Hi all,
Been doing some on/off building, sail cutting, etc. I am at the point now where i have to make a seat for the thing. Pretty sure I am going to glass over wood for construction.
Now 'THE QUESTION' ; What angle should I make the seatback? From posts, and videos, it looks like 20-30 degrees is average. Is that about right? I want to be as comfortable, and laid flat as possible ( I think!?!?) but still need to see over my feet.
Also, is it better to have a curved back like the Standart, or a flat base and a flat back?
Any pictures would help.
Thanks, John
edit: the yacht's name came from the fact that i used more construction fluid than steel to build it so far.... and it's a class 5 five size rig
Hi John
I have two yachts one is a LLf mini with flat surfaces and the seat back is around 30 degrees and the other is a class 5 with a seat back that is curved in a sweep from the flat body but overall about the same 30 degrees Am I making sense?
The class five seat is slightly curved also crossways and is as you would expect
more comfortable than the mini but I am happy with the mini
I used to have a partially filled specially made bean bag in the class 5 and that was really comfortable but was not so suitable for the quick start short course racing that we mostly do as you had to settle in to it and was just one more thing to do when getting away
Great on the long hauls though it was an effort keeping awake for the deep channel at the end of the beach !
I found Clemcos hammock type seat on his mini also very comfortable as it moulded itself to the body I think its seat back also is about 30 degrees
Cheers Hiko
The seat on my LLM and my Promo both came from the same mold basically and they are at about 30 degrees with double curves and spine ridge. The spine ridge allows the shoulders to sit back a bit further which is very comfortable on long hauls.
Thanks for the responses. I'm not sure what a 'spine ridge' is, though
. Do you have a picture of that one?
the ridge was a little hump behjind the shoulder blades to stop the shoulders from bunching. it worked very well , then everybody went off on a cushion fad and covered them up. If yoo hve a Y frame chassis and a sewing machine a soft seat is great. If its a T frame you will struggle to fit a soft seat, but a curved wood/glass combo is not too hard. try getting some bits of board and some bloks on a flat surface and move them around to get your comfort position then measure and build. I do like to have a small footwell to help keep my feet in
Finally got going again. Most of the thing is thin plywood, and the end curves are cardboard. Still have a ways to go, but here's what i have for now. The overall angle is 27 degrees or so, and it has a compound curve on the upright portion. feels ok on the ground, will mount it, and try it when I can.
Thanks again for the input! (I think i used it)
It's OK if it looks a bit like an old west coffin, right?[}:)]
Thats looking rather nice and comfy
I'm starting on a stitch seam seat as well so it will be good to see how your glassing goes ahead of mine .
i do like the little concavity. Maybe you could decorate it with boots and hung up sidearm
yesterday i was walking past the undertakers and there were some big boxes that the coffins were delivered in. i couldnt resist , and had to ask , but they reckoned they send them back to the coffin shop
First thing everyone always says about my seats (similar to yours) is that they look like little coffins. Lets hope our creations dont ever live up to their look-alike wooden cousins 
That concavity in the seat is a masterstroke I read somewhere once
that comfort in a seat has more to do with shape than cushioning
and I have noticed that some hard chairs can be quite comfortable
Some plastic deckchairs for example
Must remember that for next time !
Good stuff!
thanks for the offer, but if I am lucky enough to get even a weeks notice of my impending end, I plan to build my own from recycled bits, , possibly making it amphibious to cover all possibilities in the next life
As well as amphibious try making it fire proof. You never know which way you'll go![}:)] [}:)]
