77 Smoker-craft Bench Seat Mods

Lots of details now

I love that new Honda hanging off the back. And the boat looks awesome too.

Stand Up said:

I love that new Honda hanging off the back. And the boat looks awesome too.

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Thanks! I like it a lot.

Years ago I bought a brand new OptiMax, 2 stroke, 150 Mercury with a jet pump on it. The thing came in a box as big as a Volkswagen, honestly one of the best days of my life... I really love new boat motors, something about them I really love.

The guys that have those dual, triple, quad 300's... I don't know what I would do, I am sure I would just piss myself

Working on getting the captains seat situated

That base is different. Did you make it from an old ladder?

Curious how comfortable you find the seat, I’ve been looking at the same type.

Still Afloat said:

That base is different. Did you make it from an old ladder?

Curious how comfortable you find the seat, I’ve been looking at the same type.

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The new seat is just sitting on an aluminum step stool to get a feel for the height and position of the seat. I am currently building an aluminum pedestal with a little storage space underneath, I will post pics of that soon.

The seat is a Wise AeroX seat and it fits my needs and the boat really well. I am usually standing when I am fishing anyway.

Ah, a folding ladder for height testing.

I’ve been considering the AeroX primarily due to weight. It seems lighter than the conventional padded cushion type boat chair. It looks like a durable “lawn chair” for the lack of a better description. Does it have a lot of plastic parts?

Still Afloat said:

Ah, a folding ladder for height testing.

I’ve been considering the AeroX primarily due to weight. It seems lighter than the conventional padded cushion type boat chair. It looks like a durable “lawn chair” for the lack of a better description. Does it have a lot of plastic parts?

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There is no plastic, the chair is built very well. I also bought the swivel base with quick removable base. I think it will be a very good seat vs the big bulky vinyl padded ones. The swivel base will be here today and I will take some pics of the completed setup.

Bear0214 said:

There is no plastic, the chair is built very well. I also bought the swivel base with quick removable base. I think it will be a very good seat vs the big bulky vinyl padded ones. The swivel base will be here today and I will take some pics of the completed setup.

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Thanks. I think I’ll order a couple of them.

Edit: Just order two of the mid backs. I’ve been watching these for a while, just waiting for someone to confirm the quality. Much appreciated.

Bear0214 said:

There is no plastic, the chair is built very well. I also bought the swivel base with quick removable base. I think it will be a very good seat vs the big bulky vinyl padded ones. The swivel base will be here today and I will take some pics of the completed setup.

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Hey Bear, My Wise Aero X seats arrived damaged. Where did you get your and any shipping damage to the hinges. Looks like a good seat before UPS tossed them out of the truck at 60 mph.

Still Afloat said:

Hey Bear, My Wise Aero X seats arrived damaged. Where did you get your and any shipping damage to the hinges. Looks like a good seat before UPS tossed them out of the truck at 60 mph.

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Hmmmm...I usually have that issue with FedEx, in my area, UPS is the safer route. But then again what should we expect from a 40+ dollar an hour driver ??

airshot said:

Hmmmm...I usually have that issue with FedEx, in my area, UPS is the safer route. But then again what should we expect from a 40+ dollar an hour driver ??

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UPS is really lousy around here. Heaven forbid if you ever need customer support. It’s all through the virtual assistant that is programmed to run you endless loops without answers. There doesn’t seem to be human support any longer.

Wow super amazing job you did. Way above my pay-grade. When I was re-powering my boat I agonized over Honda vs Yamaha. I ended up with the Yamaha because a semi-local shop had a 25hp electric start in stock. It was NOS (new old stock) and he gave me a $1,000 discount over his already $1,000 lower price than anyone else. The ONLY thing I dont like about the yamaha are it has a lightened crankshaft so it has a bit more vibration at idle and the fuel injectors hold line pressure when changing fuel lines (you get sprayed every time). Having said that I do prefer injected over carbs but Honda does have the carb thing figured out with the 3-stage carb design.

On carb motors I always pull my fuel line (or turn off fuel at a switch) and let the motor run the fuel dry before storing for more then a day or two. I never run the ethanol fuel either. I'm sure you know that though.

On one of your posts it looks like the transom wood is rough. Is it in good shape or does it need replacing?
If you ever go to replace it choose coosa board over wood. Wood is so old school at this point.

Wonder why the boat maker put a short transom on a 60hp boat?

UPS around here is pretty good. Same with Fedex, but seems like it comes down to if the driver gives a **** or not. The Fedex driver is a kindly older lady who looks to have a few years on me. Feel sorry for her having to work so hard at her advanced age. Also it seems like Fedex puts no shelves in their trucks. When she throws open the door it looks like the town dump with stuff scattered everywhere. No wonder stuff gets messed up. One time she had 3 loose tires in the back that were bouncing all around on top of the boxes.

As for $40/hr UPS jobs, as somebody who once tried to get one of those I can tell you they put you through sheer hell, for years, before you get one of those cushy driver jobs. Around here you start off working on the dock, which can many times be below 0 in the winter. You are on 24 hour call, 7 days a week and when they call you have ONE hour to show up. No show once, get probation. 2nd time you're done. The only guarantee you have is 8 hours between shifts. If I remember right you don't even get benefits at first because they won't give you enough hours to qualify.

I think Bear must be out fishing.