I have the block of foam to shape the seat and have tried to "wing it" and shape the seat on my own. So far lots of work. I am using a razor to shape the outline and dragon's skin to smoothen it out. Very slow so far. Just wondering if anyone has a faster tool that will work and any advice on how to shape the ideal seat.
Submitted by kika on Sun, 02/10/2008 - 4:16pm
try a stiff wire brush.
#1 Sun, 02/10/2008 - 4:18pm
Here is how I'm doing mine right now.
I put sand in a smallish rectangular $8 concrete mixing bowl. Make sure it's level and elevated as close as you would have it in respect of your foot position in the boat ( your feet are lower then your butt). Don't sit, but lower yourself into the bowl and pack the sand the way you like your butt hugged. Once you are over that excitement, lift your behind out of the bowl without flattening the impression. Lay some cling wrap generously over your poo poo impression and fill with Fixall . Make it soupy so it levels itself. Once hardened take it out of the sand bowl, peel off the shrink wrap and have a good look at your butt. If it's wrinkled heavily blame it on the soft shrink wrap, or you really have a withered ass. Even wrinkled it represents the true shape. Put the cast upside down on a table and measure the difference in height between the 2 peaks /cheeks. Surprise, surprise. My left cheek is actually 1/8" shallower then the other. Perhaps my light scoliosis(curvature of the spine) has something to do with it, or I'm half-assed??
Then mark your foam with a centerline and a cross line. Do the same with the cast.
Get some baby powder, chalk, or flower. Any powder with a contrasting color. Brush or sprinkle it on the tip of the cheeks. With your marks on the foam and cast you should be able to place it exactly over the foam and with a little wiggle, the powder marks on the foam, are the tips of your cheeks. Drill a hole in the center of both powder marks to the depth of where you want your okole to be. the depth of each may be different !
Start grinding with a cordless variable speed drill and a 4-5" inch disk of stiff paint stripper. Coarse. but hard foam. It'll make the task easier. Takes a little skill but by the time your done you'll be an expert. As you go deeper keep the gypsum glutes powdered and wiggle them into the foam. It'll leave powder marks. Grind at the powder mark. Eventually you'll end up at the bottom of the holes you have drilled. If everything worked well the foam bottom ends at the drill marks and the foam will look white with powder all over because you've done the perfect grind and your cast touches everything. No pressure points whatsoever. Your ass is your seat, because your seat is your ass.
If you're not into it, send me your cast huddled asses and I 'll custom grind them. Otherwise enjoy the painstaking detailed grind of making your own seat fit like a glovey gluteous maximal impression.
You're worth it!
#2 Sun, 02/10/2008 - 5:51pm
The 2 best tools for seat shaping are a high speed disc grinder with a 36 grit disc and a surform shaper tool (the small one with the 5 inch handle. Make sure that your foam blank is anchored securely to something so it remains still while you are grinding. Proceed slowly and sit in it frequently until you get it to where it feels comfortable. You will need progressively finer sandpaper to smooth the seat once you get the shape right. The surform is good for removing small areas of material and for areas that the disc grinder won't fit into. Let the grinder do most of the rough work and then hand shape the rest.
#3 Sun, 02/10/2008 - 5:59pm
Hey Painty, here's mine ..
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#4 Sun, 02/10/2008 - 6:58pm
Kika, there's more info on seats on my blog
http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com/2007/03/about-my-single-outrigger-cano...
Cheers Rambo
#5 Sun, 02/10/2008 - 7:16pm
Rambo
Did you grind down the original seat first, before glueing on the three layers, or just stack them on top?
#6 Mon, 02/11/2008 - 1:05pm
Stack them on top, but i have a cute narrow butt, so others may need to take some meat out of the sides first or grind out a bit of the blue foam to suit.
I used a similar set up on the OC2 in the Murray RedX Marathon and had no butt problems at all during the 32 hours.
Cheers Rambo
#7 Mon, 02/11/2008 - 1:18pm
Rambo,
Thanks. I'm going to give it a try. I always start squirming after 90 minutes or so.
#8 Mon, 02/11/2008 - 2:10pm
what type of foam are you guys using, and were can you purchase it. in CA.
#9 Mon, 02/11/2008 - 4:56pm
I created seat foam carving tools by taking different sized spoons and drilling small holes in them. Then I used a nail punch to force the holes open and in the process creating a burr or tooth. Drill and punch from the inner/concaved side and put the "teeth" on the outer/convexed side. I first carve the majority of foam away with a hand held grinder. Then I go in with the spoons and finish it off with 36 grit then 80 grit paper.
#10 Mon, 02/11/2008 - 5:26pm
mojoho go to huki.com Jude sells foam blanks.
#11 Tue, 02/12/2008 - 5:16am
thanks
#12 Wed, 02/13/2008 - 7:55pm
Google "microcell foam"
#13 Wed, 02/20/2008 - 9:39pm
What's diff between microcell and minicell? Is it same stuff from different manufacturers?
#14 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 4:01am
I wish builders would start having Gel seats made for OC-1s/OC-2s. They really don't cost that much more and when you are laying down over 3Gs for a boat you sit in for many hours each week they are well worth it.
In Canada we have a company called ObusForme where you can get a Gel and Foam car seat for around 60$ that is pretty plush. I am sure someone could make the outer shell waterproof.
Gel seats have been out for quite some time now and they would be a welcome addition for Outrigger canoes. I have a gel seat from Wenonah for a regular small Kayak/Canoe seat and it is amazing.
#15 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 5:00am
Pitt, sounds like a great opportunity for you.
be sure to flog them for outrageous prices on Ocpaddler.com - Poops loves that...
roscoe
#16 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 8:42am
Allow me to suggest a business name for your new venture Pittbrah, ... wait for it
#17 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 11:05am
hahahahaha......................
thats pretty damn funny:-)
#18 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 4:29pm
Nice ;-) ....don't want to tred on aquafiend's copyright here Rambo!
#19 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 6:16pm
Who me...
a Pirate ????
Arghhh ... Let's get together and haul some keel Matey!
#20 Thu, 02/21/2008 - 6:37pm