Has anyone "modded" hinged seat cushions?

[soundshark]

Love my new 190, but accessing the storage under the seats is a major chore. I know the new 240's come with hinged seats.
I was wondering if anyone came up with a creative solution, to make the seats open/close easily.

 

[tdonoughue]

The cushions on the new models that are hinged are significantly different. It would not just be doing the hinges, but the cushions are sized differently (to allow them to clear the side cushion, rather than sitting under it). Also, the hinges are set in a dip in the fiberglass (so that they sit flush).

I had the same thought, but after seeing all of that on the new models, I decided that lifting out my cushions was really not all that bad...

 

[zelone]

If someone could come up with a compound hinge that would allow the seat to slide forward slightly, then open, they could sell a ton of them. I know I'd be first in line for them. I keep saying I will attempt it at some point, but it may be easier to cut a section of my seat out, like I did on my last boat. It worked out very well.

 

[zelone]

I had an epiphany this week about the eat hinge. I will be ordering some parts and materials to make a serious attempt at solving this with minimal modification to the actual boat. I'm sure some holes will need to be drilled to mount hinges, but I don't think anything else will be necessary. I do think the bottom seat cushion will need to be modified so that it is not so "stuck" under the engine hatch cushion.
I'll post pics/vids when I make some worthwhile progress. Stay tuned...

 

[tdonoughue]

Be sure to call your patent attorney before you post your solution!

 

[zelone]

Parts ordered!

 

[Rob9550]

Can't wait to see how you do it.

 

[Andy S]

Checkout the hinge Cobalt uses on the seat cushion over the cooler, at the 7:20 mark

 

[mb300sd]

I have a good idea of how it could be done. Mount the hinges to a short piece of slide rail so you can lift up a little bit and slide forward before opening all the way. I'll let someone else try it, way too many projects already, especially for a new boat I've only had in the water twice.

 

[BlacklimitedS]

Who ever figures this out will be my hero!

 

[DieselCamel]

Subscribed

 

[zelone]

I lay awake at night thinking about how to overcome this cooler cushion. Tonight, I finally took the bull by the horns. Unfortunately, there is no way to accomplish this without drilling holes to mount the hinges.


So far, I see no way to avoid modifying the cushion so it can freely pass the engine compartment cushion. I plan to make it fully functional with the engine hatch open, then determine how much to trim off the bottom plate of the cushion to allow free movement.

That Cobalt video was interesting. I think the bottom cushion would still need modification, for that to work as well.

My method will also allow easy removal of the cushion if you need it out of the way completely.

Our cushion needs to be moved in 2 directions before it can be removed or hinged.

In my pics, the white track will attach to the bottom of the cushion, allowing it to slide out a few inches, before lifting. I may need to trim the tracks to allow further movement. TBD

 

[Mavelous]

Hello everyone,

FNG here, haven't even done an intro post yet but wanted to share. Was looking around trying to find a solution to this very problem for my 06 AR230HO while waiting for my son's baseball game to start last night and found this site, metalmoulding.com. Didn't get a chance to fully explore what they had but these three caught my eye, http://metalmoulding.com/Full_Range_Pivot_Hinge.html, http://metalmoulding.com/Slide_out_flip_up_rotating_hinge.html, http://metalmoulding.com/Full_Range_Seat_Hinge.html. Thinking the first one might just work for the side cockpit cushions but the bow cushions will be tougher as they slide under both the side cushion and backrest under windshield.

Stack

 

[zelone]

Those look similar, if not identical to whats used on the 15+ 242. At the very least, they work on the same principles.
I think they could be made to work on prior boats, but you still need seat modifications. I'm sure everyone would love to see someone give them a shot!

Welcome to the forum, btw!

 

[msavold]

Hello everyone,

FNG here, haven't even done an intro post yet but wanted to share. Was looking around trying to find a solution to this very problem for my 06 AR230HO while waiting for my son's baseball game to start last night and found this site, metalmoulding.com. Didn't get a chance to fully explore what they had but these three caught my eye, http://metalmoulding.com/Full_Range_Pivot_Hinge.html, http://metalmoulding.com/Slide_out_flip_up_rotating_hinge.html, http://metalmoulding.com/Full_Range_Seat_Hinge.html. Thinking the first one might just work for the side cockpit cushions but the bow cushions will be tougher as they slide under both the side cushion and backrest under windshield.

Stack

Nice find, and !
I wonder if someone on the forum near them (Madison TN) could drag a boat over there and say nicely "fix this"? Looks like they have hinges that go every which way.

 

[Gym]

Nice find @Mavelous. This would also help prevent seat cushions from being blown out while trailering an uncovered boat or while operating at high speeds on the water.

 

[zelone]

Looking at the hinges on that link...I suspect there are more than one solution to this problem. Some may be very costly, time consuming and require fiberglass rework, upholstery work and lots of trial and error.
I think I am onto a cost effective, simple solution that anyone with some basic tools and skills can handle.
If this rain stops soon, I'll get back out there and make some more progress!

 

[zelone]

The good news: My seat is on a hinge!

The bad news: It currently will not open with the engine hatch closed. I need to trim the bottom plate of the seat to allow clearance for the cushions to pass each other. I plan to do this by the end of the week. I also need a handle on the bottom edge of the seat to make it obvious and easy to pull and lift, and I plan to add either a gas strut or a spring similar to the anchor locker to support the seat when open.

 

[tdonoughue]

Are those little trolleys on a track on a hinge? Do you have some pics in some different positions? Wow, this could be exciting...

 

[zelone]

@tdonoughue yes! they are ball bearing trolleys on a track, on a hinge. I posted some pics above. If theres something specific you'd like a pic of, I can take them tomorrow after work. I hope to have it fully functional in a few days. I do have a bow cover coming that will need to be installed, hopefully this weekend, so I could be delayed.