|
I have a 34 year old project boat (1981 Chris Craft Commander 332, for anyone interested) that I've been playing with for the last 5 years. Typically my upgrades have been mechanical or electrical in nature, but my seats have deteriorated and I'm not sure how to approach the issue. Due to some height/width restrictions, commercially available seats aren't going to cut it. Here's a picture of what the seats used to look like (identical on both sides): I took a stab at creating my own seats using plans I found for outdoor furniture, but the result left much to be desired (comfort, aesthetics):  I'm wondering if anyone has encountered a similar project, or if anyone has any ideas for how to approach this. Right now my best candidate is something that looks like this (not even sure how to do this): 
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2015 22:00
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 18:23 |
|
|
What most people would do is build the bottom box out of marine plywood and fiberglass, then put gelcoat over the fiberglass. Seat tops would be vinyl upholstery over marine plywood as well. There are some newer options as well, you could manufacture the seat out of King Starboard, but that gets expensive quick. You could also build a plug or mold, and lay down fiberglass over/inside that. You end up removing the plug/mold and the fiberglass is the entire structure.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2015 23:21
|
|
|
n0tqu1tesane posted:What most people would do is build the bottom box out of marine plywood and fiberglass, then put gelcoat over the fiberglass. Ok so - make a box out of marine plywood, give it a few (more?) layers of fiberglass, then gelcoat. That will essentially give it that same look/feel as the original base?
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 00:37
|
|
|
Yeah, pretty much. Here's a decent video of laying fiberglass over plywood construction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzkWeuC0yPs Basically, build yourself the box using fairly normal woodworking techniques, then lay down the fiberglass over the wood.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 01:20
|
|
|
n0tqu1tesane posted:Yeah, pretty much. Not too bad, I think I'll give this a whirl. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 19:48
|
|
|
I wouldn't rebuild the seats unless really needed, just buy new cushions with custom printed vinyl covers.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2015 05:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 18:23 |
|
|
lushka16 posted:Ok so - make a box out of marine plywood, give it a few (more?) layers of fiberglass, then gelcoat. That will essentially give it that same look/feel as the original base? Gelcoat isn't the easiest thing to work with. Gelcoat is king of durability but high quality marine deck paint holds up well and isn't as tricky to apply.
|
|
#
?
Mar 11, 2015 03:39
|
|
