cafe style aero seat

[turtle13]

so when my basement overflowed with * and found my seat floating around, i came to the conclusion that i will never let my butt touch that foam of vinyl ever again. especially on a hot sweaty day...
the stock seat has always seemed to high and forward for me being a long legged 6 foot tall male, and the seat once shaved down was super uncomfortable since the plastic pan has two bumps right where each one of my voluptuous turtle curves rest in prime riding position.
so i thought that this would be a perfect time to make a custom seat that works for me.
since i have a little bit before i can actually work on said seat as i am still un-pooping my basement and dealing with insurance companies this will be in planning stages for a bit.
but does any one have any ideas?
i am thinking of using the plastic pan for a "skirt" around the edges, and for the general shape. then take either a spare skate deck, marine grade plywood or fiberglass to create a flat-ish pan. cover with high density foam and wrap with vinyl...

[Fishman43]

i am thinking of using the plastic pan for a "skirt" around the edges, and for the general shape. then take either a spare skate deck, marine grade plywood or fiberglass to create a flat-ish pan. cover with high density foam and wrap with vinyl...

Sounds like a good idea, except I would keep the whole seat pan and just attach the new hard surface right on top. You could alway cut out holes for the plastic seat pan bumps in the wood allowing for them to recess in and the wood to sit lower.

[drizzle]

i'd really like to see this actually... go for it!

[turtle13]

i am thinking of using the plastic pan for a "skirt" around the edges, and for the general shape. then take either a spare skate deck, marine grade plywood or fiberglass to create a flat-ish pan. cover with high density foam and wrap with vinyl...

Sounds like a good idea, except I would keep the whole seat pan and just attach the new hard surface right on top. You could alway cut out holes for the plastic seat pan bumps in the wood allowing for them to recess in and the wood to sit lower.

That is actually what I was thinking, slice the sides off and use it as a template to make the pan shape and also use it as a sideskirt to keep it clean looking from the sides.

[turtle13]

got a little work done tonight on the modified seat and decided on my plan of attack. instead of slicing the top off i decided on reforming the "bumps" towards the rear. that way i can sit further back with out each bump poking me in each butt cheek as i ride. the shaved seat that i was sporting before was great and all for the lowered seat height, but wasnt the most comfortable... hopefully the flatter pan will solve that.
here is a teaser pic...

i am sectioning out the plastic, and then will remelt/weld/reinforce the pieces flat (or at least flatter).

[Fishman43]

Nice start, looking forward to watching this develop.

[turtle13]

got some more work done tonight

took the sections, bolted the main pieces together aprox at the height that i wanted them at. heated up with the propane torch so it would form to its new shape. then heated the wings on the sides so they folded over the metal strips.

looks a little rough at this point, but the butt poking bumps have dissapeared!

took the metal strips out and rebolted on top of the entire mess, so i could bond every thing together more properly

this is when the soldering iron comes out to weld everything together, then a few (by this i mean a LOT) passes over the seams with the torch to fully melt the pieces together and give it a more smooth shape.

then i hit the inside with the torch to melt in all the extra tabs that were left.

and this is how it sits now.

i plan on filling in the bumps somehow to make it smooth, especially since there wont be a lot of foam on the seat once covered. anybody got any ideas on what will stick to the plastic seat pan and fill in the low spots?

[martynkim]

Spray foam for insulation? Just an idea. Might sound hoaky.

[tw39515]

what about bondo or plastic body filler?

[turtle13]

what about bondo are plastic body filler?

i thought about bondo, but at the latch area it will be up to an inch thick in a couple of places. im just worried about it cracking/not sticking in places with that much bondo. jb weld may work, but that is a LOT of jb weld...

[drizzle]

very thin layer of sheet metal? y'know, bent around the edges and screwed into the seat with wood screw or something. just a thought.

[turtle13]

very thin layer of sheet metal? y'know, bent around the edges and screwed into the seat with wood screw or something. just a thought.

ya know thats not a bad idea... spray foam or bondo to keep the metal from bending, and then a layer of thin metal to keep the filler from cracking or flaking and ruining everything.
i would prefer 1 product to keep things simple, but this may be the ticket.

[turtle13]

Does anyone know if fiberglass will stick to whatever plastic the pan is made of? To make sure it is smooth I could fill in all the low spots with spray foam, then wrap with fleece and glass from there.

[Fishman43]

I don't think fiberglass would stick to the plastic. You might get a light bond with the resin and plastic but the two would flex at different rates and seperate after a little while. You could wrap the glass under the seat pan lip to create a shell that is part of the whole seat.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Speaking from 33 years' experience with building and repairing sailboards, the early vintages being made of this same roto-molded PolyEthylene, I can safely assert that Nothing will stick to that seat pan. There have been Legends written wherein some gifted Forumistas successfully achieved adhesion with some paints after a heat prep. I remain unconvinced.

But for sure your fiberglass with Polyester, Vinylester, and Epoxy-based resins will not stick to that pan for long. Something to do with hydrophobic molecule ends and Other Science I Don't Understand And Never Will. Still I admire your skill at heat-welding those tabs, and that is the only proven way to modify PE.