Questions About Adding Pedestal Seats

[blinman]

Hi All,
I just want to say this is a great site-I've just been "lurking" for a while, but I finally got my boat (a new 1436 G3 Jonboat) and would love to gather some information. I wish I was considering doing a total modification, but 2 things are stopping me: 1.)my lack of carpentry/general skills that you'll see from my questions below, and more importantly, 2.) I want to keep the boat light enough for 2 guys to carry (a couple of my favorite fishing places just have cartop launch areas with no ramp for a trailer) and the boat already weighs 154 lbs. totally empty.

Anyway, the swivel seats from my old boat (they clamp on the benches) just don't fit right on the wider benches of the new boat, and they're kind of beat up, so I bought 2 new seats and 2 pedestal setups that I want to attach to the benches of the new boat.

Questions:
What width plywood do you suggest to put on the benches- 1/2, 5/8, 3/4?
Is outdoor carpeting OK to use on the plywood or is marine grade much better?
What type/size of screws or bolts (and about how many) should I use to attach the carpeted plywood to the benches?
When I attach the pedestal bases to the carpeted plywood, should the screws/bolts go just into the plywood or all the way through the aluminum benches-and what type/size of those should I use?

I apologize for all the questions in my first post and I greatly appreciate any help I can get with the answers. Thank You.

 

[Jim]

TTT

Anyone have any suggestions for this?

I know the marine grade carpet is better! The other stuff....the guys who have done it will need to chime in!

 

[SnowmanJon]

I was also wondering about this...I have my rear seat ofset to the right for driving...it's mounted there...I was thinking of adding two post holes in the rear one set for driving and one for fishing and one up front too...and removing my center chair and leaving the bench

 

[Butthead]

Here's your answers:

Is outdoor carpeting OK to use on the plywood or is marine grade much better?

Yes. I used the brown outdoor carpet from Lowes 8'x6', made from Olean (spelling??). $17 per roll. I like this because it cleans up pretty easily and has stood up to abuse and constant washings very well. I didn't want to spend a fortune on the carpet because mine sees a lot of mud from the muddy shorelines we put in at. (No ramps)

What width plywood do you suggest to put on the benches- 1/2, 5/8, 3/4?

1/2" plywood should be fine, but the thicker you go, the sturdier it will be. If you don't mind spending the little more on the plywood, go with the 3/4".

What type/size of screws or bolts (and about how many) should I use to attach the carpeted plywood to the benches?

If using the 1/2" plywood get 1.5" long outdoor decking screws with course threads. If using 3/4" plywood use the 2" long screws. The ones I used were the tan screws that come in a box with a blue phillips head bit. Place the screws about 5 inches apart along the edges and probably one on either side of the base bracket in the middle of the wood for extra support.

When I attach the pedestal bases to the carpeted plywood, should the screws/bolts go just into the plywood or all the way through the aluminum benches-and what type/size of those should I use?

The screw should go all the way through the wood and aluminum. Get as wide of a screw as will fit properly in the mounting holes and use 1.5" long screws with 1/2" plywood and 2" long screws with 3/4" plywood.
-------------------------------------------
I went through this exact same thing when I was installing the brackets on my Tracker Topper 1436, so here's what I did:

I used a 1/2" plywood boards, 24" x 16.5" in size, for each seat. I carpeted them with the outdoor carpet and then attached them with 1.5" long outdoor tan decking screws with course threads. I also made sure to pre-drill the holes before putting in the screws. I put screws in about every 5 inches all the way around. Once I had the board mounted I took a 2-1/8" wood hole saw and cut a hole in the middle of the wood. Once I was through the wood I took a 1.5" metal hole saw with center drill-bit guide and cut the hole through the aluminum. The extra width of the hole in the wood gave me room to fit the tapered portion of the pedastal base while keeping the actually pole on the base snug on the aluminum. To mount the bases to the aluminum and wood I took my Seasense base plate to Lowes and matched up the holes with screws. I the best size for mine was size 14 x 1.5" which fit in the hole perfectly with it's tapered head.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions just message me. I'll have pictures of my boat up in the next couple of days so you can look at what I did. And as an FYI, when you cut into the aluminum benches you're going to cut into styrofoam. Don't worry about it though, it wont hurt anything.

 

[Jim]

Thanks Butthead! :beer:

 

[SlimeTime]

Glad to hear you had a good report on that carpet Butthead, because that's what I just put in mine. The Lowes here used to carry bulk rolls of carpeting suitable for a boat....but evidently not any longer...I got that "we can special order it for you" BS :roll:

So I bought the 6'X8' rolls you mentioned. Worked out perfect since the center area is right at 6', so I only trimmed about 1" there, my casting deck & the riser were over 5', so little waste there....so kind of glad it worked-out the way it did. Made it easier than trying to handle 1 larger roll. Only downside was I was wanting burgandy/maroon color.

Again, glad to hear you've had good results from this carpet!

ST

 

[alumacraftjoe]

Glad to hear you had a good report on that carpet Butthead, because that's what I just put in mine. The Lowes here used to carry bulk rolls of carpeting suitable for a boat....but evidently not any longer...I got that "we can special order it for you" BS :roll:

So I bought the 6'X8' rolls you mentioned. Worked out perfect since the center area is right at 6', so I only trimmed about 1" there, my casting deck & the riser were over 5', so little waste there....so kind of glad it worked-out the way it did. Made it easier than trying to handle 1 larger roll. Only downside was I was wanting burgandy/maroon color.

Again, glad to hear you've had good results from this carpet!

ST

Used the same carpet on mine and i love it so far. Like was mentioned you can't beat the price and it has held up well so far this season. I figure I can re-carpet in a couple of years and still be ahead money wise.