Keeping Dinghy Seat in place

[davez]

I have the seat belt type material flat straps for attaching the fiberglass bench seat to my dinghy. Installing the seat is not quick or easy. Once installed, the seat won't stay attached when I tilt the dinghy up on its davits. We are going to Desolation Sound in 4 days where I don't want to waste time (drifting sideways at anchor) while trying to install the seat prior to stern tying.

Has anyone found a way to attach the dinghy seat so it stays attached, even when the dinghy is vertical and the boat is under way? I have tried to slide the elongated plastic hook pieces under the fiberglass seat closer together with no luck. I am debating whether to drill three new holes in each side of the fiberglass bench, to move those plastic pieces even closer together. Has anyone tried that?

Any other suggestions?

 

[Red Raven]

We never keep the seat in place when tilting the dinghy up. As you state it is not secure enough. I agree it is a bit of a pain to install. I don’t think moving the tabs inward would be a solution. It would make it even harder to install. Perhaps some form of leash that you would feed through the straps and cinch up the strap under the seat? For now I just remove and reinstall.

When stern tying we are usually in a protected anchorage without a lot of wind so we haven’t had much problem with the boat swinging around before getting the stern line attached. In a pinch you could have your first mate start up the boat and put it in reverse for a bit to get it in line while you attach the stern line.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

just some ideas for you.

do you need the seat for the quick run to shore for the stern line?
I have rowed my dinghy by kneeling rather than sitting. works pretty well.
if motoring just sit on the tube.
perhaps throw a foldable milk crate style box into the boat as you get in to sit on?

 

[Bruce Moore]

This doesn't address your seating problem, but it does make the process of securing a stern line more efficient and allows less time for potential swinging.

STERN LINE TIE USING A MESSENGER FOR RETRIEVAL was shared by Frank & Dawn-Marie Plumptre. They developed a detailed guide for their method.

• Basically, one crew member rows to shore with BOTH stern line and messenger line being fed from separate reels clipped around the waist.
  
  The second crew member feeds/monitors both reels as the lines feed out. On shore the lines are clipped around the anchor point. A degree of stern line security is now established.
  
  Crew on the boat reel in the messenger line while crew on shore monitors stern line passing over anchor point until bitter end of stern line is secured on the boat.
  
  Crew member on shore gets in the dinghy and pulls it back to the boat - now rowing required.

I have a very detailed guide with photo illustrations and would be happy to share it.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[davez]

Thanks for the good ideas to speed up getting the dinghy ready prior to stern tying.

Andrew Custis suggested using zip ties, which led me to the following:
1. loosen three screws on seat brackets
2. insert two long zip ties (2 each side, 4 total) under the seat brackets and re-tighten the three screws with the brackets pushed as tightly towards each other as possible.
3. slip both zip ties and the bracket into the support strap of one side of the dinghy. And again on the other side.
4. join and pull the zip ties tight.
In step 2, extend the female end of the zip tie only about 1/2" from the inside edge of the seat bracket. That leaves the flat male end to more easily slip behind the strap with lots of pull tight room.

I am not sure how to post a oic here, maybe this will work https://postimg.cc/image/f1nvas50n/

Its not very high tech or pretty, but its invisible from the top and seems very solid. I'll let you know if it survives a rough Georgia Straight crossing or not.

Thanks again for all the related ideas

 

[davez]

Just following thru ... the zip ties did hold the dinghy seat in place, even during a (not too rough) Georgia Strait crossing

 

[Barry Cohen]

I have a Mercury Air Deck 240 and had the exact same problem. I drilled a hole near each end of the seat and I run a heavy nylon zip tie through the hole and around the strap that holds the seat in place. I fasten the tie together underneath the seat. I just cut the tie off at the end of the season, remove the seat and deflate the dinghy for winter storage.

 

[Barry Cohen]

Just saw your picture. Yes, that works and you don't have to drill.