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View Full Version : Marinetech Suspension pedestal - Review



thylacene
09-12-2012, 09:02 PM
About three months ago I purchased two of these, have only fitted one to date as have not sorted the box for the starboard side, but did promise the guys at Marinetech that I would put up a review once we had tried them out. The pedestal is fitted to the port side seatbox.

When I ordered these I also ordered sandwich plates to avoid crushing the frp seatbox, and to spread the load more evenly. It is amazing the amount of force that seat mounts cop in ordinary seas.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-imAmxqxAwgM/UMRm-loYyxI/AAAAAAAAAnw/GlSBZW8rF0Y/s800/DSC00383.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bpsOeG-KsdM/UMRl06TIH9I/AAAAAAAAAnw/rB7Zpq-dGJI/s800/DSC00374.JPG

http://www.marinetechindustries.com.au/media/products/options/d5599a3e-f4fc-4da5-b2c9-8e8c59c75571INVER220%20Inverted%20Softrider%20Spec %20Sheet.pdf

The pedestal does what it is supposed to, it takes the jar out of the occasional hard landing. I tip the scales at 114kg, and it handles my weight fine. The helm chair mount fitted straight on. I did reinforce the top of the box with another 2 layers of 450 mat and also glassed in some foam "stringers" to stop the top from flexing (the cause of the failure of the fixed mount this replaces.

The unit appears to be made of high quality materials, and after three months and 40 odd engine hours is showing no signs of corrosion. Welding looks solid and the machining is nicely finished.

There is adjustment available for the height, by pressing the button on the top you can lower it, but that is effectively pre-loading the spring rate, making it a bit harsher. Being able to adjust the height may be handy if you turn your seats around to fish (able to lower it)

The pedestal works best if you hold the grab rail and have your feet on the footrest, this allows the pedestal to operate vertically and reduces the lateral load (friction). there need be almost no weight on your feet or arms, just the posture in the seat makes it "balanced", allowing the piston to move with minimum friction.

I sat through a 24k trip heading straight into short period 1m - 1.5m whitecaps, and while I could feel the seat working, didn't get jarred once.

The wench is very happy, she suffers from a bad back on occasions, and was most pleased with the difference the pedestal made. Other passengers have commented on the difference also.

Marinetech Industries were absolutely fantastic to deal with, great customer service and fantastic communication. These guys are a pleasure to deal with (thanks Opti).

Will it last? Only time will tell, but happy to consider it a consumable. If it lasts three years it will still be value for money for the job it does. Marinetech state that they are rebuildable (appear to have an office chair mechanism) and they did say they can add extra gas for heavier weights.

Final verdict, glad we spent the money, it may not be military grade, but represents value for money for what we need to do. Bear in mind we do not try to run hard, but every now and then you catch a wave the wrong way. I reckon we get value for money every time this happens. All up, a quality product at a reasonable price.

johncar
10-12-2012, 04:36 PM
Thanks for the update too, I am going through the pain at present trying to fine something for myself. My boat rides very well, probably better than any other boat I have ever owned but I have had to have some internal surgery of late and I am feeling a bit paranoid about suffering an internal bleed if I hit a wave the wrong way. So looking at suspension/shock mitigating seating so I can confidently go fishing again soon.
I have aluminium seat boxes and my current seats just sit on short pedestals dropping into the top of the seat boxes. I have 220mm between the top of the seat box and the underside of my seat but there is a fore and aft slide unit within that dimension as well. From the top of the seat box to the seat surface you sit on it is 320mm ATM which I would like to try and maintain close to when my 85KG weight is on the seat.
I don't want or need swivel, just locked securely looking forward.
Good to hear you are having success with these and I will put them on my list of solutions to investigate. How do my dimensions compare with your setup if you don't mind me asking.

thylacene
10-12-2012, 06:01 PM
Ok, the best dimension to use to allow you to compare is from the top of the box to the top of the pedestal shaft, and that is 180mm, at full extension. If you seats have a similar mounting (the black section you can see in the photo) then the seat base is 225mm from the top of the box. From what you have said, there is likely to only be mm in it.

As stated, I am a fat bastard tipping the scales at 114kg, and lose about 10mm of travel when sitting on the seat.

For around $300 freighted to your door, I reckon these are worthy punt. If you are not trying to imitate navy seals when you are travelling these pedestals are the go. The mil spec stuff starts in the thousands and goes to silly money. Taking the jar out of the landing of the odd wave, or the odd trip of 20k's home in 1 to 1.5 m chop was out goal, and we are happy with the outcome.

For anyone interested, they do the full pedestal for almost a hundred dollars less than the box mount.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Thy

johncar
10-12-2012, 09:23 PM
Thanks Thy, yes those dimensions look OK and I agree we don't need Mil spec shock seating for $k's. My seats however don't have the composite pedestal sockets so I will have to buy them as well if I go with these, about $65.00 each on the Marinetech website. I already have good quality Springfield slides on my seats which I definitely use depending on whether standing or sitting and looking at the dimensions they should bolt up OK.
It will just be the overall height including my slides that may be an issue but I will check it out properly..

thylacene
10-12-2012, 10:10 PM
You can adjust the pedestal down, there is a button you can press to lower them, they lower right down so losing 20 - 30 mm would not be an issue.

johncar
11-12-2012, 09:05 AM
You can adjust the pedestal down, there is a button you can press to lower them, they lower right down so losing 20 - 30 mm would not be an issue.

OK thanks thy for letting me know, it all helps. It's probably going to be one of the most economical methods by the looks.
Just another question if you don't mind, I don't like my seat moving around at all while travelling at sea and have found that pedestal seat clamps generally to be a bit inadequate as far as gripping the post top and allowing the seat to move around unexpectantly. In every one I have ever had I have ended up getting rid of them and bolting the seat down to a frame with no swivel with just the slide.
I can probably put a pin through the seat swivel adapter to lock it in forward position but there is still the pedestal itself which appears to have a key way style slot to stop rotation. My concerns are how strong are they and are they likely to bind and get sloppy after a short while?
I just don't like any sideways movement in the seat and like it to feel rigid other than of course the shock mitigation which I would hope to be smooth and sturdy feeling.
Anyway the next step is for me to have a talk with the supplier I guess. Thanks
.

thylacene
11-12-2012, 05:37 PM
Johncar,

There is a small amount of lateral movement, about 1mm at the point the shaft enters the cylinder, this translates into about 5-6mm of lateral movement, barely noticeable, but it is there. The top on the shaft has a milled finish, and the seat clamps work just fine, no rotation, as long as you tighten them.

As with anything boating there is a compromise. As you point out, these are about the most economical on the market, if you want extremely close tolerances, you pay for mil spec equipment.

My estimation after three months of use is that these pedestals should be good for several years, with a rider that says dousing them in salt water would significantly reduce the working life. With a list price of $288, it is my view that I happily got what I paid for, and if it lasts thre years without incident (about 450 hours in our case) I will consider them bloody good value, but I am also happy to put a price on convenience and comfort.

I should point out that I have no association or allegiance to Marinetech Industries, I am just a happy and satisfied customer, who having bought their prototype, agreed to give them a good rap if the product met expectations, and to liaise with them directly if it did not.

I am also fussy about lateral movement, and having done the install, I still find that there is more from the slight flex in the FRP seat box than in the mechanism. A stated above, using the Jesus bar and footrests makes for much better operation, and when I fit the drivers side up, I am comfortable that the support offered by the wheel and the footrest will allow it to function smoothly also.

Cheers

Thy

johncar
11-12-2012, 05:52 PM
OK thanks Thy, that is pretty much what I would have expected regarding the amount of movement etc and that is all fair enough. Decisions!!

thylacene
11-12-2012, 06:06 PM
Just as a side note, I paid more for a bilge pump that only lasted 19 months, I have learnt that BOAT is not a word, just an acronym. Bring Out Another Thousand!

death_ship
11-12-2012, 09:17 PM
I had the pedestal ones and when one broke after years of use they sent me replacement bits free of charge.

thylacene
12-12-2012, 06:25 AM
Yep, they have a strong focus on customer service, can't ask for better than that!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTliHhUCCM8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Would have been good to know before we ordered the boat, but I enjoy tinkering, just always struggle for time. Would have fitted them both sides

Mister
13-12-2012, 07:44 PM
Ho hum Ho hum, wouldn't it be nice to KNOW the whole story?

thylacene
13-12-2012, 07:51 PM
Mister,

What else would you like to know?

Thy

Mister
13-12-2012, 08:01 PM
Mister,

What else would you like to know?

Thy

The box is all yours! So far so good, make a good consultant, making all the right sounds, client would be impressed! hee hee

thylacene
13-12-2012, 08:07 PM
We bought our boat in Jan 2010, check the post on here for fitout. We were a little naive at that time, and in addition, we pressured the dealer and International Marine, so rather than wait, we took the boat with minimal fitout. If your intent was to suggest that anything posted above is not accurate or the truth, I would suggest that you check the various posts. I work for the public sector in IT.

Even before we bought our first boat I have sought advice, guidance and info from this forum, and found that searching posts on various subjects has allowed me to avoid some mistakes on the way through. I take the time to post up my bits and pieces of project work to allow others to take a look if it is relevant to what they are looking to do. I have benefited significantly from the Infomration posted by others, and like to give back in return.

For the record, I am a public sector employee working in IT, based in Canberra and fish regularly at Bermagui as we have a camp down there.

My transaction with MarineTech Industries was the direct result of another member on here, Opti. I feel it only right to give credit where it is due, I received very good customer service, the product met my expectations, and took the time to pass my experience along.

Recommendation based on experience are the most truthful form of advertising.

I seriously hope you were not questioning my integrity, as I woudl take offense.

Thy

Mister
13-12-2012, 08:14 PM
Integrity is good .... and often in short supply, don't loose that!

anythingfishy1
21-12-2012, 08:24 PM
Thanks Thy for the review. After your review I bought the 600mm pedestal with swivel and slide for both sides. I recieved them yesterday fitted them tried them today.OMG Sally anf I could actually still get out of the boat this arvo. They were brillant. Hit a couple of beauties out in the northern end of the bay and cringed but felt nothing. Well worth the money.
Cheers
Kelvin

cormorant
21-12-2012, 09:46 PM
And therein lies the problem- it is a fun problem to have and at that budget a no brainer.
Now with better seat mounts the boat will get a extra flogging and trust me you will find even larger holes at higher speed - it is called the "Murphy's pucker the date formulae". Suspension seat + Smile + speed + hole = Eyes like saucers + Date puckered

With propper suspension seats we found that we travelled faster everywhere, better ecconomy as wern't on and off the throttle unless it was really bad , as you do, and we ended up with some odd breakages and things that wore out ( like passengers) . You soon find any electrical wires running through opening with sharp edges are doomed , spotlight mounts , aerials , bending jesus holds and odd assorted things wearing or coming loose from the shudders when you hit a hole.

Just commenting as if you do the same speeds , just more consistantly all will be ok but when you push it harder it can still hurt and put the teeth through the bottom lip and do the back damage if you totally rely on them with limited travel. I used to forget just how tough the other passengers were doing it while me and the nav sat in comfort while their legs were burning and teeth chattering.

Have a great Chrissy everyone.

thylacene
22-12-2012, 06:42 PM
Yep, agree, if you run harder because you are comfortable you will get breakages. Only fitted the nav side so far, that way I still have a sense of reality