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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:19 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:59 am
Posts: 110
Well...I installed the seat slider and swivel. Together they added 3" of height to the seat from the deck. The slider will be a great addition, but I'm less assured of the swivel. For one thing, because I have my steering mechanism attached to the left side of my seat, it prohibits swivel to the right. There simply is not enough slack in the steering line. Second...Although I can swivel the seat to the left about 25 degrees, because of the standard rear tilt of the seat frame, when I swivel to the left I also tilt to the left. That makes it a little scary considering the additional height for the seat is level with the top of side rails. I think that I'll keep the slide, but take off the swivel. It would be nice to have both, but not at the expense of safety.


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 2:41 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 5:55 am
Posts: 111
Location: Cary, NC
TDK wrote:
Based on my single experience so far, I really enjoyed this modification. I'm really looking forward to testing it out a bit more when the water is warmer and I don't have to worry about taking a dive in the chilly stuff. Thanks for sharing this find, joeyb.
TDK


Nice write up and report TDK...glad you like it. I agree it takes some getting use to, but I love it. Was out last week and the wind was whipping...handled well and I did not have any added troubles.

Definately would not go any higher with the seat height. But that is just my opinion.

This pict was taken from Jordan Lake here in NC on Valentines Day...went to KISS some BASS... :lol: Caught 6, all about the same size...16 - 17" inches.

Image


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:14 am 
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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:43 am
Posts: 168
Ok, I did my seat modifications yesterday and some things were different than previously posted.

First off, this was not an easy task and it took me about 4 hours with three trips to the hardware store for screws, nuts and washers. I bought screws base upon the data in the above posts but my screws were different or the data was posted wrong...........anyway, they didn't work, so another trip to the hardware store.

Here is my seat location prior to the install:

Image

The green pool noodle is to keep bait and tackle from sliding under my seat:

Image

This is the height of my seat, prior to the modification( 4 1/2 inches):

Image

First I took the seat off and took the original hardware off. Then mounted the adjustable hardware to the seat ( 4 screws that originally held the hardware on were used):

Image

Next came mount the existing seat hardware to the new hardware and this is where the troubles began.

First minor problem was I had to take the seat back retainer strap off as the new hardware was a tad to big to allow it to stay ( remedy to follow):

Image


Next, as you can see, there is very little room to work in and the original screw is way too short and this was a major problem ( I could never get it to catch the nut, even with the wife's help):

Image

All this trouble was on the right side and where the seat release rod was.

Image

I finally had to go back to the hardware store and purchase a 1 inch bolt to make this work( trip # 3 to the hwd store), as the original was just too short. And, I finally had to take the spring loaded release rod off to get to every thing tightened on the right side.

Image

But I did finally get all the hardware assembled and then I had to get a smaller screw to hold my seat back retainer strap due to the size of the new seat hardware. I had to get a smaller screw to make it work:

Image

However, the left side was a piece of cake!!

After completing assembly, this is the height of my seat ( 6 1/8 inches which made a little less than a 2" rise to the seat):

Image

But my seat now slides way back:

Image

Image


And a surprise, it slides way forward, too:

Image

I will report back as to the stability after I try it out on the water.

Now for the mounting hardware I need for my 2011 Pro Angler:
Hex Cap Screws 1/4x2 1/2 - four
Hex Cap Screws 1/4X1/2 - one
Fender Washers 1/4x1 - four
Split Lock Washers 1/4 - four
Lock Nuts Nylon Insert 1/4-20 - four

All was stainless steel.......but I would suggest you take your original screws with you as they may be different of different year models.

I am looking forward to trying this modification on the water.


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:43 am 
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Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:04 pm
Posts: 48
Location: Orlando, Florida
mythman:

Great write up! Well done with all the wonderful photos. With all the write ups, I can't wait to get mine ordered and installed in the coming days!

Thanks everyone

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Tom "Flash" Shriver
US Army Golden Knights (Retired)
Hobie Pro Angler
Wilderness Systems Commander 140
Malibu X-Factor


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:29 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:33 pm
Posts: 252
Location: Virginia - Pro Angler 14 owner since Feb 2010
mythman wrote:
Ok, I did my seat modifications yesterday and some things were different than previously posted.

First off, this was not an easy task and it took me about 4 hours with three trips to the hardware store for screws, nuts and washers. I bought screws base upon the data in the above posts but my screws were different or the data was posted wrong...........anyway, they didn't work, so another trip to the hardware store.



I'm sorry to hear you ran into so much trouble, mythman. Your experience sounds like how things typically go for me! Luckily, this install worked out fairly smooth for me and took about 30 minutes.

I thought I might have the same trouble you did with the two orginal seat bolts toward the rear of the seat (these two bolts are shorter than the two that pass through the black pipe to create the rearward tilt of the seat) not being long enough to accomodate a flat washer and a locking nut. For whatever reason, the one bolt on your seat does appear to be a little short. That must have been really frustrating. I just barely have enough bolt on the front two to ensure that they fully engaged with the vinyl locking insert in the nut. Not to mention, there is very little room to use your fingers to position the washer and nut for connecting the old bracket to the slider. A pair of needle nose pliers were very handy to hold the nut in place. Like joeyb, I ended up using the same 1/4 x 1/2 inch bolts along with a flat and a locking washer to connect the slider to the bottom of the seat. Is that where you used the four 2 1/2 inch bolts or did you mean to write that you used four 1/4 x 1/2 inch (for connecting the seat) and one 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch (to replace the short original bolt needed to connect the original base to the slider) bolts? I'm sorry if any of the earlier posts lead you astray on the hardware. I found that the 1/2 inch long bolts joeyb suggested worked fine. I note he didn't indicate the 1/4 size on those bolts, so maybe that was the confusion. Otherwise, I think we all pretty much used the same hardware with the exception of the short bolt you needed to replace. I suspect that specific issue with the length of the rear two original bolts is going to be a problem for many , particularly depending on the combination of washers that are used.

I, too, had the issue with the orginal postioning of the screw holding the seat strap. Rather than try to use the original screw hole, my solution was to just screw it right into one of the plastic ribs on bottom of the seat. The tip of the screw sticks out the other side of the rib, so it could snag a finger, but I don't see needing to have my hands around there often.

I think all of your hard work will be rewarded when you try this on the water. I'm very interested in how you and others think the boat feels, from the standpoint of stability and comfort. I think joeyb and I are in the "thumbs up" column. I really did like the ability to move the seat back to access the hatch as well as to make it far easier to reach under the seat to finger tighten the knobs that secure the seat in the boat. Those were previously a bear to reach. As well, like you noted, with the original seat position roughly in the middle of the travel for the slider, it is possible to move the seat backward and forward. Moving forward could have some advantages if you need to store gear behind or under your seat. I'm not sure I'll use that often, but it's nice to have the option.

Bring on spring!

TDK

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Anonymous - "The gods do not subtract from the alloted span of men's lives the hours spent fishing."


Last edited by TDK on Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:35 am, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:40 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:43 am
Posts: 168
Well TDK when I was growing up, I never built a model airplane, car or anything else. I was a ride horses, explore caves, kill rattlesnakes and explore large canyons on the Canadian river, type of guy. Therefore my project skills at something like this are very lacking..........to put it into perspective. I am sure most of my problems are pretty much self induced.

However, I did have trouble getting the washers and nuts on the two bolts on the adjustment lever side. I even used goop to keep them stuck up there while I attempted to get the screw treaded. Put tape on the back side of a box end wrench and still could not do it. Got the wife, who had very small hands and tons of patiences to assist and we still couldn't do it. If I hadn't taken the adjustment lever off, I think I might still be out there working on it. :roll:

But I do have it done and am anxiously awaiting the weather to allow me to go try it out. I may even have to take a shore freshwater trip just to satisfy my curiosity as to how it functions.

Right now it looks slick and slides back and forth easily. I just hope the 1 3/4 inch increase in height doesn't make much difference.

I do thank you for your information.............I would never have found or tried this modification without your and Joeyb's previous post.

I will post up after my trial runs, particularly in the rough surf.


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:57 pm 
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Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:48 pm
Posts: 41
TDK wrote:
Moving forward could have some advangates if you need to store gear behind or under your seat. I'm not sure I'll use that often, but it's nice to have the option.

Bring on spring!

TDK


Or if you're like me and just have short legs... :lol:


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:15 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:07 pm
Posts: 40
Location: Greensboro, NC
Hey Guys,
Just wanted to thank you all for sharing this mod! I ordered my bracket last week and threw it on tonight. Was a breeze to install, had zero trouble with the assembly. I think it took me about 10 mins start to finish. The only real hurdle was relocating the seat strap.

Thanks again!!!

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2011 Hobie Pro Angler
Rigged for War!


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:52 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:51 am
Posts: 92
Location: Dallas
This is a great mod guys ! Thanks.

Thanks everyone for sharing the links and results. I like my seat location but use the center hatch for a bait bucket and have to fight getting it open every minute or two. I finally just got tired last week and cut the bungee cord off and took the lid completely completely off. I had looked seriously at just doing mods to the seat hardware, but i like you solution better.


Thanks again, Phill


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:37 pm 
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Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:48 pm
Posts: 41
Just got back from Bass Pro trying to get one of these slides, after talking to customer service, these are not store stocked items and only available thru online ordering. Just thought I would post this up to save someone else an unnecessary trip and $100 or so bucks on other things you probably could have waited for :)


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:18 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:43 am
Posts: 168
I took mine out last Wednesday and couldn't tell any difference whatsoever in the rise in seat height.

Let me tell you that sliding seat is top drawer..............I love it.

I didn't use my mirage drive as I had my eVolve motor in...........but I consider this one of my better modifications to my Pro Angler.


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:37 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 12:55 pm
Posts: 420
I took my PA to my dealer and ordered the seat slide from Bass Pro and had it shipped to the dealer for installation. I got a call from the dealer saying that if I installed the seat adjustment that you guys have installed it would probably void my Warranty. He said the area rep said it puts too much stress on the bolts and area around the bolts or something. That the original PA design was further back and caused too much stress while peddaling so they moved it forward.

Is this true?

Matt ......... what the story here?


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:48 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 5:03 pm
Posts: 422
Location: Charlevoix, MI
Nice work on the sliding seat mods, but let's recall that the design problem was not with the seat itself, but its relationship to the elastic release tabs on the center hatch lid. Instead of moving the seat back, why not move the release tabs forward? This could probably be accomplished by installing a couple of new eyelet posts on the sides of the lid just an inch or so forward of the current position. Seems a lot simpler and probably accomplishes the same thing - so, what am I overlooking?


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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 6:07 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:33 pm
Posts: 252
Location: Virginia - Pro Angler 14 owner since Feb 2010
Jim_MI wrote:
Nice work on the sliding seat mods, but let's recall that the design problem was not with the seat itself, but its relationship to the elastic release tabs on the center hatch lid. Instead of moving the seat back, why not move the release tabs forward? This could probably be accomplished by installing a couple of new eyelet posts on the sides of the lid just an inch or so forward of the current position. Seems a lot simpler and probably accomplishes the same thing - so, what am I overlooking?


That could be a good fix for that specific issue. I do wonder if moving the bungee posts forward will reduce the effectiveness of the hatch seal.

Easier access to the center hatch was certainly one of the motives for the sliding seat, but I've found that moving the seat back also makes it much easier to reach the two plastic knobs for securing the seat (it was a tight fit for my hands, and I remove my seat every outing), seems to give a bit more clearance to maneuver when standing (not much, but every few inches helps with limited room to start), and makes under the seat storage possible and accessible. I do think the extra couple of inches of height might become a real asset after a long day of moving from sitting to standing. I'm guessing my knees will be a little happier. The added ability to move the seat further forward than before may also be useful for storing gear behind the seat if needed for longer trips. I suppose moving the seat backward or forward could also be useful for fine tuning your pedaling position without needing to change the Mirage drive. This could be good for longer excursions when being in one position may become uncomfortable. The slide will make it easy to move an inch or two either way to change the pedaling position a bit.

We'll see how it goes this summer. The temps are on ther rise!

TDK

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 Post subject: Re: PA Seat Modification
PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:03 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
Memory Maker wrote:
I took my PA to my dealer and ordered the seat slide from Bass Pro and had it shipped to the dealer for installation. I got a call from the dealer saying that if I installed the seat adjustment that you guys have installed it would probably void my Warranty. He said the area rep said it puts too much stress on the bolts and area around the bolts or something. That the original PA design was further back and caused too much stress while peddaling so they moved it forward.

Is this true?

Matt ......... what the story here?


I think it is fair to say that a non-factory modification (of any kind) that leads to a failure in the modified area would lead us to question our responsibility as far as warranty goes.

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


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