Gotta seat thing happening atm

[TREVELLY]

Hope to finish this thing tomorrow
Suspension seat plus sideways support frame
Big trips (100+ km) offshore hanging onto steering wheel is killing my shoulders
And this suspension thing has to help when sitting
Gotta finish it tomorrow
Going out Saturday 123492123493123494123495123496

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[disorderly]

Wow Trevor thats just amazing...

I also suffer badly on the longer journey's...but mainly in the back and also hands from carpel tunnel..

are you just going to fix it straight onto a swivel base....?..will it be able to be to moved forward and back ..?

and have you had to modify your whole seatbox arrangement..?

You didnt think armrests would also help..?

[frank100]

I second that WOW ! I tried to make my own a couple of years ago ...... ended in failure. Yours look pretty good & strong
Frank

[CT]

What breed are the suspension bases? They certainly look the business. Looking forward to seeing it come together.

[gazza2006au]

Hey Trev instead of all that framing around the seat could u just use a 5mm plate of aluminium to reinforce the seat? How much did the susspension base cost?

[TREVELLY]

Finished install Friday
As you can see I relocated the armrests to become leg braces for when standing or half sitting on seat
Went fishing offshore Saturday and did 140km in some messy sea and the system worked beyond my greatest hopes
I returned home with no fatigue and shoulders, arms, hands and back all in good condition
One thing I found was how comfortable it was to sit back into the seat and relax even in a messy sea
I did have to lean forward to adjust the steering - next project autopilot then travel will be taken to a whole new level123544123545123546123547123548123549123550123 551

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[TREVELLY]

Hi Dis
Had swivel, slider and armrests before
Removed armrests as I found you couldn't spread your legs for stability
Slider was a pain and stuck and broke
Swivel failed due to offshore impact and the seat works far better fixed so as not to swivel
Wow Trevor thats just amazing...

I also suffer badly on the longer journey's...but mainly in the back and also hands from carpel tunnel..

are you just going to fix it straight onto a swivel base....?..will it be able to be to moved forward and back ..?

and have you had to modify your whole seatbox arrangement..?

You didnt think armrests would also help..?123552123553123554

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[TREVELLY]

What breed are the suspension bases? They certainly look the business. Looking forward to seeing it come together.Seat suspension is very solid
Adjustable for weight up 150kg
They sell for $940 for 1 delivered
Or $1800 for 2 delivered
Guy in WA makes them 123555

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[TREVELLY]

Hey Trev instead of all that framing around the seat could u just use a 5mm plate of aluminium to reinforce the seat? How much did the susspension base cost?Gaz I'm not reinforcing the seat base but framing for the outriggers to hold me in place when standing in front of the seat123556123557

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[TREVELLY]

Seat box was lowered a bit
Nothing excessive
Door still in place and functional123558

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[TREVELLY]

I second that WOW ! I tried to make my own a couple of years ago ...... ended in failure. Yours look pretty good & strong
FrankI did the same Frank
Spend a stupid amount of time and effort and failed as well but when I did the sold ones were 3 to 5k$
But what you get now for $1k is great value and well worth it

When offshore and a bump is approaching I just let go off steering wheel and let the seat suspension do it's thing - completely pain-free

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[Mopheus]

Looks great 8-)

When you're next in the boat, could I trouble you to measure:

1) height to top of seat base (ie where your bum sits on it)
2) vertical clearance between the front edge of the seat base and the bottom of the steering wheel
3) horizontal clearance between the front edge of the seat base and the bottom of the steering wheel
4) steering wheel diameter?

I have a similar looking helm setup w.r.t. steering wheel height and angle, and am wondering whether I can squeeze in a suspension base and still have room for an esky under. My setup will differ obviously but knowing your dimensions will help determine if it's feasible or not. I don't have a wheel or seat fitted atm - just mocking things up to see what works.

[frank100]

Trevelly , Thanks for the reply, glad to hear they work well. I might revisit making my own again but I value the swivel function too much and lowering the seat box would be a bit of a task.
Yours are a lot simpler than what I had in mind. About what sort of travel (up &down) does the seat provide ?
Frank

[TREVELLY]

Frank and Mopheus here are the dimensions you are asking about
Frank you can see there isn't a huge amount of travel but be sure it works really well at absorbing shock123662

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[Mopheus]

Thanks, that's super helpful.

I can make it all fit in theory. Floor to top of seat height in this section sketch is 865mm, which is 95mm higher than the original fold-out seats that came with the boat. It does put the seat base above the gunwales but the seats have armrests and I can incorporate a side barrier into the new rocket launcher, so that shouldn't be a major issue. Also the gunwales sweep up towards the dash so there's still side support forward of the seat.

Tempted. Very tempted.

Is the difference in comfort enough that you'd give it a solid "would definitely do it in any other boat I owned" or "it's nice but I could live without it"?

123665

[Dignity]

Thanks, that's super helpful.

I can make it all fit in theory. Floor to top of seat height in this section sketch is 865mm, which is 95mm higher than the original fold-out seats that came with the boat. It does put the seat base above the gunwales but the seats have armrests and I can incorporate a side barrier into the new rocket launcher, so that shouldn't be a major issue. Also the gunwales sweep up towards the dash so there's still side support forward of the seat.

Tempted. Very tempted.

Is the difference in comfort enough that you'd give it a solid "would definitely do it in any other boat I owned" or "it's nice but I could live without it"?

123665

I reckon this says it all.

"Went fishing offshore Saturday and did 140km in some messy sea and the system worked beyond my greatest hopes
I returned home with no fatigue and shoulders, arms, hands and back all in good condition"

Now you've got me started on maybe doing something with mine, been out measuring and it is possibly doable, I can't cut down my current icebox, might have to build a new one (2 actually if I took pity on my crew). I have been on a similar system and it is a joy to ride instead of worrying about every bump.

[TREVELLY]

Suspension is one of the best things I have added to the boat
Up there with electric motor spotlock
Adding the armrests at seat level hold me solid against side sway without having to brace myself to steering wheel through arms/hands/shoulders and resting against the pad on front of seat the suspension assists here to such that I can even sit half on seat half standing and that works too
When sitting and boat drops I just let go of steering wheel so I am not hanging on
Next big addition will be autopilot and I can just sit back and relax - it's that good

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[Dignity]

Trev, do they weigh much, still trying to figure out how to install them in my boat.

[Mopheus]

Thanks guys, I'll add them to the list.

May my better half never find that spreadsheet ;D

[TREVELLY]

They are aluminium but very solid
Didn't weigh it but my recollection holding it up for a pic I would guess a 6 to 7kg
Trev, do they weigh much, still trying to figure out how to install them in my boat.123666

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[frank100]

Trev,
Thanks for the dimension info. You have re inspired my self build idea so have been in the shed for a couple of days. Just finished a "mock up" of one leg which looks promising, I'll let you know if I get anywhere.

Frank

[TREVELLY]

Trev,
Thanks for the dimension info. You have re inspired my self build idea so have been in the shed for a couple of days. Just finished a "mock up" of one leg which looks promising, I'll let you know if I get anywhere.

Frank

Frank I thought not a lot to make for the money but do realize each and everyone of those legs have a bearing race seated into the aluminium leg to ensure smooth and solid pivot and no slop or wobble - if you have a bearing press and do your homework - not just legs and bolts you might get there - good luck it's an awesome project if you get it right. Are you up North of Brisbane - if so I can give you some shocks and springs from my attempts to add to your set-up

[frank100]

Trev,
Mate thanks for the offer, but I am in Cairns. Yes I have thought about bearings on the pivots, was thinking bronze on stainless shaft but that's a bit further down the track as my current idea is to have the load taken by a 'sprung hinge' (for want of a better description) . What I have in mind is totally different from my original idea and fairly different from what you have but yours made me think along a different line . Don't want to go into too much detail here as it may not work !.
I am intrigued by what you have in that it must move in the horizontal as well as vertical yet you say their good in operation so maybe not as disconcerting as I first thought. Anyway thanks again for the offer I do think I will have to incorporate a shocker, was thinking a motor bike type from fleabay.
Frank

[TREVELLY]

The shock springs I have are from quad bikes same come from snow mobiles
Good luck

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[frank100]

Trev,
Exactly what I had in mind if I need a shocker, hopefully I'll get back to this project next week, I won't be able to look at it for a few days though.
Frank

[Mopheus]

Bought a pair and they are solid units. Weight is 6.5kg each including fixings and the lightweight aluminium shock adjusting wrench. Uncompressed height is 213mm between mounting surfaces with 100mm of vertical travel (ie 113mm compressed).

I went for the natural anodised finish but they're available in black too like Trev's.

123891123892123893123894

[TREVELLY]

You won't regret it
I did a 180km run offshore Saturday and morning was white caps and bumpy - I was 35-40kph and sitting back
Only nuisance was leaning forward to keep on track
Autopilot and all is good
I had shockies set at about 1/4 first trip and bottomed out about a dozen times on bigger swells
Screwed up to 2/3 atm and quite a bit firmer and haven't bottomed out since
I am 88-90kg


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[frank100]

Trevelly
Wow sounds good, I will be getting back to mine next week. I'll certainly let you know how it goes, I think what I'm doing might actually work.
Frank

[disorderly]

Frank and Mopheus here are the dimensions you are asking about
Frank you can see there isn't a huge amount of travel but be sure it works really well at absorbing shock123662

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Hey Trevor is that 900mm, the height to the bottom of the steering wheel or too the top of the seat ...>

Also does the seat height drop when you seat a warm body on it...?

The reason I'm asking is that my seat currently is about 800 at the front where the slightly higher bolster part is and 770 at the back where my ass rests...

I worry if I go to say 900 high that the steering wheel will interfere with my legs and I will have to stoop to reach the wheel....

Although at least if it proves to be too high its a simple matter to cut a bit more off the bottom of the seat box ...

I'd like to have a crack at fitting my new Seat-right tomorrow..

[TREVELLY]

D
900mm to top of seat
900mm to us of steering wheel
It will work perfectly well with lower seat
My seat height is to see out front through windscreen and yes my feet are up on a front bar and yes I stoop forward for steering wheel - autopilot to assist with this
Seat doesn't drop with warm or cold body [emoji6]


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[disorderly]

Thanks for that mate...

I'll have a bit of a look at it in the morning..I cant go any lower then about 900 total height and still retain use of the hatch cover on the seatbox so I will try that first and take it from there..

[TREVELLY]

The reason I am happy with 900mm is beyond needing it to look out the windscreen is also as the side braces I added are holding my upper legs-hips in place when standing in front of seat
Thanks for that mate...

I'll have a bit of a look at it in the morning..I cant go any lower then about 900 total height and still retain use of the hatch cover on the seatbox so I will try that first and take it from there..123956

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[disorderly]

The reason I am happy with 900mm is beyond needing it to look out the windscreen is also as the side braces I added are holding my upper legs-hips in place when standing in front of seat123956

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All done...

Seat height now is about 900mm with better visibility out the front..

I will just have to adjust my footrest a bit higher and save up for an autopilot now..;).



123960
123961

[TREVELLY]

Very tidy D
They are nice solid kit and work great
It will be probably set a bit soft to start with which is a good place to start
Take the adjusters out with you first trip it's easy to tune
Congrats
Happy for you mate
Got an awesomely considerate wife mate [emoji106]

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[disorderly]

Very tidy D
They are nice solid kit and work great
It will be probably set a bit soft to start with which is a good place to start
Take the adjusters out with you first trip it's easy to tune
Congrats
Happy for you mate
Got an awesomely considerate wife mate [emoji106]

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Cheers man..I cant wait to play around with a bit of trial and error on the setting next trip..

Mine was a bit easier then yours as the existing swivel seat base lined up with the holes on the Seat-right ...so all I had to do was remove my travel oven, remove the hatch, cut the hatch space an inch higher and cut 4 inchs off the bottom of the seatbox and re-install...

Just have to figure out a higher, removeable footrest now..I want to extend the headspace for the bunks out to the seatbox by raising the floor level in front of the seatboxes to the cabin bulkhead divider height...

So thanks for the tips and advice, Trev....the Supervee hull itself has been a blessing in terms of reducing back pain but hopefully this will be even sweeter on those long trips and overnighters..

and yeah she isnt a bad old chook, mate....Now I just have to get these deckwinchs set up so I can get her onto a few Reds and nannies..that would put a smile on her dial for sure..:)

[disorderly]

Hey Trevor can you take a look at my pics and tell me if you have fitted your Seatright the other way around....I'm told mine should be turned 180 degrees but there is no fitting instructions with it....

[Mopheus]

Hey Trevor can you take a look at my pics and tell me if you have fitted your Seatright the other way around....I'm told mine should be turned 180 degrees but there is no fitting instructions with it....

You've got it right as is - shock base plate mount at the rear bottom. That way the seat moves down and away from the wheel under compression. Trev's is mounted the same per the photos on the first page of this thread, and I'll be mounting mine like yours as well.

[disorderly]

You've got it right as is - shock base plate mount at the rear bottom. That way the seat moves down and away from the wheel under compression. Trev's is mounted the same per the photos on the first page of this thread, and I'll be mounting mine like yours as well.

Haha. the bloke who contacted me on FB after seeing a photo of mine online is named Mike...took a couple of hours to click but yeah its the Mike who actually builds them...::);D

Apparently we are all a bunch of doofus's and they are meant to be fitted the other way round.....oops.!..:D

[Mopheus]

Apparently we are all a bunch of doofus's and they are meant to be fitted the other way round.....oops.!..:D

Moving forwards under compression? Seems arse backwards to me BUT I just looked at Youtube and sure enough the Shockwave seats (similar concept) move forward under compression.

Thanks for pointing out my doofusness before I did something silly ;D

Given Trev has some hours on his setup in reverse, it'll be interesting to know what he thinks if he reverses them and tries them that way.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1moibTdZcs

[Mopheus]

Found this on Facebook - company page is 'Vent Right' (https://www.facebook.com/Vent-Right-353021204837513) which seems to be the store that Mike's Machining sells Seat Right through.

Normal mounting position:
- Shock-to-baseplate mount front bottom
- Seat mounted to the smaller of the two plates
- Mechanism travels forward when compressed

Alternate mounting position:
- Shock-to-baseplate mount rear top
- Seat mounted to the larger of the two plates (ie flipped vertically; minimises box overhang)
- Mechanism travels forward when compressed

124089

[disorderly]

Yeah mate Mike told me that the mechanism should travel forward ....

I have only put about 12 hours on it since fitting 2.5 weeks ago but some of that was gusting 25 knots and it just didnt really feel right going backwards..

I'll swap it and see what happens..as mentioned that will change the position of the seat unless its flipped upside down as well...

[TREVELLY]

The reason I have mine in this direction going down backwards is because I stand in front of it and the only way I get any shock absorption from it is if it can travel backwards otherwise it is rigid against lower back - no thanks
Also I sit on front edge of the seat pushing down and backwards and I want shock absorption in both directions
Going down forwards will be more restraining and holding you firm to the steering wheel which is less taxing upon the absorption mechanism but can and will restrain you from travelling backwards which you may prefer but I want shock absorption in two directions not just one
The boat action is both vertical for impact and lounging forwards and I want absorption from both
I don't see this as a right and wrong but rather what you want from the performance - I can see it satisfies both if you are sitting on top and have precompressed the unit but not if you are leaning against the front as it will only precompress if it can travel backwards under load
I will leave mine as I have installed it giving me relief vertically when sitting on and horizontally when leaning against the front of the seat
Having said all the above I will one day swap it and see how the difference feels [emoji6]
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[Brettoh]

Im sure its been discussed before but what is wrong with a truck seat suspension system? They are relatively cheap and work pretty well

[Mopheus]

Im sure its been discussed before but what is wrong with a truck seat suspension system? They are relatively cheap and work pretty well

From what I've read: corrosion + they don't tend to have enough travel for boat use and bottom out heavily.

[Dignity]

From what I've read: corrosion + they don't tend to have enough travel for boat use and bottom out heavily.

Mate had them on his boat and my 70 kgs had no issues, somebody around 120 kgs (note to crew mates I'm not talking about you) might have a different issue. Also was were fairly well protected against the elements.

[Mopheus]

Mate had them on his boat and my 70 kgs had no issues, somebody around 120 kgs (note to crew mates I'm not talking about you) might have a different issue. Also was were fairly well protected against the elements.

Fair enough.


The reason I have mine in this direction going down backwards is because I stand in front of it and the only way I get any shock absorption from it is if it can travel backwards otherwise it is rigid against lower back - no thanks

Interestingly ScotSeat and Shark mount their suspension units so that they squish back-and-down, so there's no set approach even amongst manufacturers. The ScotSeat mechs are similar to the SeatRight. I'm installing mine 'backwards' like yours to start with as well given I have flip-up bolsters for standing support.


I have only put about 12 hours on it since fitting 2.5 weeks ago but some of that was gusting 25 knots and it just didnt really feel right going backwards..

I'll swap it and see what happens..as mentioned that will change the position of the seat unless its flipped upside down as well...

Out of curiosity, did you end up flipping yours and if so what was your preference?

[frank100]

Hi Guys, Trevelly's original post got me to rethinking about my previous attempts at making my own suspension seats. Thanks again Trevelly your post and photos did cause a couple of light bulb moments and I have been busy (with a multitude of interuptions )
I have got to a stage where I have a workable (note not working ! ) seat, have not sea tested it yet, and I will not be able to progress it for a couple of months so I thought I'd post a "so far so good "story.
125269Ver.1
125270Load testing
125271Test results
125272Ver.2 blanks
125273Ver.4 blanks
125274Ver.4 (Ally chook)
125275Ally chooks in formation
125276Test seat mounted to ally chooks
125277Chief designer125278Workshop foreman and QC
Photos have been taken over about 7 months and as I said many interruptions. At present while I have a "bouncy" seat I am not happy with the 'travel' (about 60mm ) and it is 'firm' at the end of travel.
I have a couple of ideas on improvement but won't be able to get to it for a while.
I am not revealing how the 'chooks' get their bounce just yet ( open to offers and bribery )

Any commercial / retail enquiries should be directed to :
SORASS Industries
101 Boundary rider road (opp. The PONDS Institute )
Aitenbach Qld 490126

Hope you found it interesting !
Farn

[Tracker]

"SORASS Industries" love the name;D

[frank100]

I thought Aitenbach was better ;D