The Lico Seating System

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Apr 27th, '11, 08:40

i built mine out of teak then 20 coats of varnish in basement during winter as spring rolled around i took pod and put on dashboard and scribed out --------damm i should have tape off area along sides where i had to join to dash!!! and keep the stickie fingers off teak.

Jim M. · Post by **Jim M.** » May 5th, '11, 00:00

I agree with JP Dalk, Your priorities should be #1 safety, how is your fuel system, electrical system , etc, etc. #2 reliability, sound like you have some issues there, cosmetic, pods, etc come at the end of the list. I have had my 31 for 10 years, and am just getting to the cool stuff.

Jim M. · Post by **Jim M.** » May 5th, '11, 00:12

I don't mean to be negative, but I have just spent a ton of $$ on my boat. And I would like to help You don't need engine hour meters on the bridge.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » May 5th, '11, 05:40

Jim,

I had created a separate thread about what work Ive had done over the winter and recently in the spring. All the mechanical and electrical concerns have been addressed. Of course it is not a new boat and there is more to do but I am working it out the best I can and the boat seems to be running really well.

As far as the pod/seat project go, I really don't see it as a bling project but as I said recently I am probably holding off on the pod and just working on the seating.

I unfortunately feel the need to defend myself on this. The bench seat is old and starting to fall apart. It is to low to give a clear line of sight over the bow, it's to close to the helm to be able to comfortably stand up while underway and for my father and other older guest who come on the boat climbing over the bench is awkward.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » May 5th, '11, 05:43

New hour meters were moved to the engine compartment.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 7th, '11, 09:17

Wanted to update this thread. And of course a question.

I removed the bench seat and mocked up the location of the new seats, it will all fit easily within the existing rail so I luckily don't need to remove the rail or spend money now to have something fabricated.

Had the welder down to take measurements and the base should be done in a week or so.

While it should be easy enough to through bolt the forward plates the rear may need to be screwed as they will be outside the aft cabin bulkhead but still on the molded bridge deck. What is the best advice on the rear?

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Sep 7th, '11, 09:45

My raft cradle is above the lip area and they through drilled and bolted with washers and cap nuts on the underside.

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 7th, '11, 19:29

somebody like captain patrick would remove head ceiling and take a piece of tape and tape the underside off a tappet wrench put the coresponding 5/16" combination washer nut in the wrench and hold it in place while his partner puts in the 5/16" oval threaded bolt thru the flange,thru the bridge deck and into the washer nut. the port side requires you to remove starboard side cabin ceiling but you need to anyway to run wire down pillar from bridge.

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » Sep 7th, '11, 20:47

Peter

Bob is right, pull down the head liner. You should be able to access all of the bolts.

While you have it down, figure out how to put hatches in the headliner so you don't have to pulll the whole headliner down next time.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 8th, '11, 08:22

Thanks Bob that should work. I will pull the liner down over the weekend ahead of installing. BTW I put the pod in place temporarily to get an idea of where I want the seats when thats done. Considering putting a slider in temporarily until the pod project.

Tony my headliner has a seam at the forward end of the head so it shouldn't be to much to take that part down. Hoping to be able to get my hand up behind the starboard bridge bulkhead to remove the old bench bracket without dropping the liner in the head.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 8th, '11, 09:44

Here are some pictures in progress, I used a crate and some wood to get the right locations to take measurements. The pictures are before I shimmed up the back and the port side a bit to level things off.

The seat is actually not centered in the photo and needs to be moved more towards the center. It looks like the outer arm is touching the canvas and the arm is almost touching the rail when in fact there is a little more space.

It really makes the boat feel like it has a legitimate helm with plenty of room for a comfy passenger.

While this isn't a complicated project like many are taking on it will make a huge difference when I'm running the boat.

Stephan · Post by **Stephan** » Sep 8th, '11, 10:33

Pete-
How do the old folks and very young folks get from the cockpit to the bridge on your boat?
Best,
Stephan

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 8th, '11, 10:57

The simple answer is they dont :-D

The ladder built into the tower is pretty easy to use and allows me a full size cushion on the engine box. I also have a 2 step plastic box that I throw on the engine box when I am going up and down working at the dock. It works as a boarding step at the transom when the family is coming and going.

I like the fact that the young and old stay off the bridge while I'm underway. If you can manage to get a leg up onto the engine box then you can do the rest easily.

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Sep 8th, '11, 11:55

Question: Is the passenger in the seat next to you trapped there when the boat is in motion? Can he/she get by you to get in or out, or must you get completely out of the way?

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 8th, '11, 12:26

You are correct walter. You need to step to the side to let them in and out. You can easily do it without letting go of the wheel but certainly a draw back.

I do the same when someone wants to swing their legs over the bench anyway so I don't see it as a draw back. On the upside two men can stand comfortably on the starboard side. Of course no climbing which is plus, better height for comfort and visibility. Plus much more leg room.

I am just stealing bobs idea, which seems to be by far the best layout for my needs YMMV.

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 8th, '11, 14:32

peter don`t forget the the whole idea was "a shot in the dark" Todd corp. gave me a free ride for any comb. of chairs they make . out of at least 20 examples i came up with the movie theater seating layout.that is remove one arm and then use two full size chairs together. the general manager was ecstatic ,so he ask me if he could photo. the bridge to use in advertisement ---yep . i would not keep the boat if i had to stand on that bridge alone!! going out in the morning we sit back and enjoy our coffee and eggs on roll while discussing fishing destinations or confabulate. siting on seat bottom over shock absorbers will make a long ride alot easier especially when i have four eyes on the water.

TailhookTom · Post by **TailhookTom** » Sep 8th, '11, 15:14

Walter:

I had a similar setup to get to the bridge of Tailhook. The exception was there was a Release Marine helm chair and nothing else on the bridge. There was a sign by the tower legs "If your name isn't Tom, you don't belong on the bridge."

Tom

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 8th, '11, 16:26

Bob,

You should know Todd and a few others are making a double helm seat with a shared center arm now. Most are 48" wide, a bit to large for this purpose.

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Sep 8th, '11, 16:26

A lot of personal stuff comes into play here. I, like you prefer not to have anyone on the bridge with me. Contrastingly, Bob likes it very much. Set up the boat the way YOU like it and the hell with anyone else. It's one of the few places in the world where you are totally the boss. All I need is someone asking "do you HAVE to smoke that smelly cigar?" The answer is YES and if you're going to throw up, I don't want you on the bridge.

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 8th, '11, 17:21

walter that is why i indicated my son or John (harbor) is on the bridge with me not some landlubber.i should have been more specific .i can`t tell how many times he has prevented me from hitting junk in the water or notified me there is a " dot " i did not see on the radar screen directly in front of that seat let alone take over while i go down below to the head.
peter they make quite a few custom two seat configurations that the public does not see under the todd/ tracy name , how about that beauty on the everglades with power seats . that was my first choice but all two to 4" to wide.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 14th, '11, 15:54

The seats are in. I didn't have time to take pictures will do that tomorrow or over the weekend. Not as fancy as bobs but the function is similar.

Running the boat over to a spot I can pull the pulpit off over the weekend. Should have these little projects all wrapped up before the fall bass run begins.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 15th, '11, 06:59

Capt. Mike Holmes · Post by **Capt. Mike Holmes** » Sep 15th, '11, 10:21

One of the things I've never liked about the flybridge 31's was the bench seat, Peter's and Bob's look like a real improvement. On my express, I had to modify the engine boxes anyway, to mount the Cummins where I wanted them, so I changed the hatches around and mounted big Murray Brothers teak chairs I was able to get pretty cheap from a big boat remodel.

Like Vic and others, though, I prefer to stand a lot of the time, so I mounted the seats far enough back to be able to do that. I was on a Poker Run with a local go-fast boat club years ago, got to ride on three 38 Wellcraft Scarabs that weekend. One had been Hulk Hogan's personal boat (still had "Hulk-o-Mania" on the sides), one was a boat that belonged to the factory and was driven by their race/test boat driver, the other was Red Adair's. All had turboed 454's, and all had bolster seats, where the "seat" dropped down to make a leaning cradle. I really liked those, were pretty comfortable even when the regional sales guy driving the Hulk boat jumped a tugboat wake in the ICW at speed.

This was before I had my 31, and the Wellcraft dealer was trying to get me a promo on a 34' Scarab with outboards. Unfortunately, his wife - who had the family money - caught him fooling around and pulled the plug on his business.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 15th, '11, 10:33

Hey Capt Mike, I am one of the new guys. You seem to have made a lasting impression even with an extended absence. Welcome back.

The flip up bolsters IMO would be the best option for this setup, really comfy to stand up or sit down. And would allow the seat to be closer to be snugged in while sitting but more room when the bolster is flipped up. In my case it was a matter of cost I believe my seats were around $350 or $400 each and the bolster seats are $1000 or more.

captbone · Post by **captbone** » Sep 15th, '11, 13:50

Peter

Congrats. It looks great. Who did the pipe work for you? Did they come to the boat and do it on site or take measurements?

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 15th, '11, 14:05

As you saw I got the seats just where I wanted with a crate and shims. He came down and took some measurements. Came back a week later with the legs about 3" longer then necessary. He cut them down and got them close. We then put the seats on to get it as level as we could. He temporarily screwed down the base plates and tacked them in place. Removed and finished off the welding on land.

Fronts are through bolted with a backing plate, the back is self taping. You'll notice the legs are set in so that the forward starboard leg doesn't trip you up when the passenger gets in and out. I also decided to place it exactly where I want it for when the pod goes in, had to mock that up. I now have sliders in place to get me where I want to be for now.

Penweld in West Sayville did the work.

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 15th, '11, 14:55

you finally got in touch with penweld . i guess he looked and said hey! i did this before.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 15th, '11, 15:04

Thanks Bob, would not have had such a nice final product without your insight. It was a pleasure to run the boat, I leaned back and drank my coffee with a big smile!

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » Sep 15th, '11, 20:49

Peter

Looks good. They did a great job on the support.

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 22nd, '11, 08:19

any time brother. about two weeks till the migration of bass start. schools of bass, bluefin tuna will be off sunken forest attacking the sand ells .this will be the experiance of lifetime ------wot. thru 8' to 10' waves coming from two directions to get out the inlet. the good news is we will be alone on those pods.give you a call.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 22nd, '11, 09:45

Bob,

I am in. It funny that you mention it because I am in the process of researching some heavier jigging rods for bass in the ocean and small blue fin. I currently only have light tackle and fly fishing stuff.

Looking at Seeker Hercules rod and Avet reel for bluefin jigging. Something a bit smaller for bass. My current Loomis rods with Calcutta 400s are great setups but only good for smaller jigs in shallow water.

JP Dalik · Post by **JP Dalik** » Sep 22nd, '11, 10:11

Peter,

Been using the shimano terez rods. Great all around stick. We have 4 that are used for everything from trolling to chunking to jigging w/16vsx

2 large spinning rods for popping tunas with Saragossas

2 waxwing rods for inshore fluke and such with Sustains

Lots of backbone and great action.

As far as reels go I don't think you can go wrong with the Avets. Don't discount those CT400's we did a 305 Thresher on one 4 years ago in under 2 hours.

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 22nd, '11, 10:31

I've got a couple of Calcutta 700s with 30# line on Diawa 7' heavy casting rods I use for small yellowfin jigging, cobia, tarpon and the like. Spinning reels just don't have the leeverage to handle strong fish in a hurry....takes too long. At TSL this year we were casting for bonito bait and caught a 40# or so yellowfin on the little spoon and it took forever to get it in on a big spinning outfit.

UV

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 22nd, '11, 10:38

Thanks JP. What model of the terez rods do you use? The seeker Hercules rods are great for jigging and chunking but from what I understand don't hold up well for trolling. Would love one set that trolls, chucks and jigs. While my current situation is limited to near shore its a long term investment when you get into 6 or 8 rods for trolling especially.

I love the Calcutta 400s especially the two non level winds i have with big game handles I've done just about everything with them from weak fish, bass, blackfish, fluke to bluefin, small makos, albies, skipjack and mahi. The thumb bar to me is a huge asset when jigging all day. The only limitation is line capacity.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 22nd, '11, 10:45

Vicroy wrote:I've got a couple of Calcutta 700s with 30# line on Diawa 7' heavy casting rods I use for small yellowfin jigging, cobia, tarpon and the like. Spinning reels just don't have the leeverage to handle strong fish in a hurry....takes too long. At TSL this year we were casting for bonito bait and caught a 40# or so yellowfin on the little spoon and it took forever to get it in on a big spinning outfit.

UV

Vic, I had 2 700s on Calcutta rods 20-40 4-8 oz jigs, great setups which I sold years ago. They don't make that model rod anymore, years back that was my big game shark and tuna setup.

I've found after some practice you can get more distance and accuracy with a conventional reel then you can with a spinner. I understand there is a learning curve so for me spinners are good for guests but I won't use one.

Ironman · Post by **Ironman** » Sep 22nd, '11, 11:24

those avet reels are awesome... made in the USA
those small reels can handle alot....
use some spectra backing & top off with florocarbon..
had mine for 6 yrs or so..

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 22nd, '11, 11:51

JP,

Went to a tackle shop during lunch. Those terez rods are unbelievable. The 7' MH paired with an Avet MX looks like a small bass rod but can handle blue fin no problem. The technology these days is unreal.

TailhookTom · Post by **TailhookTom** » Sep 22nd, '11, 12:26

My favorite reel by far is now my Shimano Tiagra 16 -- out of the box it is blueprinted to fish 80 line. I have it loaded with about 650 yards of 80lb Spectra and a mono topshot.

There is nothing that swims that this real doesn't have capacity to take -- the angler will be beaten before that reel will be!

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » Sep 22nd, '11, 16:21

A guy near me is making the Release reels that are supposed to be good. I have not tried one though, so I cannot say for certain.

http://www.releasereels.com/RELEASEREELS/Home.html

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 22nd, '11, 17:03

ironman do you feel you need the two speed version for offshore lets say 50lbs tuna to 30 lbs stripe bass. i am very interested in the avet reel but don`t know enough to make a decision yet. i normally use a penn 975 with braid for bass and stay with penn international 50 offshore tuna.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 22nd, '11, 17:30

Bob I'm still figuring some of these things out. A big advantage to a 975 is you drop it in free spool and when you turn the handle the reel engages. With an Avet or any level drag you need to engage and disengage, it's a bit of a pain since diamond jigging bass is 3 or 4 turns and drop again.

The Avet or any of the smaller lever drags are great for blu fin jigging where your coming through the water column. High speed for jigging and low speed for working a fish.

The small Avet MX comes in single and double speed and isn't much bigger then a 975 but holds 500 yards of 50 lb braid. Unless you get the MC version which has casting control the 975 you can adjust the free spool to avoid back lash.

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Sep 22nd, '11, 18:01

I know lever drags are the symbol of a high class reel, but when it comes to diamond jigging for Bass, nothing does the job like ANY Penn flip the lever and you're in gear system. If you were underwater seeing what the jig does, that sharp stop gives the jig a completely different appearance and action. They may not cost as much, but I'll bet they catch more fish.

Ironman · Post by **Ironman** » Sep 22nd, '11, 20:43

Bob; For sure ..you get the fish to the boat alot faster.. once you get the fish's head facing you.. He ll never get his head turned with these 2 speeds.. The support is like Shimano was 10 years back..
Did I say US made?? Nice smooth drags..
Wayne

bob lico · Post by **bob lico** » Sep 23rd, '11, 16:06

walter you and my son are on the same "channel" he uses the penn 3/0 for jigging and is not changing he uses red color power pro braid and cajun advantage mono leader. like peter mention the penn 975 engages with a slight turn of crank . i have had the level wind repair once and i feel the 975 is not a very strong reel gear wise . the ability to cast is not important i don`t use the reel for that purpose.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 23rd, '11, 17:02

Bob,

Was down at the shop in Babylon. None of the star drag reels engage by turning the handle. They are all manual, accept smaller baitcasters like a Calcutta or 975. Anything bluefin capable at least.

The Avet MX isn't much more work then a star drag reel, that part of the question is answered pretty simply for me. Both the shimano terez and trevalas are capable of double duty.

In comparison the seeker Hercules rods seem like giant meat sticks. Will probably hang around the shop tomorrow and learn more.

JP Dalik · Post by **JP Dalik** » Sep 23rd, '11, 17:53

Trevala is old technology

Terez is newer- in this case newer is better.

PeterPalmieri · Post by **PeterPalmieri** » Sep 23rd, '11, 18:31

JP, Typo on my part. Tried to sneak in that post before dinner.

Didn't realize the trevala F butterfly jig rods were $220. I havent spent enough time but $40 more for the terez seems like a no brainer.

JP Dalik · Post by **JP Dalik** » Sep 23rd, '11, 20:52

Peter,

The trevala is really a butterfly specific blank and layup. What I loved about the Terez was the fact that it filled so many niches' with one rod. Shimano markets the Terez series as a true boat rod and for the season that we've been using them it is really everything they say it is.

With that said keep in mind you will still have to have crew that understands how to fish with these thinner rods, if you high stick it under a heavy load it will break. If you want idiot proof by an ugly stick.

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