BaitThrower
14-10-2008, 02:37 PM
Hi all, just thought I would post this up as it will probably be useful for those with tinnies/dinghys who have clamp-on tinny seats...
The idea is not mine, I saw it on an ebay boat auction a month or two ago and "borrowed" the design. I couldnt really just drill swivels into the tops of the seats as the glass is not that thick and wouldnt hold too well. This is by far the best way for my boat, YMMV. I can pertty much lift the whole boat off the trailer by lifting with the clamp blocks so they should be hella strong :)
Basically I cut some hardwood blocks to shape to match the profiles of the clamp legs. I chose to run a threaded bar right through my dinghy seats (being fibreglass and old) for extra holding strength. Screws just into the seat on one side wold not be as strong. With the threaded bar running through it pulls both front and rear blocks together tight against the thwart.
Of course the idea of these is to stop the seats lifting, which is a bit of a problem with these clamps apparently.
Anyway I drilled the blocks and countersunk with a forstner bit for the nuts to sit flush with the wood block. Painted with 2 coats of marine enamel and then the blocks were also sikaflex'd to the seat too, mainly to seal off the exposed fibreglass edges from the drilling process, but it should also help hold them in place, with the by-product of hopefully keeping the nuts vibrating loose. In retrospect I should perhaps have used stainless nyloc nuts on them, but I am sure the sikaflex on the threads will do a similar job.
Anyway here are some piccies.
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat1.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat2.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat3.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat4.jpg
Hope it helps!
The idea is not mine, I saw it on an ebay boat auction a month or two ago and "borrowed" the design. I couldnt really just drill swivels into the tops of the seats as the glass is not that thick and wouldnt hold too well. This is by far the best way for my boat, YMMV. I can pertty much lift the whole boat off the trailer by lifting with the clamp blocks so they should be hella strong :)
Basically I cut some hardwood blocks to shape to match the profiles of the clamp legs. I chose to run a threaded bar right through my dinghy seats (being fibreglass and old) for extra holding strength. Screws just into the seat on one side wold not be as strong. With the threaded bar running through it pulls both front and rear blocks together tight against the thwart.
Of course the idea of these is to stop the seats lifting, which is a bit of a problem with these clamps apparently.
Anyway I drilled the blocks and countersunk with a forstner bit for the nuts to sit flush with the wood block. Painted with 2 coats of marine enamel and then the blocks were also sikaflex'd to the seat too, mainly to seal off the exposed fibreglass edges from the drilling process, but it should also help hold them in place, with the by-product of hopefully keeping the nuts vibrating loose. In retrospect I should perhaps have used stainless nyloc nuts on them, but I am sure the sikaflex on the threads will do a similar job.
Anyway here are some piccies.
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat1.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat2.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat3.jpg
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/seat4.jpg
Hope it helps!