Vantage Seat Install Question

Hello everyone. I have a 2015 AI, and have had a blast with it so far. I have a question about the seat, specifically in regards to installing it. Does the front bar on the hull need to be set to a certain height (low or high) to install the seat? I struggle to install the seat either way but was wondering if it should make a difference. It often takes many attempts of putting the front of the seat on the bar and tilting forward before I get the front to attach securely. Is this a common problem, or am I doing something wrong? Thanks for your help.

I have the same problem, it's kind of wonky getting it locked onto the bar. It's one reason I put velcro wraps around the installed seat and bar and don't remove the seats.

Chris

Easier when in a higher position. Place the seat in the well aligned at the back with the front resting on the bar evenly. If off to one side it won't work. Wrap one hand around the bar and seat to place a bit of downward pressure on the connection. Raise the aft until you feel it slip onto the receiver nubs. Then lower the back.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks for your replies. When I raise the seat back with my hand on the seat/bar, the back of the seat comes in contact with the corner of the seat basin on the starboard side of the hull (where the kickstand feet hold in the highest position). It will pass by it with a little bit of force, but maybe that is causing the seat to be pushed forward on the bar thus causing a problem? I'll keep playing with it and see if i can get better at it.

That is a bit odd. Will moving the bar higher help with that? Yes, if the seat bumps forward... might make it miss the lock on the bar.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I may not be describing that very well. It isn't exactly the corner. Rather, it is the post that sticks out from the rear seat well wall. It will push through without too much effort, but it touches the hull enough that the seat will support it's own weight at the middle height without the kickstands being down. The port side comes in contact as well, but just barely, and not enough to limit the motion of the back of the seat rising. When I measure the distance from the post to the bar, it is a little bit less than 1/16" shorter on the starboard side than it is on the port side.

Hull distortion??

Would a bit of heat on that spot along with pressure exerted by some kind of expansion bar/reverse clamp between forward rail and end of nib ease it back a tad to give clearance.

Placing the forward bar at the top adjustment should solve the issue when installing the seat I think.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks for your feedback. This picture was taken with the seat bar in the high position. It doesn't SEEM to make a difference if it is high or low, but I figured I would ask anyways.

Should the seat move freely without contacting the hull in the back? I considered hull distortion as a cause, but can't seem to find any evidence other than this. I don't believe that it is distorted. If it is, the distortion is invisible to the naked eye, and does not manifest itself elsewhere. I have always stored my hull as the dealer suggested, and am not sure how it could have deformed anyways. I suppose I'll just keep dealing with it until I can figure something out.

Are you locking the front of the seat correctly onto the adjuster bar? Something is wrong with the setup in that photo if in fact you do have the front adjuster in a high position. Having it low changes the geometry - see our quick start or Vantage chair instruction video that explains and shows how to install (and check that it's correct - pull up it shouldn't lift off the bar it should be locked on)

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Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany

I believe that I am doing it correctly, but I guess I'm a little biased. Following the the steps shown in the video, I put the seat in with the back of the chair resting where it would naturally in the lowest position, and the front of the chair on the bar. I then take my hand and put it on the seat edge directly above the middle of the bar. I apply downward (and slightly aft) pressure while I lift the seat back with my other hand. I feel for a "click", and then lower the seat back to its original position. Typically when I then lift up to test the connection with the bar, the port side is connected, but the starboard side is not. If I then apply pressure directly to the seat over where it should connect with the bar on the starboard sign, I can typically get it to click in, but not always. I will see if I can have someone record a video of me installing the seat so that you guys can tell me if there is something that I might be doing incorrectly.

Is there a dealer nearby, or even do you know someone with one? That way you can test your technique on a different example.

I know I have to mess around with mine a bit to get it to stay in (always on low setting). This is one of the reasons I have installed semi permanently and hold it down with velcro cable ties. Wouldn't trust it in a roll over, particularly a surf dump, and its too expensive to loose.

I think a more positive locking mechanism would be a good design evolution.

ChrisR, did you get this resolved? If so, I am very interested to hear what the fix was. My seat just began doing the EXACT same thing in my '19 AI. Every detail you explained is precisely how mine is behaving now.
Thanks

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Current = 2017/20 Adventure Island, 2020 Revo16

Old = 2010 Revo13, 2009 Adventure, 2013 Adventure, 2016 Outback, 2014 Adventure Island, 2018 Compass, 2019 Outback, 2015 Revo13, 2016 Oasis, 2015 Adventure, 2020 Tandem Island

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The Hobie tutorial video for the Vantage CT seat doesn't address the issue I'm having. Which to save myself a lot of typing, is exactly the issue the original poster had. I have experience using multiple Vantage CT equipped kayaks over the last couple years, and this issue has never arisen until now. My local dealer acknowledged the same issue when I showed it to them last week and he didn't understand exactly what was happening either. Unfortunately they didn't have a Vantage CT seat in the shop to try it with. I'm happy the seat is still usable in the meantime, and I trust Hobie will figure something out.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

_________________
Current = 2017/20 Adventure Island, 2020 Revo16

Old = 2010 Revo13, 2009 Adventure, 2013 Adventure, 2016 Outback, 2014 Adventure Island, 2018 Compass, 2019 Outback, 2015 Revo13, 2016 Oasis, 2015 Adventure, 2020 Tandem Island