If you would like to see a detailed review of the clamp on style seat mounts - I have a video for that as well! ruclips.net/video/vYhIjiwfr9Y/видео.html
I've been using the Atwood clamp on seat mount on my 12 foot V hull for years. A simple way to tighten the wing nuts is to take around an eight inch length of small diameter PVC pipe and cut a slot in one end which fits across the ears of the wingnuts with the threaded rod going into the pipe. Tightening the wingnuts is easy, just slip the pipe down the rod till the slots catch the wing nut ears and twist them tight. Quick and easy and allows seat removal for storage.
This is an awesome topic you have chosen! I’ve been doing research recently on how I’d like to install seats in my 14 foot aluminum Monkey Ward’s boat. I think I would like the removable 11 inch spring based pedestal. I read one of the reviews saying that it can be used without the 11 inch extended making it short. I have a wooden platform at the bow of my boat that makes an excellent casting and sitting space and could be easily drilled into. Although it shouldn’t be used over 5 mph I think that without the extension and some solid mounting construction, it can be a good riding seat too! I’m glad you covered this and at a convenient time.
Was trying to decide what mount to get. Purchased small boat with clamp on seat mounts. Also looked at reveiws. You helped me decide on plastic quick release. Have swivel mounts already. Thanks
I have the Atwood quick release and the cheaper, powder coated swivels. I also have one seat in the front of the boat on the 7 inch raised powder coated steel stand. I’m about to finish my 13.5 inch small v-hull rebuild and will launch soon. I added a 20 HP EFI with electric start to her (the ring in the pig’s snout) and I sincerely hope it’s not too heavy or too powerful for my very old aluminum boat. Thanks for adding this video even if it is after the fact for me. This is a big help.
I have the raised mounts 4 bolt with a swivel for my seats i have two seats in my jon boat put them in when i got the boat in 1999 still no rust love them they work great.
EZ lock seat bracket can go straight into the base with no pedestal. That's what I used in 2 boats. Low height and excellent base. One jon the previous owner put a plywood square (painted) larger than the base and screwed that into the aluminum. It was very stable, but you are adding the larger screw holes (lag bolt screws).
So I have that plastic mount version that you showed. The gray one. I roughed up the aluminum seat a little bit then I glued and screwed directly to it. My boat stays at the reservoir flipped upside down, and when I’m ready to use it, I just go to the reservoir, pull the boat into the water and do my thing. Haven’t had any problems. It’s swivels around just fine not the smoothest swiveling but it does the job just fine. I put a regular seat with a folding back attached to it and now I can simply disconnect the seat and take it with me or leave the seat on the boat. I think it’s pretty good option didn’t cost a ton of money you just gotta make sure when you fasten it to the boat, make sure it’s even. don’t eyeball it
Thanks again for another great video. I am using the same ones that you are and very happy with them in my 14 ' v hull. Thanks again Wayne. Mark from Maryland Harford county
You could always get a clamp style and use nuts instead of wing nuts. It would still be removable and adjustable, and could be tightened so it wouldn't move.
I used the tracks you showed with a 6" pedestal (heavier duty than the one you showed with welded supports that go from the base to the shaft and another set that are welded to the top plate). Then used a swivel mount to the seat. This way I can reposition the seat to the side when using the outboard and center it when fishing. Brings me up to the perfect height in my 14' v-bottom. Since the previous owner had removed the front bench seat I built an aluminum frame and put in a sub floor. I then bolted a used 24" pedestal mount (heavy cast aluminum with a large dia. base) that has a seat mount that fits inside the large dia. shaft of the pedestal that can swivel. It can also be locked down with a screw-in lever in the pedestal if necessary. It raises that seat perfectly in the front for fishing.
I went with a clamp on as for the wing nuts I made a wrench out of PVC tubing About a foot long and cut a slot in one end it reaches the wing nuts just fine.
I have the clamp on style seats for my 12 foot John boat… My dilemma has been that the seats are never tightened so that they are securely in place… I weigh 235 pounds and after fishing for an hour or so the clamp on portion becomes loose and I have fallen over on two occasions… Being 64 years old, I am not comfortable with these clamp on seats, so I am searching out a more secure and stable permanent mount…
Thanks. This really helped! I have the taller adjustable height pedestal coming (Amazon has overstock and they're being blown out for 38 bucks). I might get that slider bracket...but I need to see I can mount it lengthwise so I can slide fore and aft.
I would probably go with a stadium seat that clips on the front of the bench with a spring loaded clamp. I would have a pad that I could move around if I needed or wanted sit in a different position for a while or kneel down on it. I know they don’t swivel but you can get 2 or 3 for the cost of most of that hardware let alone the oat seat cost. If a swivel seat is a deal breaker I might mount the cheap swivel to the bench with a plate on top and use the stadium seat on that.
I went with the spring loaded clamp on style & installed swivels. I’m kinda paranoid about things blowing out of the boat, So I used paracord to run under the bench seat & tie the mount down for added insurance. Before installing I used foam weather strip under the brackets to keep things from rattling.
Well timed video. Shopping for two seats for my 14’ vhull. You guys have any recommendations on best batteries for trolling? I’m thinking about only using two 30lb trolling motors to power the boat. Dumb idea?
From what I have seen from others - successfully operating two trolling motors is quite a feat - but not impossible. Lots of additional connecting for steering and propulsion management but I'm not sure how much additional speed or thrust you would gain with two 30 versus one 55.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy well, I own two 30lb thrust motors already and don’t wanna spend a grand on a gas engine. …. oddly, there are several videos about it! There you go…. Great idea for a new vid, see how 2 electric motors do compared to a small gas engine.
Change those wing nuts out for nuts and use your deep socket to tighten down, but that thin wire frame is going to flex and possibly slip off the bench
If your aluminum seating bench is thin, it could be done by mounting a base plate. The challenge is working on the underside if there's styrofoam or something under the bench.
Hello, I am building a boat, that has two bulkheads that I can use as supports for a bench. I was planning to build a frame (20 inches deep, 37 inches wide) and just build a conventional bench with slats. However, to reduce weight, I am planning to go with some lightweight seats. Can I just screw a seat, just to any wood slat without a mount bracket? I do not need the swivel functionality. Thoughts? thanks.
Yes you can do that. Just be sure to have a way to access the hardware at a later date to remove the seats if you ever need to (long-term storage/upgrades etc).
For my jon boat I took and modified one of those clamp style mounts bc I found it to be unstable with how the bench was designed on the boat, having a slight "lip" on the front and back edge of the seat. I came up with this idea for my back seat. I did it so long ago, I may have forgotten all the steps. But baisically I used a hacksaw to turn the metal brackets into 4 seperate "rods" with one end like a threaded rod. I bent them using a vise and piece of pipe into 4 equal (more or less) sized and shaped "L"s w/the end of the bottom of the L bent up about 1". I then used these to effectively make a clamp several inches down on the front and back of the bench seat by cutting 2, about a foot long pieces of 2x3. Then drilled 2 holes in each piece of wood a little less that halfway through on either end in the middle of each wood "block" the holse size being enough so the end of the L just fits in it. Then for the base of the seat to mount the swivel, I cut a piece of plywood large enough for the base of the swivel. Then I made up a "box" using deck ballisters, shapped like an "H" with 2 hoziontal connection points so I could secure the cut plywood on all sides to the box with the long legs of the H facing the front and back of the boat. I then drilled 4 holes in the long legs, 2 at either end for each leg, big enough to fit the threaded part of the rods through. Insead of wing nuts, I used galvanized nuts, washer and lock washers and thread these to the rods underneath the seat. There is just enough room for a 9/16" wrench to turn the nuts. Turning the nuts equally, you turn the 2x3s into a giant clamp that WILL NOT come lose. At some point of course before tightening the nuts, you mount the seat to the swivel. This allows me to take the seat off at the end of each season so I can turn my boat over onto it's trailer for the winter.
Never get the clamp on seats! I leaned back to far one time in my friends boat and I fell backwards, chair and all 😅 it wasn't graceful and I broke his rod * I did pay for a new one*
Where is the best position to mount center or offset on a small boat mines a 14/32 Jon boat I haven’t put it in the water yet but I know the tiller handle will be in the way if I’m centered but don’t want my boat unbalanced any advice?
Sometimes this stuff is trial and error. The clamp on style are nice for helping to work things out. The variables are the weight of the motor, operator weight, how the boat is loaded, and what’s most comfortable. In my little 12 ft boat running a light weight 2.5 I usually had some lean on the hull to be comfortable.
What size john or aluminum side console boat do you recommend for a large 350 pound guy that would like to occasionally take son and maybe wife and daughter as well? Specifically looking for aluminum so that I can get into the small rivers and lakes in missouri
I would think a 16 foot could do the job. Any smaller boat (under 20 ft) will feel very different with more people on it. One thing to check is the sticker found near the back of newer boats for weight and engine size. For example mine is only rated for 550 lbs and 10 hp - and that's total maximum weight - so a 350 lb person with a 100 lb engine and a little bit of gear and fuel would be all it could handle.
But how do you mount anything to a job boat seat? The clamp style is easy but sketch. I guess you have to cut an access hole on the side of the aluminum seat to put in washers and nuts, too complicated
Some small boats are certainly not well designed for mounting seats - but others do have easy access. The rail style can possibly be mounted from outside with self-tapping screws.
If you would like to see a detailed review of the clamp on style seat mounts - I have a video for that as well! ruclips.net/video/vYhIjiwfr9Y/видео.html
I've been using the Atwood clamp on seat mount on my 12 foot V hull for years. A simple way to tighten the wing nuts is to take around an eight inch length of small diameter PVC pipe and cut a slot in one end which fits across the ears of the wingnuts with the threaded rod going into the pipe. Tightening the wingnuts is easy, just slip the pipe down the rod till the slots catch the wing nut ears and twist them tight. Quick and easy and allows seat removal for storage.
This is an awesome topic you have chosen! I’ve been doing research recently on how I’d like to install seats in my 14 foot aluminum Monkey Ward’s boat. I think I would like the removable 11 inch spring based pedestal. I read one of the reviews saying that it can be used without the 11 inch extended making it short. I have a wooden platform at the bow of my boat that makes an excellent casting and sitting space and could be easily drilled into. Although it shouldn’t be used over 5 mph I think that without the extension and some solid mounting construction, it can be a good riding seat too! I’m glad you covered this and at a convenient time.
Was trying to decide what mount to get. Purchased small boat with clamp on seat mounts. Also looked at reveiws. You helped me decide on plastic quick release. Have swivel mounts already. Thanks
Glad I could help!
I wish they had a clamp seat bench that had the quick disconnect
I have the Atwood quick release and the cheaper, powder coated swivels. I also have one seat in the front of the boat on the 7 inch raised powder coated steel stand. I’m about to finish my 13.5 inch small v-hull rebuild and will launch soon. I added a 20 HP EFI with electric start to her (the ring in the pig’s snout) and I sincerely hope it’s not too heavy or too powerful for my very old aluminum boat. Thanks for adding this video even if it is after the fact for me. This is a big help.
Thanks again Wayne, I have a 14' alum. after watching this I believe the clamp on would work the best for me. Now to choose a seat.
They’re not a bad choice - but they can rust!
I have the raised mounts 4 bolt with a swivel for my seats i have two seats in my jon boat put them in when i got the boat in 1999 still no rust love them they work great.
That’s awesome
Thank you a lot of information in a short time sir
EZ lock seat bracket can go straight into the base with no pedestal. That's what I used in 2 boats. Low height and excellent base. One jon the previous owner put a plywood square (painted) larger than the base and screwed that into the aluminum. It was very stable, but you are adding the larger screw holes (lag bolt screws).
I have the clamp on with swivel mount. I love it. I'm a 260lb guy in a 12 ft boat so I need to keep my center of gravity as low as possible.
So I have that plastic mount version that you showed. The gray one. I roughed up the aluminum seat a little bit then I glued and screwed directly to it. My boat stays at the reservoir flipped upside down, and when I’m ready to use it, I just go to the reservoir, pull the boat into the water and do my thing. Haven’t had any problems. It’s swivels around just fine not the smoothest swiveling but it does the job just fine. I put a regular seat with a folding back attached to it and now I can simply disconnect the seat and take it with me or leave the seat on the boat. I think it’s pretty good option didn’t cost a ton of money you just gotta make sure when you fasten it to the boat, make sure it’s even. don’t eyeball it
Thank You for the information and I hope you and your Family have a Blessed Thanks Giving
Thanks again for another great video.
I am using the same ones that you are and very happy with them in my 14 ' v hull. Thanks again Wayne.
Mark from Maryland Harford county
Happy Thanksgiving!
You could always get a clamp style and use nuts instead of wing nuts. It would still be removable and adjustable, and could be tightened so it wouldn't move.
I used the tracks you showed with a 6" pedestal (heavier duty than the one you showed with welded supports that go from the base to the shaft and another set that are welded to the top plate). Then used a swivel mount to the seat. This way I can reposition the seat to the side when using the outboard and center it when fishing. Brings me up to the perfect height in my 14' v-bottom. Since the previous owner had removed the front bench seat I built an aluminum frame and put in a sub floor. I then bolted a used 24" pedestal mount (heavy cast aluminum with a large dia. base) that has a seat mount that fits inside the large dia. shaft of the pedestal that can swivel. It can also be locked down with a screw-in lever in the pedestal if necessary. It raises that seat perfectly in the front for fishing.
Sounds like a great setup! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for showing options. I found the clamp style at a garage salefoe a $1 a piece, but it takes time. Also thrift stores have boating accessories.
Nice score!
I went with a clamp on as for the wing nuts I made a wrench out of PVC tubing About a foot long and cut a slot in one end it reaches the wing nuts just fine.
I have the clamp on style seats for my 12 foot John boat… My dilemma has been that the seats are never tightened so that they are securely in place… I weigh 235 pounds and after fishing for an hour or so the clamp on portion becomes loose and I have fallen over on two occasions… Being 64 years old, I am not comfortable with these clamp on seats, so I am searching out a more secure and stable permanent mount…
Thanks. This really helped! I have the taller adjustable height pedestal coming (Amazon has overstock and they're being blown out for 38 bucks). I might get that slider bracket...but I need to see I can mount it lengthwise so I can slide fore and aft.
Thanks for making this video.
Can you do a review of the confusing world of oar locks, for this boat?
I tried rowing this boat... once. I'm not good with oars!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Wayne 💕🦃
Thank you for this video!
Make a hand held wing nut socket out of slotted electrical conduit or pvc & keep w/ the boat for positive locking or any adjustments on the water .
Nice - much easier than trying to use pliers!
I would probably go with a stadium seat that clips on the front of the bench with a spring loaded clamp. I would have a pad that I could move around if I needed or wanted sit in a different position for a while or kneel down on it. I know they don’t swivel but you can get 2 or 3 for the cost of most of that hardware let alone the oat seat cost. If a swivel seat is a deal breaker I might mount the cheap swivel to the bench with a plate on top and use the stadium seat on that.
Happy thanks giving
Same to you! Hope your day is a good one
@@WayneTheBoatGuy you too
I went with the spring loaded clamp on style & installed swivels.
I’m kinda paranoid about things blowing out of the boat,
So I used paracord to run under the bench seat & tie the mount down for added insurance.
Before installing I used foam weather strip under the brackets to keep things from rattling.
Those are great tips - thanks for sharing!
Well timed video. Shopping for two seats for my 14’ vhull. You guys have any recommendations on best batteries for trolling? I’m thinking about only using two 30lb trolling motors to power the boat. Dumb idea?
From what I have seen from others - successfully operating two trolling motors is quite a feat - but not impossible. Lots of additional connecting for steering and propulsion management but I'm not sure how much additional speed or thrust you would gain with two 30 versus one 55.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy well, I own two 30lb thrust motors already and don’t wanna spend a grand on a gas engine. …. oddly, there are several videos about it! There you go…. Great idea for a new vid, see how 2 electric motors do compared to a small gas engine.
Change those wing nuts out for nuts and use your deep socket to tighten down, but that thin wire frame is going to flex and possibly slip off the bench
I think some of those threaded sections are longer than my deep sockets.
Was hoping to see you mount a swivel base seat to the bench It seems impossible
If your aluminum seating bench is thin, it could be done by mounting a base plate. The challenge is working on the underside if there's styrofoam or something under the bench.
The clamp one cut in pvc pipe use to titan wing nuts. I have one
Makes it easier!
Hello, I am building a boat, that has two bulkheads that I can use as supports for a bench. I was planning to build a frame (20 inches deep, 37 inches wide) and just build a conventional bench with slats. However, to reduce weight, I am planning to go with some lightweight seats. Can I just screw a seat, just to any wood slat without a mount bracket? I do not need the swivel functionality. Thoughts? thanks.
Yes you can do that. Just be sure to have a way to access the hardware at a later date to remove the seats if you ever need to (long-term storage/upgrades etc).
For my jon boat I took and modified one of those clamp style mounts bc I found it to be unstable with how the bench was designed on the boat, having a slight "lip" on the front and back edge of the seat. I came up with this idea for my back seat. I did it so long ago, I may have forgotten all the steps. But baisically I used a hacksaw to turn the metal brackets into 4 seperate "rods" with one end like a threaded rod. I bent them using a vise and piece of pipe into 4 equal (more or less) sized and shaped "L"s w/the end of the bottom of the L bent up about 1". I then used these to effectively make a clamp several inches down on the front and back of the bench seat by cutting 2, about a foot long pieces of 2x3. Then drilled 2 holes in each piece of wood a little less that halfway through on either end in the middle of each wood "block" the holse size being enough so the end of the L just fits in it. Then for the base of the seat to mount the swivel, I cut a piece of plywood large enough for the base of the swivel. Then I made up a "box" using deck ballisters, shapped like an "H" with 2 hoziontal connection points so I could secure the cut plywood on all sides to the box with the long legs of the H facing the front and back of the boat. I then drilled 4 holes in the long legs, 2 at either end for each leg, big enough to fit the threaded part of the rods through. Insead of wing nuts, I used galvanized nuts, washer and lock washers and thread these to the rods underneath the seat. There is just enough room for a 9/16" wrench to turn the nuts. Turning the nuts equally, you turn the 2x3s into a giant clamp that WILL NOT come lose. At some point of course before tightening the nuts, you mount the seat to the swivel. This allows me to take the seat off at the end of each season so I can turn my boat over onto it's trailer for the winter.
Never get the clamp on seats! I leaned back to far one time in my friends boat and I fell backwards, chair and all 😅 it wasn't graceful and I broke his rod * I did pay for a new one*
Yeah I had one slip on me once as well - now I have a tool to make sure they're tight
Where is the best position to mount center or offset on a small boat mines a 14/32 Jon boat I haven’t put it in the water yet but I know the tiller handle will be in the way if I’m centered but don’t want my boat unbalanced any advice?
Sometimes this stuff is trial and error. The clamp on style are nice for helping to work things out. The variables are the weight of the motor, operator weight, how the boat is loaded, and what’s most comfortable.
In my little 12 ft boat running a light weight 2.5 I usually had some lean on the hull to be comfortable.
I made a tool out of pvc to tighten the wing nuts
Me too!
What size john or aluminum side console boat do you recommend for a large 350 pound guy that would like to occasionally take son and maybe wife and daughter as well? Specifically looking for aluminum so that I can get into the small rivers and lakes in missouri
I would think a 16 foot could do the job. Any smaller boat (under 20 ft) will feel very different with more people on it. One thing to check is the sticker found near the back of newer boats for weight and engine size. For example mine is only rated for 550 lbs and 10 hp - and that's total maximum weight - so a 350 lb person with a 100 lb engine and a little bit of gear and fuel would be all it could handle.
Biggest you can get, since that's alot of weight on board, and moving around will make small ones very unstable or capsize.
Great video. Except that Nationals hat! Go Orioles.
I like to call it my Walgreens hat!
I'd get an old bar stool from a yard sale for less than 10 bucks and alter the center post get my welder brother to weld a base plate on it.
But how do you mount anything to a job boat seat? The clamp style is easy but sketch. I guess you have to cut an access hole on the side of the aluminum seat to put in washers and nuts, too complicated
Some small boats are certainly not well designed for mounting seats - but others do have easy access. The rail style can possibly be mounted from outside with self-tapping screws.
BOAT GUY NOT YOU THAT IS NOT A JON BOAT
Have you seen my video "Is THIS a Jon Boat?" because I address this very subject - ruclips.net/video/Y5hnKRGLADc/видео.html
I have adjustable pedestal seating in my boat. The boat is a 15 foot side console. I will be looking to add a third seat on the bow.