Installing seats with cleats.

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Micmacjay
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2014 5:24 pm

Installing seats with cleats.

Post by Micmacjay »

I'm getting to the poing in my canoe build that I need to start making some cleats to install my walnut seats that I am currently working on.(And soon to be hand caned). I'd like to have them made and epoxied in next week. I've been searching the site a lot tonight looking for tips. And was wondering if there may be any good advice to be found that has eluded me. I know most of you guys are big advocates of hanging from the inwales but mine are cedar, the hangers would have to be quite long, and I just think the cleats would look better. So any tips would be helpful. My thinking right now would just be to tape them in place and insert a brace from side to side to hold them in place while the epoxy cures.
Stephen
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 12:36 am
Location: Eastern Ontario

Re: Installing seats with cleats.

Post by Stephen »

These are the results of an advanced search for cleat|cleats on the forum. If you've already done this I apologize. search.php?keywords=cleat+cleats&terms= ... mit=Search

A random survey shows that they're not all about seat cleats, but some are. I tried using seat as a search term too, but it just gets ignored as too common a word.

Rather than read the whole post, just quickly scroll down until you see the search term highlighted (aka the pink block with the illegible word inside it)
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Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: Installing seats with cleats.

Post by Cruiser »

I am planning ahead and am also wrestling with this issue as well .... I need to increase the capacity the seat can hold.

I don't kneel and I like stability so I lower my seats about 5-6", by the time I reinforce the gunnels, and use 7" x 5/16" (need the width to get the length) carriage bolts there is a lot of weight to consider versus just putting in a cleat. It's for a Kipawa and lowering by 6" still puts the cleat well up on the wall.

There wasn't a whole lot in the search posted, anyone have opinions?


Brian
Micmacjay
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2014 5:24 pm

Re: Installing seats with cleats.

Post by Micmacjay »

Thanks for the reply. I did go through most of those already. There wasn't much regarding making or installing cleats but I'm sure I will figure it out. I'm against drilling anything through the hull.
cff
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 5:45 am

Re: Installing seats with cleats.

Post by cff »

Micmacjay.
I built a rice lake skiff and installed the seats using cleats. I'll try and dig up some pics of the install. Keep in mind that I used solid plank for the seats and not a lightweight frame so I was more concerned with overall strength than aesthetics with the install. I bedded the cleats in thickened epoxy mix and used brass screws through the hull to fix the cleats and then back filled the heads with an epoxy wood flour mix. I didn't glass over the holes. So far everything has held up nicely after years of use and abuse. I run a 6hp evinrude out the back and I'm not overly gentle with the boat.
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