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PostPosted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:54 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:14 pm
Posts: 39
I've been reading through all the seat upgrade threads. My 2010 TI as the original Hobie seats and they have a few problems. Mainly, the "bullets" that secure the seat to the hull won't stay put. Over the last few years, the threads in the bullets have become frozen and very hard to reinstall. I often end up sitting on them, which is no fun. Also, having your rear end sitting in a puddle gets old after a few hours. I'm sure you all have experienced this, hence the many threads on new seats.

As I am trying to keep my Hobie budget low this summer, I thought I'd try a simple and cheap upgrade. I found a simple 1-1/2" thick foam pad at Menards (big box home improvement chain in Michigan) that I used on a floor install project to protect my knees. It is just the right size to fit into the Hobie seat well. I pulled out the bullets and repurposed the holes to pass a stainless steel zip tie through. I drilled strategically-placed holes in the foam pad, and used a strip of aluminum to protect the mat from the zip tie. I used some Gorilla clear glue to stick the Hobie seat to the pad.

I'm now 1-1/2" out of the puddle on a soft (but not too soft) pad. Total investment: $25

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And, here is my TI floating on Lake Huron at our place in Lexington, Mi (near the knuckle on the Thumb in the left-hand map of Michigan you all carry with you.)
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I also did the front hatch seal upgrade shown in the video. I bought foam that was too thin, so it took me two iterations and some strategically-placed 2nd layers to get a good seal.


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:00 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:58 pm
Posts: 24
Location: Bay Area, California
Nice job, I will give it a try...

Thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Wile-E-Kayak

San Jose, California
TI - AUG- 2010


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 2:47 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3057
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
I did something similar on my TI about 4 yrs ago, and the mod is still holding up really well, (past the test of time (lol)).


I used an old 1.5" thick rubber coated latex rubber pool float. I then bought lobster catch bags (they are open mesh bags similar to laundry bags that have a cinch rope at the top (so the tasty treat doesn't get away). I cinched the seat bottom and the pad together with the pad underneath, (holds everything together nicely). And am still using the original bayonet seat plugs, (keeping them clean from sand and muck is pretty important)
Until recently I was out every weekend on mine spending many long hours peddling ,(my exercise program). The original seat pads were too thin and would get quite uncomfortable quickly.
The other problem I had was the seat straps that hold the seat vertical constantly slip and the seat reclines, before you realize it your laying down, then the seat becomes very painful, just kills my back. I ended up tieing the seat straps in a knot to prevent them from slipping.
In 2015 Hobie re-designed all their seats to a totally new design.
We have been using hobie mirage kayaks since 2007 with the crappy seats that changed very little over time. I wish they would have listened to us users (whiners) a little more back then and made the bottom padding a little thicker and firmer, (about 1.5" thick instead is half in crappy foam), and fixed the straps so they wouldn't slip (just switch to a different stronger design).
None of us liked sitting in water, sitting with no padding, having seat pegs that didn't work well, or having seat straps that constantly slipped. However once most of us fixed the obvious problems on our own, without Hobies help we had very nice seats that kept our butts out of the puddle, and with the fixed straps the old seats had great bucket seat type lower lunbar support, (which I need very badly with my broken back).
Now the new lawn chair seats have no bucket seat like lumbar support and are basically a lawn chair retrofitted into the boat, which gives no lower back side to side support, the constant boat rocking would kill my back I think, and the much much higher center of gravity can't be a good thing (IMO).

I understand completely that Hobie needs to compete with other brands and the industry trend was moving toward the lawn chairs, and other brands exploiting Hobies obvios shorcomings was pretty easy pickins for the competition. I just wish Hobie had seen the trend for what it really was, (exploitation of a known weakness).
I just wish Hobie had listened to us users way back then and made incremental improvements to their existing seats as all of us suggested and most did on our own. If the old seats had been made more comfortable and designed to function properly, (ie.. thicker padding, crappy pegs, and straps that don't slip, they would have had superior seating to all the lawn chair crowd, and would have saved themselves a boat load of money. And this lawn chair trend would have never happened.
In my opinion all industry trends are not positive, and blindly following trends like sheep can move things backwards. I just wish hobie had looked at the shortcomings of their old seats and improved everything incrementally ( as all of us suggested) that's all.
Ok I'll get off my soap box now.
All just my opinions.
FE


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 6:06 am 
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Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 8:24 pm
Posts: 780
Location: Houston, TX
I agree FE. I have used the old seat for years and now the newer "lawn chair" version. It is a nice seat, don't take me wrong but when modified, the old soft seat was actually more comfortable and functional for moving around the boat to change rudder pins, ride out etc. All seats, soft or hard will age and fail in time. Replacement costs are going to be an issue at some point. All things considered and If given an option, I would have chosen a better, well designed soft seat vs hard. Still the best boat on the market and Hobie is a fantastic company to buy from.

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:24 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:58 pm
Posts: 24
Location: Bay Area, California
FE,

Like your idea. Will incorporate. We also added the inflatable seat pad to the hobie seat and it did has made all the difference. Now adding this additional pad on the bottom should make it better.

Thanks,

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Wile-E-Kayak

San Jose, California
TI - AUG- 2010


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