DIY Suspension seat? - Page 3

Andy Gee · 20 September 2015, 11:32

Tried virtually all types of suspension seats over the years, in all types of boats, vehicles and plant......and broken quite a few dampers

By far the best I've found are pneumatic suspension with adjustable dampers, go and have a seat in a HGV and you'll see

these seats can be "damped" by moving a leaver to suit the sea swell etc and are great in a cabin boat although I doubt they would last in an open boat.

By far the most important part of any suspension seat is the requirement to adjust the seat to suit your weight before planking your arse on it

ATB
Andy

OSPREY RIBS · 20 September 2015, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximus

but I wonder if it'll be reported in HMS's Mag?

It was, and they certainly did not pull any punches. ScotSeats must have been very unhappy about it !

Maximus · 20 September 2015, 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSPREY RIBS

It was, and they certainly did not pull any punches. ScotSeats must have been very unhappy about it !

Not seen it Mate...I'll have a Butchers.Is he OK now??
....Glad it wasn't Ullmans!

Pikey Dave · 20 September 2015, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSPREY RIBS

It was, and they certainly did not pull any punches. ScotSeats must have been very unhappy about it !

Anyone able to post the article? I was only looking at them at the Boatshow yesterday, I'm still not convinced. They look waaay over engineered to me (IMHO)

.....sh1t happens.......

Mollers · 20 September 2015, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSPREY RIBS

ScotSeats !

Ah, t'was never gonna be an Ullman.

gtflash · 20 September 2015, 20:14

I don't know the detail. But any suspension seat has got to be better than no suspension seat. Although the driver may be lured into driving harder and the seated may rely more on the shocks and not their own body to take the load. I have been bruised and battered from non suspension seats on several occasions. Its only when I feel the pain I ease back

Pikey Dave · 20 September 2015, 22:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtflash

........But any suspension seat has got to be better than no suspension seat.......

Not necessarily, that's like saying a faulty parachute is better than no parachute. You wouldn't voluntarily jump out of a plane without a parachute......but you might unwittingly jump out with a faulty one..

69cmw · 20 September 2015, 22:27

Where there is blame there is a claim !!

willk · 20 September 2015, 22:40

IMO suspension seats are a fantastic development but are dangerously oversold and overhyped. The forces on a fast RIB are huge and completely unpredictable. No seat can completely protect a person from these forces. Before suspension seats, discomfort and fear slowed the boat - with suspension seats the temptation may be to press on - until a "freak wave" or "difficult landing" is encountered.

I think the most important role for suspension seats is in mitigating the forces encountered during fast passage over moderate seas - not in protecting PAX from the effects of large waves in rough water.

My call? - there's not a chance Hugo or Paul will be suing ScotSeats...

Mollers · 20 September 2015, 22:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

I think the most important role for suspension seats is in mitigating the forces encountered during fast passage over moderate seas - not in protecting PAX from the effects of large waves in rough water.

Absolutely. I have little experience of SM seats, but do have experience of passages in heavy, confused seas.
Forces are impacting on the body from every direction on a split second basis, in my experience, the seat becomes no more than a fixed point to brace against and a final bump-stop when the arse goes south. I can almost imagine a bouncing seat being a hindrance in such conditions.

Those in the know, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Chris · 21 September 2015, 07:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollers

Absolutely. I have little experience of SM seats, but do have experience of passages in heavy, confused seas.
Forces are impacting on the body from every direction on a split second basis, in my experience, the seat becomes no more than a fixed point to brace against and a final bump-stop when the arse goes south. I can almost imagine a bouncing seat being a hindrance in such conditions.

Those in the know, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I find that if the seats are set up right and you have the correct base height then the seat is snug in between your thighs when standing and actually gives a really good anchor point. The biggest challenge I found when starting to use suspension seats was getting used to not bracing my legs all the time and relying on the seat to do its thing.

My early experience of suspension seats was the Ullman Compact, which for me is too narrow and not very comfortable, however the Biscaya seats that we currently have are wider with a higher back and much better.

Pikey Dave · 21 September 2015, 09:16

As a relative newbie to the wonderful world of SM seating, here are my thoughts after my first season:-

I don't think I drive the boat any harder than I did pre SM

The seats themselves are harder than conventional upholstered seating. I suspect that this is so forces are transmitted to the SM mechanism to force the mechanics to do their job. On a relatively calm passage, my 4rse is numb after a couple of hours, I have to stand to get the blood back into my bootox.

The upper body support is fantastic & you feel as though you are part of the boat.
When it gets lumpy, the seats really come into their own. It isn't until you stand behind them in rough conditions & watch the mechanism doing its job, that you realise how much you are being protected from a battering.
Lateral protection exists, but is minimal, so if you land heavily on one side or the other, you will still get some quite severe lateral forces applied to your spine.
After a day on the water, my knees no longer throb & burn.
The day AFTER a day on the water, I no longer feel like I've done a round with Tyson. No neck/back/hip pain.

To summarise, hard on the bum (& pocket), heaven to the bones. They don't make you invincible & you still have to drive with care especially when it's really rough.
Do I think they are worth the cost? Difficult to quantify, when you look at what you actually get in materials, you think "where's all the money gone into that?" Having used them, I wouldn't want to go back, certainly as I ain't getting any younger.

Mollers · 21 September 2015, 09:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Having used them, I wouldn't want to go back, certainly as I ain't getting any younger.

In which case old fella, you should be dipping into the Pikey piggy bank for a set of these. How it Works | Ski~Mojo

two stroke mick · 21 September 2015, 09:32

I think three posts here have summe up SM seats , that is PD, Mollers and Wilk. As the owner of a basic SM seat I think that they are great. Wilk is correct the forces generated by a HSC in rough seas are tremendous (circa 9-12 g) is I remember correctly. I have found them to be great and intend to purchase a second seat.

TSM

Pikey Dave · 21 September 2015, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollers

In which case old fella, you should be dipping into the Pikey piggy bank for a set of these. How it Works | Ski~Mojo

Thanks for that

, why didn't you just go straight for the jugular & suggest one o' these

Mollers · 21 September 2015, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Thanks for that

, why didn't you just go straight for the jugular & suggest one o' these

With snow tyres I suppose.

You'll look good coming past the frozen waterfall back into Ortisei on that!

Pikey Dave · 21 September 2015, 10:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollers

With snow tyres I suppose.

You'll look good coming past the frozen waterfall back into Ortisei on that!

It'd save on the bus fare to the Alpe de Suisi

Mollers · 21 September 2015, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

It'd save on the bus fare to the Alpe de Suisi

I always save on the bus fare to ADS. I never go there!

Jim sneaks up there for a rest.

Shark Seats · 29 August 2017, 06:32

By all means make your own suspension seats, but we are hoping to get the cost/value ratio way down so you wont need to risk it!

Just posted a bit of an intro, if you have any questions let me know.

http://www.rib.net/forum/f43/suspens...ing-76731.html

Cheers,
Dan.

Stefan63 · 01 September 2017, 13:24

I'm a "little" behind schedule but this is my idé of a suspension jockey seat setup. 3D cad shows stand and slide only. The actual seat is supposed to be hanged on the sliding thing in the middle (slides on 4 skateboard wheels) and a suitable damper and spring like a FOX snowmobile ski damper will be used. diy boat suspension jockey seat |