Loose seat

[salmosalar]

Ladies and Gentelmen,

The front 4 screws have become disengaged on my drivers seat. The seat is unstable. I breifly tried to unscrew the rear ones but they didn't want to come easy. the Bolts are still their but are not holding to whatever they had held to underneath. Before I went any further I wanted to consult with you all as to how to proceed. Any ideas?

Oh ya, It's a 1981 Sea hunter. I'm sure that matters.

Charles

[croaker stroker]

Welcome to the board.


Sounds like the "tee" nuts under the floor are corroded to the pedestal bolts. You will probably need to cut the old bolts off.

[salmosalar]

Thanks Croaker. I am sure that I can do that. I am having a hard time visualizing how to re-adhere it after I fill the holes with dowels/gorilld glue/5200. I saw that you used an hdpe gasket of sorts but I don't understand how that was fastened to the floor. Thank you.

Charles

[croaker stroker]

I used the adapter because I wanted to attach my pedestal to the factory Tee nuts and my new pedestal was a different hole pattern. Sounds like your Tee nuts are shot. So, all you can do now is predrill correct size holes and lag the pedestal to the deck.

[salmosalar]

I don't understand the term lag. How do I screw it dow and to what? There will only be a thin piece of fiberglass. How do I get something below it to hold it?

Charles

[First Cabin]

I don't understand the term lag. How do I screw it dow and to what? There will only be a thin piece of fiberglass. How do I get something below it to hold it?

Charles

There is more than thin Fiberglas under the seats.  There is plywood encapsulated between Fiberglas so you can drill holes and attach a seat using lag screws.  Lag screws are screws with large threads designed to hold in this type of material.  So I would remove the pedestal you have now, inspect the floor underneath it, seal the old holes, rotate the pedestal about a 1/4 turn and set it in place with lag screws.

[salmosalar]

Awesome. You guys are great.

Charles

[First Cabin]

Unfortunately it probably won't be that easy.  If the front four screws are "disengaged" and the remaining screws spin without coming out, the plywood underneath is likely rotten due to water getting in.

To do it right, you may be forced to cut the rotten area out and due some Fiberglas repair.

Post some pictures.  We're all a bunch of Arima nuts and will enjoy seeing a 35 year old Arima!

[BCChaser]

Now if this story doesn't sound familiar!!  My '82 did not have T nuts, just pan head bolts sticking up that had been pushed through the deck before it was laid inplace.  See the "Hole" thread.  Later years are supposed to have additional plywood under the pedestal areas.

[Threeweight]

My 89's seat pedestal had corroded badly form salt water exposure, and was doing the same thing when I bought it.  In fact, the deck had puckered and the gel coat cracked around a couple of bolt holes.  I removed the pedestal from the deck (had to cut several bolts), then filled the old holes with Marine Tex, then sanded everything down level again.  New pedestals use a different bolt pattern than the old 80's and 90's models (basically, you are going to have to drill new holes anyway).

I installed my new pedestal using top-grade stainless #14 lag screws and holes drilled slightly undersized so the threads would get a good bite in the plywood.  Drill the top of the hole (where it penetrates the gel coat/glass) the same diameter as the screw so it doesn't crack it.  I buttered the holes with expanding Gorilla Glue, and ran a bead of 3m 5200 adhesive sealant all the way around the seat base.  It has been there for 5 years now, and has held up perfectly (even with some very, very large fishing buddies using it). 

If you use the Gorilla Glue, keep an eye on it as it cures as the expansion will force some of it up out of the screw hole.  It is easy to clean up w/ mineral spirits if you catch it before it cures.  I didn't, and I have some permanent yellow "boogers" on the top of my screws.  Would need a hammer and chisel to get them off.