The metal frame seats that came in the 18 I/O are light and pretty. It is a little difficult to restore the original style upholstery because it is old fashioned when labor was cheap. I bought a walking foot upholstery sewing machine and taught myself how to use it. I was able to recreate the original tuck and roll style upholstery after some experimenting. Luckily, I had the originals to copy. The frames could be duplicated and the cushion is plywood with foam and vinyl. Link to original thread: http://www.hydrodyners.com/forum/index.php?threads/seating-ideas.960/#post-6550 It is 18 years since the seats were redone. They have held up well. jim
Thanks Jim for the post and link. My floor is composite so I cannot bolt a frame like that in. I could make it work by glassing some plywood runners in - at this point in my project all seating options are open. I am kind of leaning towards a nice captain's seat on a base that has a glove box in it but other than that I am still deciding what to do in the 9 feet of available cockpit space.
I posted it because you asked about the seats in the 18 I/O in the classifieds. They are the same. jim
Yep. These are are/were the best and most comfortable seat combo's but, I also like the 1977 for sale (in the classifieds) with out the bench. It is all about the purpose of the setup.
