Seat Frames for ’68 & ’66
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7292
Printed Date: January-18-2025 at 12:49am
Topic: Seat Frames for ’68 & ’66
Posted By: Jim_In_Houston
Subject: Seat Frames for ’68 & ’66
Date Posted: June-30-2007 at 10:58pm
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Ever since I brought home the '68 I have been struggling with replacing the front seats. The PO had installed some Wally World seats that just looked terrible. Original replacements for an early Mustang do not seem to exist. I spent a lot of money trying to adapt several different brands of new seats and nothing I have found has been acceptable. So, as mentioned in a previous thread, I designed my own frames, bought marine grade aluminum bar from a supplier in Florida, and shipped the aluminum bar stock direct to a fabricator near Dallas (along with my drawings).
The new frames arrived yesterday and they look pretty dog-gone-good. The frames are just wide enough to straddle the battery which is in the floor below the driver's seat in the early Mustangs. By lifting off the seat cusion the battery will be accessible for service. There is enough distance between the seat braces to allow removing or replacing the battery without removing the seat frame from the floor of the boat. This was one of the tricky parts in the design that I felt I had to address. That is why there is no horizontal seat brace at the rear of the seat. I considered mounting the front horizontal seat brace on the front of the frames so as to allow more space for accessing the battery but I got to thinking that if anything rolled under the seat (like an un-opened can of beer) that brace would make it hard to reach. So I called for it to be on the top as close to the front as the fabricator could place it. (Just like it is in the pic.) The other tricky area was the tight space between the front of the motor box and ski pole and the backs of the seats - move the seats too far forward and there is no leg room for the driver in these small boats. Spacing and angle of the seat backs here is critical - too much angle and you hit the motor box, not enough angle and you have a very uncomfortable seat. Next week it's off to the upolsterer for custom fabricated cusions. I'll send pics of the fininshed seats. The pics of the frames (below) show them next to a Wally World seat to give you some perspective of the size. 
 ------------- Happy owner of a '66 and a '68 Mustang |
Replies:
Posted By: boat dr
Date Posted: July-01-2007 at 12:44am
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jim, I may be wrong ?????
On my '64,the seat base had to go right on the deck.This was to not sit too high. My biggest issue ,after finding the seats, was how to attach them to the floor and swivel. Took a little brain work and looking at a lot of marine catalogs. This is what I used,A S/S swivel base,bass boat seat,and a Swivel Ese adjustable base.Turned the base upside down and bolted that to the floof.This base move for and aft about 5in. with a lever that engages into notches. Bolted the other side to the swivel that is bolted to the seat.Now pull the lever to the side and slide the two halves together. Not only do you have for and aft adj. the seats swivel too,and they are the correct height..........boat dr hope yours work out...........I agree with the replacing of the walley world seats,just think there was a cheaper and less labor intensive way........good luck ------------- boat dr /diaries/details.asp?ID=4631 - 1949 Dart /diaries/details.asp?ID=1533 - 1964 American Skier |
Posted By: Jim_In_Houston
Date Posted: July-01-2007 at 1:20am
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Boat Dr.
Send pics if you can. I came across these photos of a Mustang somewhere. My thanks to the owner, whoever he is, for posting these pics. This is the effect I am trying to duplicate. They look pretty nice. (IMHO) 
Thanks, Jim (jim@electricaltrainingusa.com) ------------- Happy owner of a '66 and a '68 Mustang |
Posted By: The Lake
Date Posted: July-01-2007 at 1:37am
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Jim,
I have the very same type of frame in my 69 Nautique. The Passanger side is slightly longer since it is set up as an observer's seat. I also have my battery under the driver seat, but it only takes about minute to remove the seat and get to it. Chuck ------------- Walk on Water www.coldwater.me http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=775&sort=&pagenum=3&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970 - 69 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: July-01-2007 at 3:07am
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They look great Jim. Similar to those in my 82. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: lumiecraft
Date Posted: July-02-2007 at 6:17pm
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Jim,
Do you have dimentions for height, width and such? I am needing to fabricate some seats for my Skylark and will want seat frames like that. I have my next door neighbor who can fabricate them but we need the sizes. We plan on using SS for the frames and frame mounting brackets if the price is not too far out there for the SS. Thanks Pete lumiecraft -------------  If you don't get it, be patient, you will.
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Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: July-02-2007 at 6:39pm
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well they realy don't look that much different than the brackets I have on the 79 and what you can or could have gotten from Mid-west CC. Other than the braces what Jim did is almost exactly like the factory ones I have on my boat. SO now that you are getting some seats does that mean your mounting the speedo next? or you you like holding it and the beer can at the same time, you should be pretty good at it now that you been doing that for so long. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: Jim_In_Houston
Date Posted: July-02-2007 at 7:12pm
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Ha! The only problem with holding the speedo and the beer can has been deciding which one to drop when you hit a big wake and lose balance. I have been sucked into a mojor restore on the '68 so it looks like a good time to mount the speedo.
lumie: http://www.electricaltrainingusa.com/Boat Seat Mount 14 inch wide, Rev 1.pdf - Click Here For Frame Dimensions Build yourself a set and let me know how they fit. (If anyone decides to offer this frame for sale I want my negotiated share! I have mui hours in those drawings and design.) Lumie, be warned, this set has not been tested. I had these frames built with the expectation that adjutments may have to be made (maybe even cutting and rewelding) - I hope not but it is possible. Give me time to install them them with cusions and I will let you know how they fit. The fabricator was P & W Quality Machine in Cedar Hill, Texas. 972-299-0500. They did a nice job including boxing and shipping. They may still have the jig they built to make the frames. I think the guy's name I talked to was Greg. I found them at pwmachine.com. BTW, something not mentioned above: I specified all welds on all seams to be "all around" so as to prevent pockets for water inclusion. Be sure to use marine grade aluminum if you want premo seats. ------------- Happy owner of a '66 and a '68 Mustang |