Guide 119 Seat Mods... Take Two

[eric1978]

I finally decided that I could do better than that molded plastic piece of junk that came with the 119, so I got a sitbacker and went to work making a new seat. This one is much lighter, has some padding which makes it way more comfortable, and won't burn the hell out of me after sitting in the sun. Also, I did a float with some buddies this spring where I needed to car-top the canoe, and I realized that I have to take the seat-back off in order for it to lay flat on the gunwales. The sitbacker folds down nicely and eliminates that problem as well.

I used 5/4 ash this time.

I decided to remove some unnecessary weight with this design by cutting out a little excess wood. Softened the edges, a little sanding, and a few coats of the good stuff.

[jdmidwest]

Doesn't that sit a little high? How does it affect the stability?

[eric1978]

It is higher than the factory setting, which was essentially on the floor. On the first mod, I moved the seat forward about six inches, and I raised it to where the seat was about even with the gunwales, and it did feel a little wobbly at first, but I got used to it quickly. The current seat is lower than the last one, about two inches or so below the gunwales. Should feel plenty stable, especially considering what I'm used to. I've seen guys bolt a 1X10 directly under the gunwales and put a sitbacker on top of it on the same canoe. My setup is a few inches lower than theirs.

[joeD]

Nice woodworking Eric. I wonder, if you went through all that effort to make the seat, why not finish the job with a wood seat back, kind of like the Old Town slat back. Then put a Therma-A-Rest seat cushion on the seat. I have those GSIs, and I think they're just OK, even though their about the best I've found so far, given my lunkerish proportions.

[eric1978]

Nice woodworking Eric. I wonder, if you went through all that effort to make the seat, why not finish the job with a wood seat back, kind of like the Old Town slat back. Then put a Therma-A-Rest seat cushion on the seat. I have those GSIs, and I think they're just OK, even though their about the best I've found so far, given my lunkerish proportions.

Yeah, the quality of the seat isn't the greatest...I expect to replace it ocassionally.

I'd consider building an entirely wood seat just for the fun of it if not for the extra weight that would come with it. I didn't have the thousand dollars to fork over for a Royalex canoe, so every ounce counts. Plus I wonder how comfortable your back would be after a day of sitting on it.

[joeD]

Depends on the angle of the backrest. Plus, I find a higher back (I'm 6'2") is more comfortable. I've always thought that a padded folding molded boat seat would be good, especially with your modifications.

[Wheatenheimer]

Nice craftsmanship, Brother!

I think I need to bring my boat to you and let you pimp it out for me!

Keep on keepin' on!

[Chief Grey Bear]

Definitely great looking. The mods I made to mine don't even begin to compare. They look cheap because they are cheap but they work. Well I did have to redo the front seat after it got destroyed by Wheatie.

[ollie]

I've been thinking about selling my yak and buying one of those after this year. Looks like I know where to get it modified! I'm guessing you really didn't sacrifice that much weight switching to a different seating arrangement. I saw a 11.9 the other day and was dreaming. I didn't like the seat however, but what you did makes it more appealing.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Looks good Eric. If my Solo didn't wobble a little i would think I was grounded.