Drift boat seat

[Seeker]

Hello Everybody!
New member here. I'm a rather inexperienced fisher and completely new to drift boats.

I have a be a new to me drift boat a 1975 18' Eastide, the rowers seat appears to be missing. I am trying to figure out how to replace it or what it looked like originally. I expect I goes over the "well" area.

 

[DirectDrive]

I've never seen an oarsman's seat arrangement like that.

That boats needs some serious TLC.

 

[Seeker]

So you have no useful information and the boat I inherited, from the estate of my best friend oF 30 years, isn't pretty enough for you?

thanks for the effort.

 

[eugene1]

Dude, I don't think DirectDrive was dissing you? Just some observations.

Anyway, I agree with him, the well thing seems set too far forward, but maybe that its just the pics. I do see the oar locks placed within reach though.

I hope you get her out on the river again.

Best,

So you have no useful information and the boat I inherited, from the estate of my best friend oF 30 years, isn't pretty enough for you?

thanks for the effort.

 

[jamisonace]

I can't tell you what it originally looked like. I would put a tractor style seat on a hinged base. It'll be interesting to hear how it rows. The oar locks look to be set pretty far forward but I wonder if it's the camera angle.

Edit: I guess I should have read E1's post.

 

[Irishrover]

Is that a motor well right behind where the seat goes? If so that might make a difference on the type of seat you want. If you have to reach around to deal with the motor I'm guessing you would want a low back or a no back seat. I'm see a strong hinged lid type of seat with a strong latch on the front. Don't want the seat to hinge open while you are working through a piece of white water.

 

[eugene1]

A buddy of mine has a Willie with a motor well, but the well positioned much further back than the one in this post. I think it would be a bear to run a motor in that spot towards the center of the boat, and the hole looks a bit small to fit a motor into?

Very interesting layout though.

Best,

 

[Seeker]

Yes, that's a motor well. I have the motor, an old Sea King 7.5 hp. We tested it once in this boat on Foster Lake. Worked nicely, he then hooked up with a bad woman and it was downhill from there.

As i said I'm new to drift boats. I not new to boats, just new to drift boats. I have seen rope seats mentioned and seen pics of regular boat seats as the rowers seat. I couldn't find any examples of what this one should look like on the inter-web. I am thinking to make a lid for the "live well" with slightly high sides then lace the two sides together to make a "rope seat". Seems, from my non-existent experience, that a rope seat would be desirable as you wouldn't be sitting in a puddle and it would provide "gription" while rowing.

Speaking of rowing. I expect the pointy end of the boat goes downstream and i back water on the oars?

-when I was young the courtesy was to "never **** on another mans boat.".

 

[Irishrover]

Funny I was kind of thinking rope seat. I've seen them on more than one drifter. You would sit facing those two seat up front so you look forward and use the oars to steer and maneuver. That narrow part of the boat would be at your back. That motor well is great. On my Clackacraft I have to put the motor on the stern. That puts all the weight back there and with the force of the prop the stern sinks way down. I have use a tiller arm and stand in the middle of the boat to bring the bow down.

"he then hooked up with a bad woman and it was downhill from there." Now thats was funny!

 

[DrTheopolis]

Straps are a good alternative to rope -- more comfortable.

A friend has a Willie with the inboard motor well (there's a name for that, but I don't remember it). Works better for actually motoring than a transom mount, but with his 2-smoke motor, he refuses to troll -- since the well forms a smokestack right by his face. They're a double-edged sword (like so many things in boating).

 

[OnTheDrop]

Sweet boat and project.

I hate the motor wells. They kind of take the purpose out of a drift boat in my opinion. You are already limited with space and to have a dam motor inside the boat just seems ridic in my opinion.

Good luck, should be fun to restore.

 

[todd_brooks]

I'm imagining that seat was little more than a piece of plywood with some wood stops on the under side and a piece of vinyl rapped foam. You could go all Rambo on it and cut that base out all together and put a rope bench type with some side trays.?

 

[Gutz]

I've rowed some boats that have cheap tractor/riding lawnmower type seats with a low-back. They're not very expensive and if you're not too particular, I bet you could fashion a way to fit it on your boat.

You could easily find one at a farm store.

Have fun with the new boat!