Bolster vs Jockey

[iandl]

I have been making a set of electrically operated flip down bolsters, very similar to the scorpion ones. I have the seat frames all built and ready with just a few bits and pieces to do before they go to the upholsterer.

they are made from ply with full stainless drop downs and the ply has been treated with 3 coats of G4 waterproofer before they go to the upholsterer

My worry/question is i rarely see such a seat setup in a Rib and wondered why ....is the jockey the prefered or is it due to few builders making the bolsters or price.

given a choice what would you opt for and why

just a bit concerned before i spend the money on getting them upholstered only to realise that the jockeys would be better.

thanks

Ian

[Pete7]

Wow, very nice. Do come back to us with some photos once they are complete and fitted. How are you going to attach them to the deck ?

Pete

[iandl]

Hi Pete,
I hope to get a few Ribbers points of view on the jockey vs bolster setup before i get them upholstered.

They will be mating upto the Aquaflyte sports console

I had hoped to have dropped them off before i went away back offshore tomorrow but its not looking likely now, so a few weeks away.
I will post pics in progress later this year when i do the full build.

I have made some large oval feet with a 90mm tube at the rear and a 50mm tube at the front with a 50mm tube cross member with a diagonal support for the centre rest. the base oval was 150mm x 500 x 10mm 316 stainless .....i love working with this stuff, few people beleive i can take a 5mm deep cut with a 7mm cutter....speeds and feeds .....I learned it whilst making my hand planes.
the base and legs will be gloss polished
The upholstery is going to be mainly white/ darkish grey/charcoal with red piping with headrest logo's.

cheers

Ian

[Pete7]

Ian, can you access the under deck to through bolt them, don't think self tappers are going to be strong enough if two adults were thrown against the seats by a big wave.

Personally I prefer to stand up or lean against something whilst driving rather than sit down.

Pete

[SeaSkills]

I'm a stand-up fan too, much easier on the back, and better visibility. Often the problem with bolsters is poor lateral support, but you seem to have cracked that pretty well. I should think your design would be excellent at stopping the slipping sideways trick.

The boats that I've driven with similar setups rarely have the seat part in place, but it is nice to have the option, esp for slow speed stuff

Good luck with it. I'd be interested to see the finished article

[Cookee]

Bolsters are a much more secure arrangement than jockey seats - they provide much more sideways support which is the area where jockeys lose out. The advantage you will have is that you can sit down when required - the best of both worlds! I think Jockeys are used because they provide storage, take up less room in a boat and are cheaper - bit of a no brainer for a standard RIB really!

[BassBoy]

Wing back jockeys do the job brilliantly. Sit down/ stand up with side support at your hips and storage!

They give great support sat or stood and make you feel very secure.
Only slight snag is (depending deck space/width) you may not have 'walk through' with a side by side set up.

[Hightower]

I like jockeys with winged backrests, not just for the storage aspect but space on a smaller RIB is at a premium and a big bolster with most of it's mass high up isn't very space friendly.

The other thing with seating on a RIB is the compromise given to the seat position between sitting and standing. For example I am supremely comfortable whilst sitting, but standing I could do with the seatbacks another 3/4 inches futher forward. Expect to see a gadget later this year that allows me to make adjustments to the seat back position.

So Jockeys for me

[iandl]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Ian, can you access the under deck to through bolt them, don't think self tappers are going to be strong enough if two adults were thrown against the seats by a big wave.

Pete

Normally i do things over kill .......they will be bolted through deck......

sideways support was the reasoning to build them ....its just you rarely see them on Ribs ....after scouring through the gallery very few of them have bolsters and set me off into a bit of a panic as to why very few.


i looked at the storage of jockeys ......whilest handy to have i am going to build out the rear of the boat with a bench style setup integrated into the tubes with 3 bucket seats/grab rail type and fit it with electric lifts to handle any weight issues during access....i'm hoping that this will give enough storage along with the console.

Just read your reply hightower ...........my new rib hull is 7.2 long and a good beam and i reckon almost 8m with tubes .....any smaller and i wouldn't have contemplated the bolsters ....glad to get some replies ......

Hightower if your rib was bigger with a wider beam would you still choose Jockeys? given a choice

cheers

Ian

Ian

[BassBoy]

Ian

Though I have never seen/used bolsters on a rhib, (I have on hard boats) I can only guess that strength and leverage may be a concern with a relatively small footprint at the deck fixing and 70% of the seats weight being at the top of a 'post'? Seat height may also be an issue. I think the average height of a jockey is 40-45cm allowing for good knee bend whilst seated therefore giving good shock relief if needed. Most bolsters I have seen, seem to be much higher and little knee bend is allowed for. This could be solved by adjustable post height?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by iandl

Just read your reply hightower ...........my new rib hull is 7.2 long and a good beam and i reckon almost 8m with tubes .....any smaller and i wouldn't have contemplated the bolsters ....glad to get some replies ......

Hightower if your rib was bigger with a wider beam would you still choose Jockeys? given a choice

cheers

Ian

Ian

I might Ian, but would want to mock up the layout to make sure there was enough room and suited my needs.

I tell you what I would like to see on a big bolster seat like the one in the picture. Shock struts, inside telescopic legs. I recon this would be a really easy and cost effective replacement to the Ullman seats. You could link up an air hoses to the pressure valves on the struts so that you could alter the load pressure for different weighted people.

[iandl]

Originally Posted by Hightower

I might Ian, but would want to mock up the layout to make sure there was enough room and suited my needs.

I tell you what I would like to see on a big bolster seat like the one in the picture. Shock struts, inside telescopic legs. I recon this would be a really easy and cost effective replacement to the Ullman seats. You could link up an air hoses to the pressure valves on the struts so that you could alter the load pressure for different weighted people.

as i still have the base frame sitting in kit form and 2 weeks before i can do any work to it.... it might be worth looking at ......

cheers

I

[Chris]

Most people on here seem to like Bolsters and I have to admit to not really having experience of them in the wet however I do really rate the Jockey mainly because you can grip with your legs and I tend to find in the rough the most stable position is to be sat down on the Jockey especially with footstraps.

If I were only taking the boat out in milder conditions I think that the bolster would be preferable it also looks nicer

Originally Posted by iandl

as i still have the base frame sitting in kit form and 2 weeks before i can do any work to it.... it might be worth looking at ......

cheers

I

[iandl]

cheers Chris,
my current boat is a searider with an original jockey console all in one...it doesnt have backrests for the driver or lateral support and i felt it really really needed it hence for the new build i wanted something different or better and liked these so just built them.......

i'm a bit of a fan of a choppy sea .....i like to get wet

as i mentioned earlier i looked through the gallery and most are of the jockey seat ......just panicked a bit in case i missed the obvious when so few have them

Thanks for your inputs guys

Ian