Are clamp-on swivels any good?

[dawgvet]

So I have a 14’ boat that I use for fishing small ponds and I’d like to add swivel seats. Not sure I want to drill into my bench seats and I saw the clamp-on seat swivels. Are these any good? Pros/cons of these?

Thanks in Advance,
Jed

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

I’ve been using them for a couple years. Mine came with little angle iron pieces that drill into the side of the seat for the brackets to grip on. Some boats have different shaped seats which may negate the need for this. The upside is not having to drill the seat top. Also being able to use the bench without the seat because there is no lumpy mount on it. And the ability to adjust the seat side to side. The only con I’ve found so far is the seats don’t just pull off if you want to store them inside between trips, you have to monkey with wing nuts or jut leave them outside.


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[jethro]

They work but they are not ideal if you use your boat a lot. I used them on my old Grumman jon boat and to prevent them from coming off when you kick back in them I would run a ratchet strap under the seat to both arms of the clamp. Also a tip... the wing nuts are basically impossible to get tight enough by hand, and they are in a tough to access location. Make yourself a wrench out of a piece of 1" PVC pipe by cutting a slot in the end for the wings of the wingnut to sit in.

Eventually I sucked it up and bolted the seats down which is a huge improvement.

 

[onthewater102]

^^ +1 on making a T-shaped tool out of PVC with a slot at the end to help tighten the wing nuts between the seat & the bench as they're impossible to get tight by hand.

If they're still not tight enough put that neoprene-like rubbery pipe insulation on the clamp brackets where they make contact with the bench seat - it'll get them a bit snugger and give them more friction with the aluminum so they don't walk.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

Shows the angle bracket which keeps the seat from slipping. Wing nuts don’t have to be very tight.


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[overboard]

You definitely should secure them somehow as per suggestions.
I took my username from going overboard into a river at night because a clamp on seat shifted that wasn't secured! #-o

 

[ktoelke54]

I cut a plywood base to serve as a protective layer between the base of the clamp and boat seat. I did make a special tool to tighten the clamps, but found again, if I got them tight enough, they really dug in and tended to dent and scratch. I found some tie down straps with a metal buckle on one end. Attached to the bottom of the clamp, passed under the boat seat, then pulled tight they held the seats securely. So long story short, I like the concept of these clamps but as yet have been unable to get them to work properly without a lot of fussing around.


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[ace57]

Personally I hate them. I never feel secure and feel like I'm hovering above the bench.
I tried them on both jons that I've had and never been satisfied.
It doesn't help that I've also owned 2 bass boats over time and got spoiled by relatively "plush" seating arrangements.
I say get a base mount and drill into the seat, you'll feel more connected to the boat IMO.

 

[drewestin]

The clamping arm of the rotary clamp is attached to the piston of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder. When moving, the piston rotates in the rocker rails by 90. The clamping arm moves out of the clamping position and releases the part—a very compact clamping concept with a small structural height. The clamping force corresponds to the cylinder force. Pneumatic rotary clamps are supplied in a block or screw version. For boats, usually use https://www.sandfieldengineering.com/toggle-clamps /] clips. But later, it all depends on what kind of boat you have. Which clips do you use most often?

 

[maintenanceguy]

My 12' has the clamp on style. I bought the boat that way so I don't know where they were purchased but mine also have the retaining clips that screw to the front and back of the seat. The retaining clips stay in place even when the seats are removed and do a really good job of locking the clamp in place.

The second photo here appears to show the clamps: https://masterbasser.com/product/leader-accessories-boat-seat-clamp-with-swivel/

 

[turbotodd]

dad's got a set of clamp-on's in his weldcraft.

I wouldn't use them.....

In fact, I'm headed to a dealer I used to work for on Tuesday, to pick up some seat mounting extrusion and 2 swivels that fit in the extrusion. Extrusion will get welded onto the boat, and then everything will be much more sturdy.

When I'm running the outboard in dad's boat, if we decide get up on plane, the clamp-on seats want to fall off....JUNK! Dangerous situation. In my boat, they stay 100% stuck.

Now that I have a welder....and figured out how to use it, that's what I'm gonna do. Duplicate my boat into dad's.