Monorail Sliding Seat on NE Dory

I wanted to share a recent modification I made to my NE Dory to add a sliding seat. I didn't want to dish out the $ for a new Piantedosi, and I though: Why complicate things with a fancy rigger when the Dory is already wide. The oarlocks only need to mount 4" outboard of the rails for proper spacing. I found a relatively inexpensive used Little River Marine Monorail sliding seat with footrests on the web. In lieu of the riggers, I built rail-mounted supports for the oarlocks.

Monorail Sliding Seat

Rigger/Oarlock

The "rigger" is cut so that they sit level with the horizontal. I used some surplus 3/4" oak plywood for the plates -- epoxied of course.

Rigger Unmounted

Threaded inserts (1/4-20 in stainless) are screwed into the rails. Since the bolts lie perpendicular to the plates, they enter the rails at an angle. I had to make special jigs out of 2x4 to make sure the drilling and screwing in the inserts was stress-free. (Well, as much as possible...)

Threaded Inserts

The forward end of the rail perfectly straddles the centerboard trunk. The bolt threads into a 1/4-20 insert in the thwart. Note the trunk slot cover, hastily built after getting soaked the first time.

Forward End of Rail Against Centerboard Trunk

The aft end of the rail bolts into another threaded insert in the frame.

Aft End on Bulkhead

To get the proper height above the water, I had to add a 3/4" spacer under the seat.

Spacer under Seat

Here's one for the photo of the month contest... :)

I Love My Dory!


4 replies:

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RE: Monorail Sliding Seat on NE Dory

   Nice job, I like the rope rub-rail.  Did you glue the rope to the flat side or did you router out a groove for the rope to fit in? 

RE: Monorail Sliding Seat on NE Dory

   The rope rubrail was an afterthought (after a couple of rough landings against a barnacle-encrusted seawall). I first tried 5200. It comes in a beige similar to the rope. It didn't stick very well the the unsanded varnish (duh), so it's now nailed in on 6" centers. Not ideal.

RE: Monorail Sliding Seat on NE Dory

I've been meaning to say for the last couple of days, that's a seriously nice build. I like what you did with the outriggers.

Have fun,

Laszlo

 

RE: Monorail Sliding Seat on NE Dory

I totally agree with the above. That is a beautiful boat and an intriguing modification. Nice to know it's possible.

Have you got any data on the average speed you can sustain with oars and the sliding seat?  

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