its still holding up directly screwed to the floor. What size base is your pedestal?
It is a 10" base.
I have been looking at these: http://greatlakesskipper.com/product...on-slider.html
It has a 9.25" base. I am looking for both swivel and slide. Smaller base may be a little more prone to wobble.
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My seat base is between 8 to 10 inches at the base. I bought those bases because they were the largest base.
I avoided the slide-mount seats because I thought that the weight of the person sitting in the seat wasn't going to be distributed over the center and may cause the screws to pull out of the floor.
I also opted for the shortest base I could find. I think I paid $60 for both of the bases.
I did add some marine sealant to the screws two years ago.
As I've mentioned, I'm a "big guy" and everything has held up well over the last three years. All the screws have held tight and there is no flex in the floor.
We've put in close to 900 miles on various river trips the past three years and I don't think I would have made some of those 100 mile days in the stock seats. The stock seats feel like you are sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
Anyhow, we are looking forward to a couple more trips this Summer... Gallipolis, Ohio to Charleston, WV on the Kanawha River which is about 140 miles round trip and Maysville, KY to Huntington, WV on the Ohio. That trip is about 200 miles round trip. If anyone wants to join us, just let me know.
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TailgateJeff, thanks for the info on the seat base. It makes sense that a larger diameter base will probably provide more support without stress on the deck. I was thinking about mounting the base using the existing holes for the front, using a toggle bolt in the back and just screws into the deck for the rest. I also was thinking about the pedestal not having a slide to reduce stress on the deck. Do you wish you had it now after 3 years? I could see it coming in very handy for example when you have the bolster up and would like to be closer to the steering wheel.I decided to buy one of these bolster seats from Great Lakes Skipper. It looks exactly like the one used on the newer 2012 185 models. I like the fact that it is a Bayliner seat and the blue is the same as my other seat cushions. On ebay the seat is selling for $358.99 with free shipping, and on their website they have it listed for $299 + shipping or free local pick up. I opted to pick up local since I am in Chicago and its about an hour drive to Racine, WI.I watched a few reviews of Bayliner boats on youtube and one review they mentioned that having an open side as opposed to a wraparound makes it easier to get in and out of. Since this is a smaller boat (175) I thought this might work better.They have 6 left in the blue and some in gray/silver white combo.
[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/656515=24887-27681-3-lg.jpg[/img]
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I threw in a few pictures of my seat. The sides really are not all that high and add in the fact that they rotate 360 degrees, it's really easy for anyone to get in or out of the seat.
I too thought about using the existing mounting holes for the stock bases, but they didn't line up. My new base is just about dead center of where the old seat bases were mounted. I sold my stock Bayliner seats and bases to a coworker that purchased my old boat. I looked at a couple of mounting options, but went with the larger screws. I figure that if I need to add a base, I can do so at a later time if needed.
Those seats look really nice as well. Good luck with you install!
Attached files [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/657250=24938-boatseat 004.jpg[/img] [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/657250=24939-boatseat 005.jpg[/img] [img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/657250=24940-boatseat2 010.jpg[/img]
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Hi, I bought the seat locally from 'Bias Boating Warehouse', they have a store just up the road from us and prices are good there, the other advantage is that its a retail store so you can get the seat the same day and take it home to fit it.nvrstsfd1 wrote:
rc42a - where did you get your seats from?
I also got a sliding base so that the seat can move forwards and backwards at the press of a lever under the front of the seat, with the seat fully forward the support pillar is right at the back, well behind the center of weight on the seat so it puts a lot of stress on the floor mounting point. This is why I needed a reinforcing plate, without it I think that mounting directly to the floor would probably have been OK
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