Cockpit fixings

[pdur]

I am making up some slatted wooden panels for the cockpit seats and sole of my Mirage. These will cover the Treadmaster which is looking past its prime. My question is this: How best to attach the seats. The flooring will sit neatly in the sole without any problem but the seating will need to be fixed in a way that will allow me to remove it when the boat comes ashore at the end of the season so that it is not exposed to the winter weather. With this in mind I need to find some way of bolting down the seats in such a way that the there is no risk of leaks – on the port side there is a cockpit locker but the skippers bunk lies directly beneath the seat on the starboard side. I have been seeking out a small flanged barrel which can be fixed in position from underneath using an outside thread and to which enabling the seat panel can then be bolted using the internal thread. But my efforts have been in vain. I do not have an engineering background and I suspect it’s another case of not knowing the word/description to put into a google search. Any suggestions?

 

[johnalison]

I'm willing to bet that I know less about engineering than you, but I think I would try to avoid a fixing that penetrated into the cabin. One possibilty might be to affix a wooden 'rail' or a couple of blocks at the bulkhead end to form a slot to wedge the seating into. Depending on the geometry, it might be possible to do this at the aft end as well with some form of latch to hold it securely. I don't know what they are called but the sort of latch sometimes used for cockpit locker lids might work.

 

[prv]

For what it’s worth, my previous boat had something like this, using nuts tack-welded to small strips of stainless with holes in each end. The strips were screwed down using the holes, and the machine screw holding the seat threaded into the nut. This was all set up by the previous owner, and I’m not suggesting you should necessarily emulate it although it did seem to work ok for me.

Pete

 

[Malish]

Make a simple winter cover for the cockpit to avoid the detatchable fixing challenge?

 

[Stemar]

Make a simple winter cover for the cockpit to avoid the detatchable fixing challenge?

Better still, bite the bullet and get a cockpit tent - The cost will bring tears to your wallet, but it'll transform the use of your boat!

You'll still need to attach the seats though or they'll slide around just when you need to be firmly anchored to your seat

 

[Champagne Murphy]

I am making up some slatted wooden panels for the cockpit seats and sole of my Mirage. These will cover the Treadmaster which is looking past its prime. My question is this: How best to attach the seats. The flooring will sit neatly in the sole without any problem but the seating will need to be fixed in a way that will allow me to remove it when the boat comes ashore at the end of the season so that it is not exposed to the winter weather. With this in mind I need to find some way of bolting down the seats in such a way that the there is no risk of leaks – on the port side there is a cockpit locker but the skippers bunk lies directly beneath the seat on the starboard side. I have been seeking out a small flanged barrel which can be fixed in position from underneath using an outside thread and to which enabling the seat panel can then be bolted using the internal thread. But my efforts have been in vain. I do not have an engineering background and I suspect it’s another case of not knowing the word/description to put into a google search. Any suggestions?

I’m not 100% but you may be describing interscrews.
http://www.interscrew.co.uk/marine-interscrew/marine-un-slotted-interscrews

 

[alahol2]

I have been seeking out a small flanged barrel which can be fixed in position from underneath using an outside thread and to which enabling the seat panel can then be bolted using the internal thread. But my efforts have been in vain. I do not have an engineering background and I suspect it’s another case of not knowing the word/description to put into a google search. Any suggestions?

Is this what you are after... http://www.theinsertcompany.com/steel_self_threading_inserts.php

or they have plenty of other options.