Bow seating

[Bcoutsfly]

Anyone bought or made a seat for the walk through bow space?
Just wondering if they're worth the time or money?

[aintskeered]

check the mods section... I and several others have some stock and some DIY,

Edit There were several on there but a little tough to find. Search '07 LSV winter projects

[Razzman]

I personally i din't want one. My grandsons are like maggots, constantly on the move and it's just a pain in the #@!. I had initially considered it but in thinking i realized they'd probably break theirs necks falling off or something!

BUT, on the flip side though i have been toying with an idea. I HATE the factory cooler, it just plain SUCKS! I have tried everything i can to insulate it and make it work better but nothing helps. So i bought an Igloo 52qt marine cooler at Costco for $25 and was planning on just placing it in one of the rear lockers this season

Then i had an idea, what if i removed the hinges on the cooler and had a pad made from factory vinyl that would conform to the bow walkway area and velcroed it to the top of the cooler? It would fit perfectly, allow more layout room up front and make the cooler more accessable and leave the locker free. Without hinges you could just lift the top up easily. Don't know yet, i have to test this theory when i pull it out soon. My one concern would be all the added weight up front. Although it's not much it does alter the dynamics a bit.

[Bcoutsfly]

Hmmm...

Now you have me thinking. I hate the factory cooler with a passion. haha. Ice melts within 30 minutes, it's small, and the drain is clogged up most of the time. I usually have to pump the water out.

I would consider making a cooler that fits in the walkway permanent. Add a matching vinyl pad then wrap it with matching carpet? Instead of the top pad being completely removable, maybe add a hydraulic hinge like the ones on the v-drive compartments?

Does that 52qt cooler fit the walkway pretty well?

[Razzman]

I would consider making a cooler that fits in the walkway permanent. Add a matching vinyl pad then wrap it with matching carpet? Instead of the top pad being completely removable, maybe add a hydraulic hinge like the ones on the v-drive compartments?

Good ideas with one exception, hydraulic lifts will rust inside the cooler. Also if you make the pad conformed to the space then it will not allow it to hinge up without the pads conflicting. I doubt you could do them externally as you'd hit the gelcoat more than likely.

I would also be more inclined to make a false front out of hdpe and cover that with carpet if so inclined and velcro to the front. You're going to have to remove it occasionally and you don't want carpet or vinyl getting dirty or ruined. You also have to have a means of securing it to the floor to keep it in place or it will slide down eventually on hard launches but i haven't got that far yet in thinking yet.

Does that 52qt cooler fit the walkway pretty well?

I couldn't tell ya as i haven't tried it yet. It measures 14.25" at it's widest, 23.50" long including handles and 14.50" tall. I'm almost certain the walkway is wider than that but like i said i haven't tried it, maybe somebody can get a measure?

[Bcoutsfly]

Good points.

Also, I don't know how stable a hydraulic hinge would be if mounted inside a standard cooler. May stick with your Velcro theory. I'm really going to look into doing this. I've always been a fan of the "play pin" style bow seating. That "Ainskeered" dude has a pretty sweet DIY set up as well but that looks too involved for my motivation.

[Razzman]

One of my complaints about the playpen seating is that is takes away floor space or at least seems to makes it feel smaller. My idea doesn't do that as it stops where the seats stop and doesn't hinder the exiting of the helm seat or such.

[Razzman]

I also got to thinking about securing the cooler then it dawned on me, if you put Velcro extreme on the bottom of the cooler using only the "hook" portion it will bite into the carpet and help prevent sliding.

[jmvotto]

We bought from the dealer and love it. We hardly ever take it out.
same one as jesse has picture here except matches our 2007 shape and vinyl.


https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....cushion&page=2