Building seat frames

[Last Mohican]

Some of you are following my Ambassador build thread. If you are not familiar with the project you can check the link in my sig.

I am to the point I am starting to think about building the seat frames. We have decided to put it back in pretty much the original configuration with some minor changes. My wife and I both really like the vintage feel of the boat. The original seat frames were built out of plywood. I'm guessing it was marine grade but not completely sure of that. They were not coated in any way. Judging by the rest of the boat they would probably be in decent shape IF the boat had not been left out uncovered for 10 years.

The options I am mulling over are:

1) Use marine grade plywood coated with resin and glass

2) Use exterior grade plywood treated with Thompson's water seal or similar product to seal the wood.

3) Use pressure treated plywood and leave it un-coated.

I know option 1 is the most durable option that will last the longest. I just wonder if it is overkill for this project. We are not going to paint and polish the boat to better than new condition. This is more of a budget minded restoration, leaving a little patina, that we are not afraid to go out and use. For example, I am not going to paint the boat or rebuild the seats in the cabin. I will replace the carpet in the cabin and polish the gel as good as I can.

Opinions?????

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building seat frames

You have a very nice restore going. I really like the looks of your SLEEK!
I would use 3/4 inch Ext. Grade ply wood and give it two coats of Epoxy resin. If not Epoxy then Marine Varnish. Ext. Grade Ply uses basically the same glue as Marine Grade ply. It does have some voids in the plys but it should be fine for your seat bases. Paint it with a couple of coats of Rustoleum Premium Primer and two coats of Rustoleum Premium paint and it will last 40 years!

I'm just sayin...

 

[Biged007]

Re: Building seat frames

I've used primed MDO board in the past and painted it with epoxy it's fairly cheap and doesn't tend to warp.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Building seat frames

Thompson's is basically wax. Nix that idea. Either use PT or seal up some marine ply or exterior ply with resin and glass. You could use epoxy resin alone and that will work well however adding glass will make it pretty well bulletproof.

 

[djpeters]

Re: Building seat frames

This thread caught my eye as I will be rebuilding my seats as well. If they are coated with resin or epoxy, will it still be possible to get the staples for the seat cover in?

 

[Last Mohican]

Re: Building seat frames

This thread caught my eye as I will be rebuilding my seats as well. If they are coated with resin or epoxy, will it still be possible to get the staples for the seat cover in?

We will see what the experts say but I believe you can with the right tools. IE: a good pneumatic staple gun not a manual one. My other thought on this is each staple is 2 penetrations through the resin. Each of those penetrations allows the opportunity for water to get in. This is one of the reasons I wounder if resin is overkill for a project like mine.

I like Woodonglass' idea of the marine varnish and exterior grade plywood. That sounds durable and more affordable than epoxy resin and marine grade plywood.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building seat frames

You could always use snaps instead of staples
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/sewinginfo/hsc-sewing-hints/sewing-snaps.htm

I'm just sayin...

 

[djpeters]

Re: Building seat frames

I was thinking marine grade and calling it good...

 

[Last Mohican]

Re: Building seat frames

I guess I need to calculate how much ply and resin I will need and see what the cost difference is. @ $100 a sheet for marine ply and $100 per gallon for epoxy resin I got a feeling it is going to be several hundred dollars less to do it with exterior grade and varnish. Again this is not a show quality restoration. It does not make sense to spend thousands on interior for a boat that will never be worth more than 3K - 4K.

 

[newellchunker]

Re: Building seat frames

As somebody mentioned above.....use MDO plywood...it has less voids than regular exterior grade and is glued with the same stuff as exterior or marine grade.....

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Building seat frames

Again this is not a show quality restoration. It does not make sense to spend thousands on interior for a boat that will never be worth more than 3K - 4K.

Given this, I'd think I'd just go with PT.

 

[Last Mohican]

Re: Building seat frames

What is PT?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Building seat frames

What is PT?

pressure treated

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building seat frames

Pressure Treated Ply wood. Problem with it is you really need to let it dry. I forgot about MDO. It IS really nice stuff and DOES use water proof resin in it's manufacture. It's what they use to make Road Signs. Kinda Pricey but would be a Very Good Choice for seat bases. NOT sold at Lowe's and HD. Will need to go to Quality Lumber Yard.

I'm just sayin...

 

[djpeters]

Re: Building seat frames

$100 bucks? I was quoted marine grade from Lowe's @ $66 for 3/4, and $51 for 1/2".

 

[newellchunker]

Re: Building seat frames

Really that cheap for marine ply??? I was quoted 97 bucks for it! I bought the MDO for 54 bucks for 3/4". Thought that was decent???

 

[Last Mohican]

Re: Building seat frames

pressure treated

Doh :SillyMe: Should have figured that out.

 

[sasto]

Re: Building seat frames

We built them using styrofoam.....Yup...We took a sheet, cut the patterns, hot glued the pieces together to form a male part...layed up a few layers of glass over the foam.... and before we faired it in with putty and painted...we easily removed the foam with a little coaxing from gasolene...lightweight and very durable....that was over 15yrs ago and they are still in service. Several parts were built that way, including some ultralight aircraft parts.

 

[Last Mohican]

Re: Building seat frames

$100 bucks? I was quoted marine grade from Lowe's @ $66 for 3/4, and $51 for 1/2".

You should go buy all you can. Lowe's here quoted me $134 for 3/4" and $98 for 1/2" marine grade.

 

[sprintst]

Re: Building seat frames

I went overboard and did my bases in 3/4 marine grade that was left over from the deck. I coated the wood in epoxy and used epoxy peanut butter at the joints. Hinges from www.veada.com

I didn't glass anything other than the gunwale supports. The upholsterer looked at the pictures and siad that those bases will be around for the next hundred years

There are some pics in the link in my signature...