Bucket seats / rebuilding

[SHAFT]

I need to build new seat frames for my Spectra front buckets , the upholstery is still good and can be saved but the frames are rotted has anyone rebuilt theirs , I'm thinking I could build a barrel shaped jig and form 1/8" material maybe four ply's glued on top of each other to form the backs . It sounds like a good winter project but it has pain in the ass written all over it ! I thought I saw some fiberglass frames some where off the shelf .

[GasGuzzler]

www.dragboatcity.com
They have the fiberglass seats, listed under parts for sale, about half way down the page.

[Jeanyus]

CP has them also.
http://www.cpperformance.com/detail.aspx?ID=4364

[DetroitJim]

Buy mine for $450 and be done with it!!
http://community.webshots.com/album/457831127DWKwld

[sifocalpoint]

mine are on ebay now hurry quik reserve is 500.00 there nice new seats

[napabob]

http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/6782IM000170-med.JPG
My restoration on the bucket seats...
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/6782Carcass.jpg
My father in-law made the plywood carcasses from the originals and I had them upholstered.

[wyliejet]

I just rebuilt my seats last month. After a couple experiments i found a helpful trick. It seems that plywood bends real easy when steamed so go buy a $500 steam oven. Just kidding soakl it in a hot tub for about 30 minutes and bend away. it worked fine on my 3/4 inch plywood.

[h2oboy]

I just rebuilt my seats last month. After a couple experiments i found a helpful trick. It seems that plywood bends real easy when steamed so go buy a $500 steam oven. Just kidding soakl it in a hot tub for about 30 minutes and bend away. it worked fine on my 3/4 inch plywood.
I am going to be rebuilding mine, and I was wondering if you used 3/4 inch treated or untreated???I would be thinking untreated and then poly the hell out of it... Thoughts... Do you have any pictures of the build up??

[wyliejet]

I used treated plywood and then put resin on it for extra protection. sorry no pics

[h2ojerm]

You can also find the bucket shells with the ribs in back on dragboats.com. Dan Asseth sells them in black or white gelcoat for only $75. Or you can spend more and get carbon fiber.
http://www.dragboats.com/classifieds/allads.php?AdTypeID=10

[h2oboy]

I used treated plywood and then put resin on it for extra protection. sorry no pics
So I would assume that you made a form on a table to wrap the wood around.... Any insight would be great....

[rerfert]

Here is what I did with mine.
I cut 1/2" 5 ply into 2" slats like a barrel,stapled them together to hold the shape and then fiberglassed the front and back for extra strength.
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_007f_001.sized.jpg
Here they are trimmed to fit and covered with the old upholstery,which will need to be redone maybe in the off season....first I need to get the motor finished and boat back on the water for a test drive.
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_003s_001.sized.jpg

[SHAFT]

Thanks for all the input , I think I'm going to build my own using the old seats as the pattern . I removed the upholstery which I will reinstall because it's still in good shape and it matches the back bench seat . I'll do a little research on what to use to build up the seat backs in a barrel shape , thin plywood laminated over a jig to give me the stock radius and glued with a polyurethane glue or laminating epoxy the seat bottoms will be 3/4 cdx plywood . I don't want to use treated plywood because I don't know how the wood chemicals will react with the laminating glue , cpes , seat foam , or the vinyl . For the finish I'll go cpes [ clear penetrating epoxy sealer ] . Use caution when using pressure treated wood the ACQ in the wood will eat up steel fasteners , use hot dipped galvanized minimum stainless steel would be best . I'll try to post some pic's as I go . Thanks Randy

[olbiezer]

hey shaft (john shaft.....(shut your mouth!!!!!) thats from the old shaft song i couldnt resist sorry back to the post on seats......i thought it was going to be hard to do when i rebuilt my beizer seats but its really easy to do......just trace the old wood to the new and cut with a jig saw.....then soak the 1/4 inch plywood for a hour or so and bend it to the seat bottom peace and nail it in............then for strenth i fiberglass resen the whole thing.......the hard part is up to the upolister to do it right.....sorry the pic is so big....i really need to get a pic program lol....anyone know where there is a freee decent shrinking pic porgram out there?
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1789P1120010.JPG

[SHAFT]

olbiezer - NICE !!! how did you build the backs to the seats ? Please splain

[olbiezer]

reallly simple just cut the wood with the grain going up and down so it will bend.....soak it for a hour or so in water and bend it to the seat bottom peice......nail and if u really want it to last and be stronger fiberglass resen it all together with a little cloth mixed in at the bottom to the sides.....

[lucky]

I built mine in my howard cruiser , bucket /back seat combo - if your interested go to havasudougs.com and look up readers rides "yard barge " I even upolstered it and i have easy step pic to follow I just have to dig them up -- I'm going on my second season - and they seem very , very strong built out of 3/4 marine grade sealed with dato'd joints , glue and screw ..

[napabob]

Thanks for all the input , I think I'm going to build my own using the old seats as the pattern . I removed the upholstery which I will reinstall because it's still in good shape and it matches the back bench seat . I'll do a little research on what to use to build up the seat backs in a barrel shape , thin plywood laminated over a jig to give me the stock radius and glued with a polyurethane glue or laminating epoxy the seat bottoms will be 3/4 cdx plywood . I don't want to use treated plywood because I don't know how the wood chemicals will react with the laminating glue , cpes , seat foam , or the vinyl . For the finish I'll go cpes [ clear penetrating epoxy sealer ] . Use caution when using pressure treated wood the ACQ in the wood will eat up steel fasteners , use hot dipped galvanized minimum stainless steel would be best . I'll try to post some pic's as I go . Thanks Randy
The radiuses are created from marine grade quick drain rigid upholstery foam. There are no radiuses in the wood construction for the backs of the bucket seats. The foam is 'shaped' to create the roundness of the seats.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/1/6782IM000164-med.JPG

[SHAFT]

Napabob - not on my seats , the backs are half barrel shaped . Look on rerfert's post see the half round rotted old seat back behind the yellow saw that's it , as thin as they are I cant believe they lasted as long as they have

[napabob]

What type of Spectra do you have?

[SHAFT]

1976 Spectra 18 460 same colors as yours with buckets in front and the bench in back .