Installing seats in a jon boat.

[ia_trouter]

This question is probably better on a boat forum but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask here. After a year of indecision I cashed in my quarters and dimes and I bought this boat in a 12ft for shallow water use. It's an Alumacraft 12-36 jon.

2015 Alumacraft 1036 Boat

I would like to install some light fold down seats. Not sure what mounts to use. I am sure the sheet metal is too thin for a traditional 7-8" diameter mounts. Screws are going to tear out eventually. Anyone have experience with any of the other style mounts? I could lay 3/4 marine plywood across the seats first but that is going to add significant weight. Something I would really like to avoid. Right now the boat weighs <150# with a small outboard.

 

[wjl]

What we did on a friends boat was get some 1/4" al plate and pop riveted to the original seat and mounted the seat mounts to the plate. Plate can be smaller than whole seat.

 

[ia_trouter]

Thanks, that sounds like a workable idea. I checked some youtube vids and most everything I saw looked real janky.

 

[wjl]

Another thing to think about, is there foam under the seats?
If not you could take a hole saw and drill a 3" hole where you plan on mounting the seat ( say center for hand to fit thru). This is so you could place some AL flat bar underside and then drill and tap for the mounting plate.
Little cleaner but you drill a hole in the seat.

 

[ia_trouter]

Another thing to think about, is there foam under the seats?
If not you could take a hole saw and drill a 3" hole where you plan on mounting the seat ( say center for hand to fit thru). This is so you could place some AL flat bar underside and then drill and tap for the mounting plate.
Little cleaner but you drill a hole in the seat.

Not enough surface area using the flat bar method IMO. Light aluminum fatigues too easily over time in my experience.

 

[Ard]

The way mine are mounted; they welded threaded aluminum stock onto the bulkhead and I mount the seats to that. If I had the cover off I would take some pictures so you could see what I'm talking about.

 

[ia_trouter]

The way mine are mounted; they welded threaded aluminum stock onto the bulkhead and I mount the seats to that. If I had the cover off I would take some pictures so you could see what I'm talking about.

Ard your boat is far heavier sheet for a different situation. Remember me trying to figure out what guage your hull is? It's because it is obscenely stout for aluminum. I have a trailer, but I can load this boat into a truck bed by myself with ease. It's like a wide canoe but engineered well because light as it is it doesn't twist like the old boats I was looking at. There won't be any TIG welding on this material.

 

[cab]

A real Iowa john boat owner would use DUCT TAPE!!!!

Edit: Bailing wire would be legal, as well.

HTH,
CAB

 

[pjcalla]

I would use the sheet aluminum. Whatever you do, do not use treated lumber. It will react with the aluminum, and cause corrosion over time.

 

[mridenour]

Are you just adding seats at the same level as the boat seats or are you planning on putting pedestals on their to raise them? That makes a huge difference in the force exerted on the aluminum seats in your boat.

If you aren't going to have the seats up in the air, just about any method of mounting them should be ok. I don't think I would try to install pedestal seats in a boat that is as thin gauge metal as you describe. I think it would twist a lot and cause all sorts of problems.

 

[ia_trouter]

I would use the sheet aluminum. Whatever you do, do not use treated lumber. It will react with the aluminum, and cause corrosion over time.

Thanks, I was not aware of that. I just assumed marine plywood and treated construction lumber were about the same.

---------- Post added at 08:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

A real Iowa john boat owner would use DUCT TAPE!!!!

Edit: Bailing wire would be legal, as well.

HTH,
CAB

A real Iowa boat owner has one of those 20ft battleship duck hunting jon boats. I already have the large boat covered with my Deep V.

 

[GrtLksMarlin]

Bass Pro Shops Jon Boat Seat Clamp | Bass Pro Shops

$29.95 at BassPro

B.E.F.

 

[ia_trouter]

Bass Pro Shops Jon Boat Seat Clamp | Bass Pro Shops

$29.95 at BassPro

B.E.F.

I ended up buying one of those, and will do the very short pedestal thing on the front seat. Not sure I am ready to commit on the permanent rear seat location until I get out on the water. And I ended up with these seats after I couldn't find anything decent locally. I really think I will like them and I would definitely recommend them to a "full figured" guy. They are very roomy. Atwood brand BTW.

Padded Flip-Up Seat, Green Camouflage - Walmart.com

 

[cab]

Just thought of something: you could just sit on the cooler!

Better yet: DUCT TAPE said cooler to the bottom of the boat, then sit on that. Adjust as needed.

HTH,
CAB

 

[wjl]

Great seat!
I have those mounted to my home made platform tree stand on my parents land back home.
Comfy and last forever.

 

[Gary Roe]

Sorry for re-indexing this article. I want to install jon boat seats directly on the boat benches but jon boat seats don’t come with pedestals or swivel bases. Is that right? So now I want to know where to buy those things. Thanks

 

[ddb]

Wherever your wife wants the oars if she's doing the rowing.

 

[tcorfey]

I know this is a pretty old thread so the solution has been found but for future references these slotted body rivet nuts are great for mounting items in sheet metal or sheet aluminum on boats or trucks. You could purchase an installation tool which consists of a hardened steel bolt and a hardened steel nut with teeth on one side that bite into the head of the rivet nut to keep it from spinning during the install. I have found that using a hardened steel bolt with a pipe nipple and a nut works well also.

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Steel-Slotted-Body-Rivet-Nut-32FX37

They come in domestic and metric sizes.

 

[herkileez]

I built saddles out of 3/4" ply and mounted them with 2 screws on each side (no screws through top surface), primed and painted them with
aluminum paint. Very solid and durable. I use quick-release swivels for easy removal of the seats.
I tried the seat clamp ones as shown above, but leaned back hard once and flipped over backwards A over T...Not safe IMO.