Anna Leigh's Forward Facing Seat Conversion

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From: DavidAonAnnaLeigh (Original Message) Sent: 9/13/2003 7:32 AM
Here is some information and pics of how I did the front seat conversion on Anna Leigh. She is fairly new Cruiser 22. I approached the conversion with different hardware than Mike on Tyboo. This mainly because I didn't want to use use tracks in the floor which would eventually get filled with potato chips, herring heads and other stuff over time. I originally wanted to do something like Mike did. He used a track that I think he created and not something off the shelf. I looked at heavy duty drawer slides to use in a similar way but the cost of the one I found on the internet was in the neighborhood of $85. Then along came four pair of scissors type hinges salvaged from an 18 ft I/O which looked as though they would move the seat box just the perfect distance.

I removed the factory seat box down to the floor and cut the aft side of the box at 3/4 inch below the existing floor level under the table. The new floor is supported on top of that piece as well as an aisle piece that runs forward along the aisle and a piece attached to the bulkhead. The new floor piece has a forward access door in it to access the lower storage space when the seat is in the aft position. The factory access under the table is accessed when the table is in the forward position. The new box is slightly smaller than the factory one and has a floor just above the scissors hinge. I am going to install a Bowmar access hatch the same size as the battery access hatches in the aisle side of the box for access. This will also lighten up the box a little. The existing seat cushion fits the same with just a slight change in the slat on the underside which holds the seat centered.

I cut the table just about an inch forward of center and used a 24 inch S/S piano hinge to attach the two halves. This allows the existing leg to remain as is and the table drop becomes the seat cushion back. The leg keeps the lowered table leaf from swinging back. I also replaced the factory wall brackets with a pair of slide apart hinges which are mounted on the tables fixed half . The hanging table is held in the up position with a sliding bolt into a teak piece on the bulkhead. These hinges hold the table much more securely than the old brackets which tend to pop loose from each other when you apply to much pressure on one of the aisle corners of the table.

To support the table when it is used as a bench seat or bed I made a cross piece which runs fore and aft between the seats with a small notch in it to fit around the folded leg. This is mounted against the port bulkhead securely when not in use.

As long as you don't store a lot of heavy things in the storage box, moving it doesn't seem to be a problem. You do have to remove the cushion to the box to move it back and forth.

Here is the album page with the pictures in it. www.groups.msn.com/CBratsOnline/annaleigh.msnw

David


From: DavidAonAnnaLeigh Sent: 9/13/2003 7:37 AM
http://groups.msn.com/CBratsOnline/annaleigh.msnw

Try this link, the previous one doesn't work.

David

From: Mike Sent: 9/13/2003 8:30 PM
Excellent, David. You'll probably find that you leave it facing forward and only use the convertible function when it's time for dinner. We haven't put ours back to conventional since it went in there.

Have you considered cutting the seat cushion off so nothing is sticking under the step in the cabin wall? You can't sit on that part anyway. Then you could hinge it to the seat box and make things a lot simpler. I wanted to cut ours down, but Kay has that durn dog she likes to let sit there.

I like the hinged table top. I wanted to do it that way, but the track they used to put in to hold the table to the wall is full width, and it would have been a hassle. I really like the way the table mount works, so I am leaving it. However - now that I am looking to put the arm rest in, there is another option for me. I could cut just a section out of the table top, and leave about 4" of it along the wall that is still part of the main piece. Then a simple flip up cushion that hangs beneath the table against the wall when not in use, and there is the armrest at pretty close to the right height. The part I like about the hinged table is the simplicity. I would still leave the stiffener inside the seat back cushion.

Very nice work.

Mike