04-17-2014, 03:51 PM
[#0000ff]After reading your comments it occurs to me that a lot of your concerns are more "what if?" than actual on the water observations. But, they are valid.
I will offer that throughout my long tubing career I have fished from a wide variety of tubes...from the old donut dinghies to our more modern V tubes, pontubes, mini toons, etc. Because I am a big guy...with back problems...comfortable seating has always been a big issue with me.
Sadly, even the "high end" manufacturers do not make seats that are universally adjustable to make everybody comfortable. In fact, owning an H3 from Scadden was the stimulation to experiment with several seat "inserts" to enable me to fish comfortably for more than a couple of hours without sliding forward out of my seat or developing back spasms. I am attaching pics of some of the seats I have employed successfully over the years and still use.
You are
dled with a situation of having improper sizing on the foam inserts for the bottom seat. My suggestion is to forgo the heavy and expensive plexiglass insert in the bottom pocket. Using some kind of platform or seat on top with accomplish the same thing...only better. It will evenly distribute your weight across the seat and eliminate the "taco".
Even a stadium seat would work. But a contour plastic stack chair...with metal stand removed...is even better. It would also provide more rigid back support. The foam back rest gets a lot of strain and over time tends to fatigue. That is where I have added some 1/4" plexiglass for added rigidity. If you have additional height and strength in your back rest (from a seat insert) you will appreciate it during a long day on the water, and especially if you have to lean back and kick hard against the wind going back to your vehicle. You gotta have something to push against.
Inside the seats you can shim up the front end of the foam seat pocket using measured and cut pieces of foam wallboard or other pieces of styrofoam. They are inexpensive, light, easily trimmed and do not absorb water. That is what I had to do on my H3 to build up the front enough so I didn't slide out. Bad design. That will keep the bottom pieces long enough to properly fit the backrest. The key after that will be adjusting the position of the backrest, whether you fish with or without a seat insert.
EDIT: Just added a pic of the styro wall board I use for seat shimming.
[/#0000ff]
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I will offer that throughout my long tubing career I have fished from a wide variety of tubes...from the old donut dinghies to our more modern V tubes, pontubes, mini toons, etc. Because I am a big guy...with back problems...comfortable seating has always been a big issue with me.
Sadly, even the "high end" manufacturers do not make seats that are universally adjustable to make everybody comfortable. In fact, owning an H3 from Scadden was the stimulation to experiment with several seat "inserts" to enable me to fish comfortably for more than a couple of hours without sliding forward out of my seat or developing back spasms. I am attaching pics of some of the seats I have employed successfully over the years and still use.
You are
dled with a situation of having improper sizing on the foam inserts for the bottom seat. My suggestion is to forgo the heavy and expensive plexiglass insert in the bottom pocket. Using some kind of platform or seat on top with accomplish the same thing...only better. It will evenly distribute your weight across the seat and eliminate the "taco". Even a stadium seat would work. But a contour plastic stack chair...with metal stand removed...is even better. It would also provide more rigid back support. The foam back rest gets a lot of strain and over time tends to fatigue. That is where I have added some 1/4" plexiglass for added rigidity. If you have additional height and strength in your back rest (from a seat insert) you will appreciate it during a long day on the water, and especially if you have to lean back and kick hard against the wind going back to your vehicle. You gotta have something to push against.
Inside the seats you can shim up the front end of the foam seat pocket using measured and cut pieces of foam wallboard or other pieces of styrofoam. They are inexpensive, light, easily trimmed and do not absorb water. That is what I had to do on my H3 to build up the front enough so I didn't slide out. Bad design. That will keep the bottom pieces long enough to properly fit the backrest. The key after that will be adjusting the position of the backrest, whether you fish with or without a seat insert.
EDIT: Just added a pic of the styro wall board I use for seat shimming.
[/#0000ff]
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