Wow, Lameduck - why all of the negativity? I don't get it. I don't claim this is the perfect setup for everyone, or anyone, but it's perfect for me, especially for about $70 or so and my time. Hey, I saved $1300 over a 2015 by buying this kayak, so for me it was worth it to experiment and try different seats, etc., but if you want the factory designed seat, then by all means, go spend the $2300 and get the 2015 Outback. It's a really awesome yak and yes, it was designed from the inside up specifically for the new seat, so it should work great around all of the potential "issues" you brought up. But some people may not want to shell out that kind of money just for those changes if they are happy with their current Outback, so this is a potential option that might work great for some of them that aren't happy with their factory seat.
To reply to your comments/questions - I said the clips were "rubber" because that's what Attwood says on their site here: http://www.attwoodmarine.com/store/prod ... rage-Clips But yes, they seem more like plastic to me too, but I didn't do a chemical analysis to verify that. As far as their durability and wearing out, big freaking deal! $5 and I'll slap on some new ones! I haven't noticed any issues with leaking around the center hatch because I put the webbing under one screw, but hey, it could happen I guess. As far as the cart, I don't usually carry my cart with me in the kayak, but it still should fit just fine, except I would maybe have to lean the seatback forward a little bit. For the stability issue, I just don't get it! Damn, this is a freaking boat! I mean, you'd have to try hard to dump out of an Outback. If the waves are that severe, maybe you should rethink being in a kayak in those conditions period. Plus, you could easily keep the stock seat underneath if you wanted to switch to it. But I've had this thing in some decent waves, and never thought twice about the stability. I just don't get all of the "stability" issues and comments with this setup, at least on the Outback. Of course this isn't going to replace a 2015 Outback with the seat in the low position - I never claimed it would - but again, it's not like I'm about to fall out every time a decent sized wave hits my kayak! With the reaching the rudder, I don't really get that either. Yes, I do have long arms, but I have plenty of room to spare in reaching it. But yes, if you have short arms, maybe you wouldn't be able to reach it as easily as me. My gosh, I didn't know I was installing this seat for NASA, and had to be so precise in every little detail I posted here. I figured most have eyes and brains and could figure out if and how this would work for them and their usage/body, etc.
I think it's great for people to post their experiences or potential concerns over a project like this, so everyone can learn more about what may or may not work for them, but I really dislike that a couple of people on here have made remarks that, at the least, indirectly question my integrity - why would I lie about any of these things? I'm not selling this stuff, just trying to help some fellow kayakers enjoy their kayaks more. Wow, such hostility and negativity on here, like you're just looking to say something's wrong or bad about an idea that was shared FREELY! If you don't like it, don't try it, but please, don't kill the messenger! It makes me not want to share on here at all...
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