SEASPENSION/CAPTAIN CHAIR QUESTION

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VinnyC68

Well-known member
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Apr 11, 2016
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Location
Santa Barbara County California
I am looking to purchase a seaspension and a new seat. I have a 2120 pilot house and need to be sure the which one to get or which is the best to get. I found them on this site http://www.cecilmarineonline.com/seaspe ... -pedestal/. checking to see if any of you have seen them cheaper and also to see what type of helm seats you all have. I was looking to go a little plush on the helm seat for i am in cali and spend a lot time in in the seat.
Any feed back is good I want to be comfortable while out there and want the reclining ability. If anyone has good input fire away.
 

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Vinny, I ordered my Seaspension option (with deluxe captn's chair upgrade) from Paul at Cecil marine this summer when placing the order for my 2120. With my bad back, it was a no brainer and I do not regret it, although the price made me cringe at first. I've never sat behind the helm before on my 1801, or the boat I had after that, but this upgrade allows sitting comfortably once out of the marina and on open water. I have only put about 250 miles on her so far since the end of August, but quite a few have been in rough seas, and I have yet to feel any discomfort in the sitting position. It has several seat adjustments, including the forward/rearward sliding. Now I arrive at my destination, or just end the day, with so much more energy due to relaxing in the chair. I've only witnessed the seat moving about an inch total, but that is probably all that is required to be an improvement over a rock-solid pedestal. Also, I'm only 175 pounds, and that probably has a lot to do with the amount of chair give. I very well may have overlooked adjustments to adjust the amount of give that the seat has. I can only imagine that it would seem like a totally different boat if I had not opted for this feature. I do not have any pics of the seat, but it has the fold-up bolster with wrap-around arms, similar to that in the tan seat you showed. Be advised, that for 2017 boats, Parker no longer had all the seating upholstery other than in their 2-tone color scheme. I can attach a pic of the bait well seat option that shows the color scheme they offered.
 

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Vinny, I got down to the boat today (just in time to work in the rain), to drill a couple of holes to mount a vertical speargun rack in the cockpit to minimize clutter, so had the chance to get some pics of the captain's chair color scheme. These colors are what they are offering now for 2017. This summer Parker didn't think they had an entire set of cushions for all seating positions, in the original white color. Maybe they still stock the helm chair at all times in white as well, just not the entire package. If the pedestal seat is on a common bolt-pattern, then you probably have a lot of options to source the seat from many vendors. BTW, the height of the chair back is 21-inches above the seat (before sitting & compressing), so even couple inches higher up once sitting.
 

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WOW those are nice seats. So you saying that the seat you have there is the 2017 seats they are putting in the parkers. I want that I love the color scheme and the chair looks supper comfortable. Can I call you or you call me 8055885363
 
wow: those colors together are GORGEOUS…nicely done, Parker..and the embossed emblem on the headrest is a fine touch: looks really classy…may have to put it on the wish list!
 
That is a very nice helm chair! I would love to have one myself. Maybe someday for me? Just not enough disposable cash for all of the stuff that I'd like to purchase for the boat. I'll have to settle for a little at a time I guess. Thanks for sharing the pics as I didn't even know that they offered that option. Enjoy!

Also, that looks like a nice solar charger set up. Would you mind sharing some details on that and pics of connections etc..? I think other here would be interested too.
 
I'm not sure what Cecil sells the Seaspension pedestals for, but they are a loyal Seaspension customer and buy directly from Seaspension. To be totally transparent, I am the President of Seaspension. Others have opted to purchase directly from Parker Boats as they also sell Seaspension as an option. The main measurement to know is the distance from the top of the deck to the bottom of the seat. Most Parker boats are either 26" or 29". The gentleman who weighs 175 lbs is on the transition from our standard type of coil-over spring ( 175-275 lbs) and our Medium spring which is a little softer for lighter weight occupants. Depending on his type of boating, he could probably use the medium spring.
I saw a ProPedestal picture which, again in the interest of transparency, is a device which is touted by our former bookkeeper who decided to "compete" against us. I urge you to be cautious.
The new Parker seat looks great, and I'm sure would complement the Seaspension very well. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via our website.
 
Peter's Post":3chf00rx said:
... The gentleman who weighs 175 lbs is on the transition from our standard type of coil-over spring ( 175-275 lbs) and our Medium spring which is a little softer for lighter weight occupants. Depending on his type of boating, he could probably use the medium spring.....
Peter, so glad you chimed in. I'm the one who posted the Parker with your post, and deluxe captain's chair, both factory installed this summer by Parker. If I may, I'd like to ask a few questions about the interchangeable spring.

1. Just how much vertical deflection should I notice in the seat when under way?

2. Which spring does parker usually equip their boats with.

3. Is there any dampening adjusters the end user could take advantage of?

4. How easy is it to identify and change a spring?

Although it is a very comfortable ride, I can only imagine how it would feel with the optimum spring.

Than you, Jim
 
Hi Jim,

The pedestal has 3.5" of travel. The damper is velocity sensitive, so it gets progressively stiffer the harder you slam the boat. We did a test for Boating Magazine late last year with a 25' Parker, (posted on our website), and the accelerometers showed more absorption (fewer G's) when the boat hits hardest. There is no adjusting anything on the pedestal, since the damper and progressively rated coil-over spring works in tandem to give optimal performance.
If you currently only get an inch of travel, than we'd be happy to change out the spring for you. Just contact us and we'll get it done for $25 which covers the return shipping back to you. Please call me or go through the Contact US page on the website, and we'll hook up. Thanks.
 
This is great info. Thanks for the info. i am 6'2 and I weight 230lb. Those pics that were posted plus the ones that He sent to me have helped me a lot. I just have to pick out the seat now. Was looking for one that reclines back and that has a bulster.
 
Please remember that we put a "seated weight" limit of 275 lbs on our pedestals. That means seat plus occupant weight. It is very easy to double, triple or quadruple this weight when you encounter waves at speed. You'll find that the pedestal takes most if not all of the discomfort out when you encounter wave action, so putting a "couch-type" or large bolster-type of seat is not necessary. You can however do that if it suits you, but then we would recommend our Dual Post system, which is meant for more Commercial Duty. It is also more than double the cost of a single pedestal. Common sense after all rules the day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thanks.
 
I found the benefits of a cushy chair a good percentage of the time when not even encountering waves, or hardly moving. Especially wrap around arms for comfortable leaning. There is no wave action in my living room (most days) but I sure enjoy my cushy recliner.
 
You make a good point! Even sitting on a piece of plywood on top of any shock-mitigating pedestal sitting still will make it uncomfortable after a while. It is a systems approach (seat and whatever is below it) that makes for great results.
 
Is there a seat like the Parker 2-tone seat shown with flip up bolster but in the standard newer white color? thanks
 
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