Make seat full swivel?

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I see on the higher end boats the captains seat can do a full 180. Has anyone modified their SX or AR seat to do this?

 

[haknslash]

I don't know about the 21' and 24' boats with the newer L-shaped recline bucket seats but I know on my seat style it's not likely unless you also slide the seat all the way forward, but even then the back of the seat would touch the side padded areas. It looks like the newer 2015+ style seats may have more room than the older what I call D-shaped style seats so maybe there is more room for those guys? I think your boat has the same style of D-shape seat as mine so I'm guessing your side padding also looks to prevent the seat from going 180°?

This was one of the things I've learned to really like about some of the wake boats I've recently test driven. On those boats I like to have the seat swivel unlocked and put the seat at an angle so it's easier to converse and look at a rider behind the boat. It's also more comfortable and spacious feeling IMO. It's a small thing and I know it sounds kind of silly to appreciate but it is nice to have the that ability.

For reference D-shape seat style...



Newer L-shaped recline bucket seats which do swivel 180° for observer seat. Not sure if captains seat would hit the side padding or if its possible...

 

[druppert]

It can be done on the 19’ as well you just have to do it in stages:
* Slide seat all the way forward
* Swivel until it locks @ 90*
* Unlock & continue swiveling
* When the seat hits the u-bench slide the seat all the way back which will allow enough clearance to turn to full rear.

The bolster doesn’t go all the way down in this position & it makes it a bit awkward to get into the seat but once seated it’s actually pretty comfortable. Adds thigh support. I’ll take a pic if anyone is interested.

 

[robert843]

My 2017 AR240 does a full swivel the passenger seat stays facing backwards most of the time.

 

[druppert]

Proof...

 

[haknslash]

This is as far as you can swivel a 19' captains chair. Seat slide all the way forward and it will swivel just beyond 90 degrees but not much further as ge side of the seat hits the rear side bench. Maybe there is more room or space between the bench for larger boats.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I guess I need to play with mine more. Best I have gotten it is like 45 degrees and I am thinking to my self... this is stupid.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Many years ago I built a boat from an I O and remade it a sea drive, one of the things I did was build seat pedestals from 2 different thick walled aluminum tubes one id was very close to the other od so one slid inside the other then I installed motorcycle shock absorbers inside the tubes "adjustable no less"
and I built foot rests that also swiveled so when you were going forward everything faced forward and when you were anchored fishing out in the Gulf you were facing backward, it was perfect and I loved the look on passengers faces when we hit waves and the seat took the shock not them. Probably did that 35 years ago.

 

[druppert]

Sounds interesting. Cobra Jet Seating, LLC???

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

So played with it yesterday and confirmed it can only swivel 45 degrees to the left. Pretty much useless if you want to hangout with people sitting in the back.

I guess next project is taking that out and finding the stop.

 

[druppert]

All this talk about the swivel seat got me thinking, “given that most of the time my passengers sit on the u-seating & use the 2nd captains chair for storage, why don’t I just remove it altogether?”

The result is amazing! This makes the boat feel so much roomier! I have ordered a 45 qt RTIC cooler to go in the opening & I will add a cushion lid accessory to serve as the replacement for the lost seat. No more constantly climbing over a cooler on the little 19’! A 65 & 110 qt would also fit but I wanted to keep a little bit of loose storage space behind the passenger console.

My only problem now is that I have a half dozen holes in the floor from the pedestal mount. I know the AR version of the carpet set uses a full piece for this area which would cover it up perfectly. Does anyone know if the carpet can be ordered in single pieces anywhere? I’d rather not pay $500 for the whole set. @haknslash do you still have your carpet that you’d be willing to part with just the under-bench piece? I think they switched the pattern in 2017 (again in 2018) but I could live with the difference. Anyone else with the AR that doesn’t want the carpet?

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I agree, when I had my seat removed to install my subwoofer I was amazed by the extra space. I don't know why I screwed it back in, but I am going to take out the two 10mm bolts that hold the bench seat in and when we take the dogs it will be a perfect place for them to lay.

 

[druppert]

I thought about converting it to an AR style bench which would be under $450 for the seat & hardware but the cooler with pad is much cheaper & versatile & is probably only marginally less comfortable. We'll see how it goes. My gf seems to like it so far but she could have just been saying that to get me out of the garage!

 

[falco]

I thought about converting it to an AR style bench which would be under $450 for the seat & hardware but the cooler with pad is much cheaper & versatile & is probably only marginally less comfortable. We'll see how it goes. My gf seems to like it so far but she could have just been saying that to get me out of the garage!

Lol, I just did the opposite.

(Still have the bench)

 

[gmtech16450yz]

Hey guys the driver's seat CAN be easily made to rotate a full 180*. At least I did it in my '17 212 Limited S. There's a nut and bolt in the pedestal of the driver's seat that keeps it from rotating more than 90 degrees. Pull the bolt and nut out and it will rotate all the way around. There are 3 cutouts in the tube just like on the passenger side so it will lock in at all 3 positions.

Here's another fun thing I figured out... The driver's seat post is shorter than the passenger's. I always want my driver's seat higher when I'm boating, half the time I'm standing or sitting on the folded seat bottom. So I swapped the seat pedestals. Now my driver's seat is higher than the passenger's, instead of the other way around. Not sure what the thinking was in making the passenger seat higher? Passengers might actually like being a little lower and out of the wind a little more.

 

[4x15mph]

So played with it yesterday and confirmed it can only swivel 45 degrees to the left. Pretty much useless if you want to hangout with people sitting in the back.

I guess next project is taking that out and finding the stop.

@adrianp89 - did you figure this out? I have a 2018 and noticed yesterday that I couldn't swivel the driver's seat more than 45 degrees. It didn't seem to be interfering with anything so there has to be a stop on the mechanics somewhere. I see @gmtech16450yz has a potential fix so I will have to check that out.

 

[4x15mph]

@gmtech16450yz - how did you remove this Allen bolt? Mine is just spinning when turned. Did you have to take off the seat and access a nut on the other side ?

 

[WetWillie]

Yes remove the seat completely and you will find a nut on the other end of the bolt inside the tube... make sure to either have a good fingers grasp when removing or an expandable wand magnet... Its wonderful to be able to spin the seat around to kick the feet up and lounge...