how should I attach the seats?

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jimmar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:59 pm

how should I attach the seats?

Post by jimmar »

I am building my 3rd boat and can't decide how to attach the seats. My first boat(Ranger) I hung them from the gunnels, my second was a kayak so....

I'm thinking of using cleats on this boat but I'm worried about them popping off under weight. I thought about using the glue on studs like I did for the kayak foot pedals but that might be overkill. Not sure how "robust" to make the cleats. I'm thinking maybe 1" or 3/4" square and adding a big fillet of thickened epoxy underneath. Maybe even notching the cleats slightly for the seat frames. I'm also wondering if the load on the hull cause the hull to deform(temporarily) at all.

This boat is a Freedom 17 shortened to 16 that I lofted from the tables in Canoecraft.

Any opinions or advice would be appreciated.
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Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: how should I attach the seats?

Post by Patricks Dad »

Why not hang them from the gunwales again?
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BearLeeAlive
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:00 pm

Re: how should I attach the seats?

Post by BearLeeAlive »

I have seen a few that were mounted to side cleats, and a couple that were pedestal type mounted to the bottom of the hull. I do think it is a little cleaner looking if done right, as the drops are eliminated.

I am interested to hear what others think of these two ways of mounting the seat, from a structural standpoint. Would there be any issues with the stress caused. It is done with moulded boats all the time.
-JIM-
fonz
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:45 pm

Re: how should I attach the seats?

Post by fonz »

Hello Jimmar : No matter the length,design or layers of fiberglass and epoxy all strip canoes flex. And the rougher the conditions the more flex. If you hull mount your seats you greatly limit the ability for the canoe to flex which causes more stress than your joints will take over time. I know fiberglass and epoxy have great strength but will surely crack over time if not allowed give when stressed. All structures built with ridged materials are designed to allow movement and reduce stress. This is know different in a strip canoe. Just my humble opinion.
BearLeeAlive
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:00 pm

Re: how should I attach the seats?

Post by BearLeeAlive »

Fonz, that makes good sense regarding the stiffening of the hull being a possible disadvantage. Using this thinking, it might be better to attach to the bottom of the hull, with the mounting strips closer together. Other than the flex from running over the top of a solid object, the keel is less likely to require flex, or so I would think.

One of my additional concerns with hanging from the gunwales, is that I plan on having a very small single gunwale, which will limit my options of attaching the drops.
-JIM-
83glt
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:58 am

Re: how should I attach the seats?

Post by 83glt »

"Maybe even notching the cleats slightly for the seat frames."

This is exactly how I installed the seats on my canoe. So far so good. I haven't had any structural problems and I've been using the canoe for about 5 years now. In fairness, it doesn't get used nearly as often as I'd like, and will it last 10 or 20 years in this configuration? I don't know... But I hope to build additional canoes by then anyway. The bottom line is my canoe has held up fine so far and I've used it exclusively for light tripping with moderate portages (i.e., some bumping and banging around) and no white water paddling. So whatever configuration you decide upon, you need to take into consideration how the canoe will be used.
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