Design Opinions?

[CamB25]

I'm working on the helm seat for my 25. The upper back slat is curved. I can't decide between mounting it low so that the outer L support tops are exposed, or high so that everything is covered. If I go with the high position, I'll need to cut down the outer L supports to follow the curve of the slat (not a big deal), otherwise the back is too tall. Your opinion is welcomed! thanks!

High positon:




Low position:




Still can't figure out why the new site likes to crop the photos..

Cam

[Stephan]

Might people be standing behind the seat and need something to hold on to if a wave comes? If so I'd vote for higher.
Can you determine if the higher back would block your view of some of the cockpit when standing?
Mostly it looks fabulous, nice work!
Best,
Stephan

[In Memory Walter K]

Hard to judge off the boat. Anything blocking my view of the cockpit would bother me. Also, how it effects the lines of the boat is a consideration. From a carpentry point of view, it's beautiful.

[CamB25]

Thanks, guys. Your comments are convincing me to hold off until I can place it on the boat in early January. I have a model of the seatbox (visible in the second photo) that needs to be "fit" as well. Now might be a good time to hold construction. The L-shaped seat base is assembled, the armrests are built but not permanently attached to the seat, and the slats are rough cut. Makes no sense to guess at this point.

[Carl]

Beautiful !

I like the back covering the uprights...protruding uprights give me the impression of a park bench.
If visibility is an issue, I'd lower the back and uprights further and keep covered.
Might look nice to have uprights stop same distance away from top of arc.

Can't go wrong either way...

Did I mention beautiful?

Carl

[Joe E]

Covered unless you make the center match and expose all three

[ianupton]

Nice work.

Bessey K bodies hanging on the wall, very nice! The best 'bar' clamps I have ever owned. Laguna bandsaw... wow! Nice shop.

Ian.

[Bob H.]

Cam, Id vote for trimming them down to match the curve of the back rest...nice work..its amazing the work involved to make such a subtle statement..most will overlook..except for the guys in this sandbox..BH

[CamB25]

its amazing the work involved to make such a subtle statement..most will overlook..except for the guys in this sandbox

Ha! Ain't that the truth. The inside of those glue-ups are where the magic lies. Looks like 2, 3/4" pieces of iroko glued together...wrong! Each section is cored with 13 ply BB plywood...even the armrests. This was a lesson learned from seats made for my Whaler. Wood breaks pretty easily along the grain line. I used aluminum plate to strengthen the Whaler seats, but decided to be an illusionist with these. I'm a certified wood butcher and my B25 will have some wood "features" so that I can easily find it in the parking lot.

[tunawish]

Cam, Id vote for trimming them down to match the curve of the back rest...nice work..its amazing the work involved to make such a subtle statement..most will overlook..except for the guys in this sandbox..BH

Cam .. What Bob said.... and very nice work...

Ray

[Peter]

Nice work. Very beautiful.

I wasn't going to say aything but my first impression was that there were weak spots the way the grain laid out. Love your slick-trick way to core it with ply to work around that problem!

You should go low if you still can. The low position is plenty high enough for back support but will be better to reach over and see over and generally work around.

As Walter said it is hard to judge off the boat, but one general reality of designing/proportioning anything for the 25's is keeping everyting low but still workable.... and thus creating the visual illusion that the 25 is a bigger boat than it really is. Unless you have very strong reasons to go with the high position, I'd vote strongly for low (with the supports re-worked to match to the curve of the back.)

Looks sweet.

Peter

[Pete Fallon]

Cam,
Nice looking chair, one suggestion, what about putting hand holds recessed into the top board if your not going to put a cushion on the backrest, if your using a back cushion never mind. Nice job on the woodwork.
Pete Fallon