Message 9 of 10
Posted by member Michael on Saturday 26 December 2020

Johnny,

Thanks, good idea, will look into it!

Michael

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Message 7 of 10
Posted by member Michael on Wednesday 23 December 2020

Weeeell, with a little time on my hands (for obvious reasons) I knocked up a jury rigged affair using scrap wood. For those who are interested I got it more or less completely wrong. It is a sort of 'perch' at the moment and though rigid feels insecure.

1) I put the seat too close to the side of the boat. These little seats are generally quite small and you need a bit of space on either side for elbows etc. At the moment my shoulder is pressed against the window and the the engine controls inconveniently close. Looks neat in this position but doesn't work. The seat needs to be positioned further inboard which seems counter intuitive because it is not then directly behind the wheel. In practice I doubt this matters.

2) I made the seat too tall. I wanted to be able to see the bow roller when sitting comfortably but this means that the horizon is close to being obscured by the top of the windscreen. Solution obvious.

3) I did not recline the seat. I think raising the front of the seat base by as little as 1" will be enough to make one feel one is settling into it. Are they normally flat or reclined slightly?

I remember the seat on our previous Hardy as being small but quite comfortable, I don't think one felt that one might fall out of it!

MKII variant will be attempted shortly.

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Message 5 of 10
Posted by member Michael on Monday 21 December 2020

Hi Simon,

Yes I half remember the construction from our previous Hardy. They could come loose and get a bit rattly if not tightened up from time to time. I suspect the bits that would be hard to replicate are the two right angle brackets that were fixed to the horizontal part and plugged into the vertical stands.

If nothing comes up I daresay I can make something from good 2 x 1, ply and a couple of s/s 'long' hinges. Might be significantly cheaper!

Best

Michael

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Message 3 of 10
Posted by member Simon Papendick on Monday 21 December 2020

Hi Michael,

They were made in house at Hardy Marine from parts that were brought in. They were made from thick wall c section Aluminium which bolted together with a machine screw and nyloc nuts to make the rail and the hinge part and then box section to make the legs with round section with studding to make the rungs and spigots which screwed into the base of the seat. I am sure the bits can still be got from a metal merchant it is just about how
much the cost would be to get the small amount you would need to make a new seat hinge and leg.

Regards

Simon Papendick
J-Star Marine Services

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Message 1 of 10
Posted by member Michael on Monday 21 December 2020

When we got our Pilot the helm seat was attached to a carpet covered kitchen unit. This took up a lot of room and was fixed making it impossible to helm while standing. It was also, for want of a better word, quite nasty.

If possible I'd like to go back to the original aluminium framework system that folds away, it is simple and effective.

So...
Long shot I know, but does anyone have the framework and fittings lying around unused at the back of their garage? Not so bothered about the seat itself, they are easy to come by. Happy to pay for it and also pay post etc.

In hope!

Michael

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