# Mounting a seat on a dry box



## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Anybody have any instructions/details/photos of how to mount a rowing seat on a dry box? I want to raise my seat (smaller tubes on a 13' otter), and one option is to get a dry box and mount the seat on it. This is the only way I have room for a dry box on my boat, so it would be a huge plus. I don't want to just sit on the box, I've seen too many rowers fall off the back of it in big water.

Thanks!


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## ENDOMADNESS (Jun 21, 2005)

Weld (2) aluminum U brackets to the lid of the Dry Box, so you can access the screws on the seat. I also bought an adjustable seat assembly (like a car seat lever) from Cascade Outfitters. It allows the seat to move about 4-5 inches for various folks.

Was hard to find a TIG welder in my area (Eagle Valley) i had to get it done in Jackson on the way to Idaho.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

This may be a dumb question, but welding the curved part of the Ubolt on top of the lid seems tough. Are you saying to cut holes in the lid, and install the U inside the lid, and weld the holes? 

I don't see an adjustable seat on Cascade's website either.

Thanks for the ideas, and more information please!

L



ENDOMADNESS said:


> Weld (2) aluminum U brackets to the lid of the Dry Box, so you can access the screws on the seat. I also bought an adjustable seat assembly (like a car seat lever) from Cascade Outfitters. It allows the seat to move about 4-5 inches for various folks.


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## ENDOMADNESS (Jun 21, 2005)

Weld a U channel on its side (10" long) running perpendicular to the box. So you have 2 channels (one left one right) under the seat from front to back (matching up with the bolts of the seat). Mount the seat to this.

Give Cascade Outfitters a call. They never had it on their website (I bought 6 years ago?) tell them you need a "adjustable raft seat assembly" to mount to a drybox top. $40 approx. thing works great.

This is an either / or. If you use the U bracket drill extra holes to allow for adjusting the seat position. With the Cascade seat assembly i think i mounted it with an angle channel (L looking channel). Ask for a fax from them or wai till you get it to see the mounting.

any other questions?


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## JBL (Jun 7, 2006)

before you cut, weld, etc. you might want to check out http://www.downriverequip.com/asp/product.asp?product=234 this bracket will attach to your cross bar (the one on the bow side of your dry box) and will allow you to have a seat that flips up and down as necessary.


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

Structurally, it makes sense to mount the seat to your frame (per JBL's post about the Downriver seat) rather than on the drybox. What if you want to run without the drybox? 

One part-arsed dodge (no cutting or welding) is to strap a Crazy Creek chair on top of the drybox. One of my friends got sick of his backless foam pad/ drybox rig the first day on the Grand, and snaffled my Crazy Creek canoe chair for the other 17 days. Worked fine, and the chair survived.


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

JBL's got it right. That's the way to go. We had it setup this way on our last trip and I'm still trying to figure out why we ever did it any other way.

COUNT


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

*JBL knows it all!*

Yup, once again JBL thanks for your insight. That is a great idea, I am going to talk to DRE today about it. That will be especially nice if I can install that, without using the drybox all the time. I want to wait till next year to get the dry box for $ reasons, but would love to get my butt up a bit higher now.

I don't want to just sit on the box, even with a crazy creek. Even in my short time rowing, I've seen too many people fall off the back of the box (without a seat) in big rapids. If it is a multi drop run, that seems pretty dangerous to lose control by laying in the back of your boat.


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## ENDOMADNESS (Jun 21, 2005)

That DownRiver piece is the easiest solution. But does not allow for seat adjustment for various oarsmen if you have a welded frame.

You could also buy the big DownRiver seat (blue mesh) that mounts on the tube and sits over the drybox...That will put you way high up in the air (like you said you wanted)


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## oarbender (Feb 3, 2007)

yeps, I would go with a DRE seat. and flip brackets. ( t-s) that rotate. I know lots of folks that sit on there drybox, but if it were me, I would order my DRE seat to accomodate the biggest (widest) cooler you intend to carry. If memory serves me, they come in 19", 20" and 21" . or, put your drybox under you. Im just not a big fan of sitting on dryboxes. seen lots of blown hinges, and the bigger they are, the worse it is.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

*Question*

Hey oarbender, what do you mean by (t-s) that rotate?



oarbender said:


> yeps, I would go with a DRE seat. and flip brackets. ( t-s) that rotate.


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## oarbender (Feb 3, 2007)

they are hollander fittings. I believe DRE sells em. but basically, your seat mounts to them, with quick clips ( those pins that just go thru a hole with a little clippy) then, your whole seat does a forward , and flips forward to acceses what ever your sitting over ( drybox, cooler, etc) its supported by the frame leans forward on the front cross bar of your cooler, drybox, I usually dont do anything to secure it, but have ran a long cam strap thru the rear d-ring just to keep it tiddey.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Right, those look perfect. They will raise my seat about 5", so now I need to figure our how to raise my oars. I have the standard NRS uprights, 6" tall, and the tall ones are 8". That might be just a bit shy and make it hard to get the oars out of the water without bumping my knees, but it might be just enough. I've seen some people with taller uprights, any idea where they get them from?


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## JBL (Jun 7, 2006)

I agree that sitting on the cooler rather than the dry box is preferred. I don't use a seat but do run my dry box up front and cooler in the back. I put a paco pad on the cooler (it also has a 1/2 piece of plywood glued to the top with thin foam on it for structural support for the cooler lid) and sit on that to row. The blue flip seats are really nice but I have rowed a few boats where I wanted to take bigger stroke and couldn't go back any further because of the seat.


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## oarbender (Feb 3, 2007)

8" would be a good start, but I believe that DRE sells some that are a bit taller. I build lots of frame goodies, and if you need, just PM me with how long you need em, and i'll make you some. I use 1"5/8 (NRS) round stock, so low-pros will work with em.


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