i cannot permanently glue the seat into my hull because i plan on sleeping on my Vagabond's floor occasionally since there are very few places to camp/bivouack
Has anyone tried something similar? How did it work? Any unwanted seat movement while paddling?
From a functional standpoint the Northwater straps and D-ring anchors will work. You would want to have the side strap connections close to the seat so that they are pulling nearly straight down to reduce any movement of the seat, similar to how a taller pedestal kneeling seat is sometimes installed using those webbing loop track anchors.
To further reduce any seat slippage perhaps you could glue permanently something thin and grippier to the floor that would help keep the minicel from sliding the slick, wet composite surface. The first thing that comes to mind is a couple of long strips of Dynel epoxied with no peel ply, which would set up with a stubble rough finish.
From a personal practicality standpoint I would go to some lengths to avoid sleeping in my boat. Great lengths.
The inside of my boat is usually sandy or muddy and wet from entry wading feet, paddle drips and splash; even sponging out the bilge and rolling out a sleeping pad it’s gonna make a fugly damp bed.
Some of places I paddle have heavy morning dew. I don’t want to wake up soaked, so I’d need some kind of waterproof fly. A lot of places have a heavy bug population, so no-see-um netting would be a necessity.
How the hell do I set that stuff up from inside the boat? And dang I hope the boat doesn’t somehow roll over; at best I’d be wide awake wet, and at worst I’d be entrapment dead. And, not to be too graphic, but I really hope I don’t need to take a crap anytime soon.
Just unhooking the seat and moving it back out of the way seems like an awkward PITA while in the boat. And the boat will be less grab-and-go at the put in or take out; one more thing to rig and unrig each time. Help me Mr. Wizard, I don’t want to be stuck at the launch anymore.
I know that some Watertribe paddlers have similar/elaborate sleep-aboard arrangements for their Sea Winds and etc, to sleep stuffed back in the mangroves. I guess if I’m paddling 30 hours at a stretch sleeping in the boat is just one more discomfort I’m willing to endure. Somewhere on the Watertribe site I’m sure there are photos of DIY cockpit screens and tents.
For a back in the mangroves bivouac using a hammock seems much easier. String up a snakeskinned Hennessy or etc, tie the boat off underneath and clamber up into bed. As gator bait. That sandy beach or high ground hummock is looking better all the time.
Or, far more my style, paddle to some known beach or high ground habitat, where everything is walking around upright easier, except maybe getting the tides right to camp land and launch.
I just did a measurement on some of our decked boats, including the Vagabond. There is at a minimum of 9 feet of hull between the front seat edge and bow stem, plenty of room for even a 6 footer to lay flat. Resting on a thick inflated sleeping pad the low minicel seat might make a nice pillow.
Before trying those Northwater track anchors and D-ring pads (anchor tracks = $50 a pair, $20 for a couple D-ring pads) maybe take the Vagabond out somewhere safe and easy with carved minicel seat still unglued and try taking a nap using the seat as a pillow. You could lightly tack the seat in place with a couple wee dabs of Goop at the launch, stick it lightly in place, wait 10 minutes and go; the seat should pop out with a tug when you are done and the residual Goop peel off the hull or minicel.
How’s the sleep aboard. Comfy? How was it securing the hull bow and stern so you didn’t drift around? What happens when the tide comes in or goes out in the middle of the night. Ooops.
As you are laying there staring at the swarming no-see-ums, ponder how best to quickly attach a rainfly and screen to the outside cowling lip. Help Mr. Wizard!
I really don’t mean to dissuade you from experimenting. dang near everything I know about comes from trying and seeing and sometimes failing, and through that process I have learned a few immutable things about boatwork:
More time spent doing thorough prep work = a better job and less time doing the actual installation.
When doing something experimental or self-taught, stopping work to think about the next most-efficient series of steps is faster than hurrying.
The more major the modification the more incremental the steps I take. If I’m planning to try X, Y and Z I want to test paddle with X before I install Y or start marking locations for Z.
The boatcrafting art work is wonderful stuff, the beginnings of a boat tinkerer’s graphic novel.
