Mounting seats

[BavMid]

Hi,

We have an Old Town Discovery 164. The installation of the previous set of sets was botched and mis-measured and they are at the end of their life. I have a replacement but due to the previous installation being off, I have no reliable reference for cutting and drilling the new seats.

Is there a place I can find measurements or any good advice on how to derive the right way to size the seats?

Thank you
BavMid

 

[scoutergriz]

what works for me is to get some threaded rod, washers, and nuts, measure a few other canoes of similar size and style for seat location then use the rod to temporarily hang the seats at the lowest logical position and paddle it. if it's too low you can tighten the nuts and clip off the excess with small bolt cutters. and try again until you get the height right, now cut and drill some blocks or dowels as risers, drill them and replace the threaded rod with either stainless rods or bolts.
For positioning you could probably make some temporary blocks to clamp to the gunnels and put the rod through that though I don't know if that would damage the gunnels- there's also the matter of cutting the seats to fit, I measure the location then cut the seats about 1/4" narrower to allow for swelling or expansion, and drill the holes as close as possible to the edge without causing tearout- 1/8- 3/16" from the EDGE of the hole.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Hi BavMid
Well come to the site !

I don't have specs for your Old Town. I'm sure they can be found. Have you tried Old Town ?

If that fails, here is what most use for seat placement standard formula.
Find the center of the canoe.
Then measure form the bow, approximately 53". This will be the front edge of the front seat.
Every canoe is different, so this number needs to provide the front paddler, with enough leg room to be comfortable. Otherwise you will be paddling alone.
Next take the measurement from the front edge, of the bow seat, to the center of the canoe.
This should give you the same distance for the front edge of the stern seat, to the center.

I hope this helps !

There are enough 16' Discos out there. Some one should be able to help !

Good luck

 

[MrPoling]

Is there a place I can find measurements or any good advice on how to derive the right way to size the seats?

I normally start by fitting the stern seat where I think it should go. If you look close you might be able to tell from the wear marks. Then a test float to figure out where the front seat should go.

 

[Tsuga8]

Old Town had great customer service as of ~2019. I emailed them about an Old Town canoe from the 80s and they came back with info and specs to help me replace rotten wood work. I'd start with asking them.

 

[Pseudonym]

Were the botched seats cut too narrowly? If so, before your remove them, you could measure the outward deflection of the seat drops and add that measurement to the width of the new seat on both sides. Then cut a scrap piece of wood to that length, drill new mounting holes and test that piece of wood as if it were a seat. If your drops then hang plumb, you're likely good to go and you can use that scrap of wood as a template for marking and cutting the new seat. If it's still off, then try again with an incremental adjustment on another scrap piece and repeat the process until the scraps fit correctly.