Old Town Guide 119 Seat Mod

[cb3725]

I spent all day Friday and most of Saturday thinking through the positioning I could use to add a second seat to my OT Guide 119. After doing a lot of reading and some experimentation on dry ground, I came to the conclusion that adding a second seat to this canoe would only work if I backed out the existing single seat about 8 - 12 inches. That would leave room at the front to set a second seat at the same interval. I would also have needed to lower both seats to keep the balance. However, this would have created a problem when it came to using this canoe as a solo, which I still want to be able to do. Having only a seat at the rear and a seat at the front would have raised the bow out of the water too much when cruising solo. So in the end, I decided to adjust the existing seat position, raise it a few inches, and commit to building another skin-on-frame canoe - a tandem 14 footer this time - hopefully in February. So instead of an extra seat post, behold a 119 seat mod instead!

The original seat that comes with this canoe. It sits about a foot behind the center by default.

Cutting the ash for the seat frame. The ash is from a local lumber mill, and I rip it (for paddles and stuff) with an added circular saw rip fence. Works pretty good as long as I cut it in a single run.

This was stained with Valspar Ebony stain. I'd used their "Weathered Gray" stain previously and didn't care for it, but the ebony worked well and matches the boat nicely.

And with the webbing added...

And as a bonus, this shaved about 5 lbs off the weight.

Thanks for looking!

 

[leeledger]

I have an old Sears fiberglass canoe. It is the same dimensions as my 119. It has two seats and is rated for three people.

 

[robert carter]

Thats a nice seat. I did not like the seat in mine and use something like a Turkey hunting chair in it. If you drop it down some the boat will be much more stable.RC

 

[cb3725]

Thats a nice seat. I did not like the seat in mine and use something like a Turkey hunting chair in it. If you drop it down some the boat will be much more stable.RC

I'll bet you are right, and I may end up changing it that way. If I can balance it okay, I prefer to sit a little higher so I can see though. I'll have to try it out on one of these warmer days.

 

[fflintlock]

Great job on that seat ! That reminds me that I need to replace the yoke on my old town. I need to go get a piece of ash.

 

[Wheel]

Very nice work.