Nav station chair question from H36 '80-82 new owner

[tmjb]

As a new owner of a 1981 H36C I am in the early stages of exploring my boat. One question I am hoping someone can help with is the chair at the nav station. My major question is whether anyone has experience and/or advice re changing the original (which I assume mine is) out, either the seat itself or the whole pedestal(?). Anyone found one made of wood that would be similar to the rest of the interior? The plastic of mine is failing.

I am also puzzled about how to rotate mine. It has two screw clamps one of which enables it to slide horizontally with respect to the pedestal and the other currently does nothing. I assume it is meant to let it rotate and that it is somehow stuck. An advice?

Many thanks for any input.

 

[rardiH36]

TMJB:

I'll look at my nav chair probably tomorrow for you. But from memory, mine does not have a clamp that locks the rotation. What I do know is that the sleeve which fits over the tube needs to be kept lubricated or the seat is very difficult to rotate. The seat sleeve just fits over the tube. Only gravity keeps it in place. When I bought my boat the grease in the sleeve was so old it was almost hard. The seat would rotate only with much effort. If yours also is poorly lubricated, pull the seat off the tub, clean the sleeve and tube with solvent to remove the crud, and re-lube.

I believe that underneath my seat is a knob which moves the seat forward or aft in respect of the tube.

No one from my memory has asked the question about replacing the seat. Again, I'll take a better look at mine tomorrow. I would think that the mechanism could be removed from the factory plastic seat. The maybe just find a solid wood chair that might look good in the setting at (say) a thrift shop, remove the legs, and then attach the mechanism salvaged from the original plastic chair.

I have noticed that the plastic along one of my chair's arm rest is beginning to decompose from exposure to the sunlight shining through the plexiglass companionway hatch almost directly overhead for 35 years. I might be following your lead in the not too far future.

 

[tmjb]

Many thanks for yet more great info and advice. Good to hear re the tight fit. Mine certainly looks like it should rotate but I didn't want to apply too much pressure without more info.

Agreed re replacing the the seat with something else attached to the original frame. I already removed the plastic original which simply unscrewed.

The reason for the change is that mine looks like it has become degraded (brittle and somewhat crazed), likley from UV, and had a small hole in it presumably as a result. I was going to leave it for now but while working on the engine over the weekend with the companionway stair removed as a result I stepped on the shell of the seat to get through the companionway and part of the seat cracked and seperated from the edge - so now it really needs changing. I'll let you know where I get to with this.

 

[rardiH36]

I took a look at the nav station swivel seat base assembly on my boat yesterday. Yes, you are right about one of the nobs able to lock the seat on the tube. Never on the ocean in a swell, I just never had the need to prevent the chair from swiveling.

Looking at the mechanism, wow is it robust! No doubt it could be transferred to another seat of one's choosing.

 

[tmjb]

Thanks again for this. Great to see what I am dealing with. Mine is pretty solid on the post so I guess it just hasn't moved in a while (like much of the boat). I'll have to try some gentle persuasion and see what I can find in the way of a replacement seat.