1969-1975 bucket seats

Can't someone here do a little fiberglass work and make a few of these desirable seat bases. The frame is all glass with plywood sandwiching the seat bottom. If someone is willing, I can provide the original sample as long as I have it back in a month.   

I have a set that will be coming apart soon to get recovered. I will take a look & see what is involved & will take some pics etc. Will keep you posted Tim.

I just wanted to update this thread. I would still love to find some original buckets if they come available, but I cannot afford to keep waiting and hoping- the Skier is going to need seats for this summer!

Reid has forwarded a few pictures of a bare bucket. These will be a big help in creating a mold and should allow me to reproduce at least the ones I need. Depending on the amount of time and cost involved, I may be able to make a few extra if there is enough interest. Hopefully I will get some made within a month or so.

Youre right Pete, Im surprised at how crude they are- though I guess I shouldnt be. The foam and vinyl covering hide a lot!

No worries on the dimensions- we're looking into shipping that bare one to me. If its totally cost prohibitive, I still have the covered one in my Inca Gold Skier to baseline everything from. No way the original vinyl is coming off it though!



Question for you Pete- once I get the mold built, what should I use between it and the glass so that it releases?

Thanks Pete, I added that honey wax to my next McMaster order that Im putting together.

I dont know about mine looking better than the factory- Im a hack when it comes to fiberglass. They should be functional and plenty strong, but I doubt theyll be pretty. Theyre just going to get covered in vinyl and foam anyways!

Several years later, its time to update this thread!

While I am always interested when used buckets come available, I no longer have a pressing need for any. As mentioned previously, I built a mold for the '69-70 buckets, and successfully produced a pair. I have also disassembled pair of the '71-74 buckets (most commonly found in Skiers), and have noted the differences. I should be able to produce that style as well, with a little effort. Most recently, I have acquired a '73 Ski Nautique bucket, which is slightly different from the other 2 styles (taller, rounded back). I have not figured out a way to reproduce it yet, but I'm sure its within my capabilities... so on the list it goes.

'69-70 buckets:


'69-70 buckets with upholstery, for reference:


'71-74 buckets (on left):


'71-74 buckets with upholstery, for reference:



~'72-75 SN buckets:




I will start a new thread when I actually have seats available, but if anyone knows they are in need of a set, drop me a line and I may be able to adjust my priorities. I am also in the process of having the aluminum frames reproduced as well, so I can probably help you out if youre starting from scratch (at least up to vinyl and foam).

Email: TRBenj@gmail.com

Do I need to drop you a line to retain my spot somewhere near the head of the line?



john

Damn Tim I wish I had access to your molds. We just threw TONS of pre-preg 32x48' sheets (fiberglass cloth with resin already in it)away as waste as it was out of date. It bout killed me!

Funny thing was the guy tossing it out said "Hey Foot....you need any glass to fix your boat?"

Darn it Tim, pre-preg would be pretty sweet for these!

John, youre at the front of the line for the SN buckets... but it may be a while before I get to them. Youre the only person I know of who has any interest in one- but maybe this thread will uncover some more demand? Either way, I still need to develop a way to make those rounded backs. I can pop the 69-70 buckets right now, and the 71-74 buckets are similar enough that I could do those relatively easily as well.

Chris, Spike's boat came with the original buckets. The seats were out for repair and reupholstery when you were here- the fishing boat seats were temporary. That was supposed to be a summer project, but it spilled into this off season.

Have you spent much time in these older, smaller boats? Take a close look here:

TRBenj wrote: '69-70 buckets with upholstery, for reference:

If you plan on leaving yourself enough room to get a leg between the driver and observer seats (which makes it MUCH easier to get into the driver's seat since youre not having to step over everything), you 'll note that youre not left with a lot of room to make the seat wider. 6" maybe? Thats not wide enough to get another ass in the seat.

I added a wider observer seat to my Ski Tique... it came out nice, but functionality didnt really change from the single bucket. Its a 1.5x width seat at best. I wouldnt do it again.



That being said, I could make a wider version of the bucket if you were dead set on the idea. Email me: TRBenj@gmail.com

OK OK you guys win, I just need to realize i'm in a 16ft boat and deal with it.

Great work Tim. Thanks for keeping things original!

Pretty awesome tim!