Adding seat bases to the front of a RT198

[Rebelkris76]

Has anyone added two seat bases to the front of a Ranger aluminum (RT series)? We crappie fish 90% of the time and have the Millennium Side Kick double seat bracket at the front. It works fine but can get in the way with two over-sized aging arthritic men fumbling around. Thought about adding two seat bases on each side of the existing/factory installed base and using two of the offset/curved seat posts instead. It would open the front deck considerably and allow for better movement. It seems as simple as drilling two holes and screwing the bases in but I'm worried about braces/wiring/joists/etc in that area of the front deck. Anybody done this?

Appreciate the help.

Reb

[bassin74]

you won't be able to get underneath and put the washers and lock nuts on the bolts. and if you just used self taping screws they work there way loose over time

[Lowerider58]

You can get access under the deck by removing the recessed foot pedal tray.

There are braces on the bottom side of the the deck and you would be cutting through some of them where you have to drill the large hole for the base.
I’ve thought about trying it myself but never have. Maybe try talking to a dealer and see if they’ve ever done them and how it came out.

[davesz518]

Go look at the RT Crappie version to get an idea where the seat posts are located. I would guess it might be the same. I have an RT178 and the dealer orders the boats already set up for crappie fishing chairs.

[Rebelkris76]

Completed this weekend. Not the best picture but hopefully you can get the idea..

bases.jpg

[buffan41]

Completed this weekend. Not the best picture but hopefully you can get the idea..

bases.jpg

Getting ready to complete this on my 198, did you just center the bases off the compartment opening? Did you drill through any supports when installing?

[Lowerider58]

I have been thinking about doing the same thing myself but I was concerned about cutting through the deck bracing and it flexing and cracking.

Does it seem sturdy when you sit on the new bases and move around?

[njpaulc]

be prepared to have a lot of water in the hull, whenever ir rains my rod box fills up because the previous owner had a pedestal base added.

[Rebelkris76]

Buffan41, yes I centered the bases off the compartment lids. To be sure, I actually took my trolling motor pedal/basin out and was able to shine a light down the opening/underneath the deck to make sure there were no support beams where I was installing. There was, so I had to move them slightly inward. I got pretty close to them, so close that one of my screws actually went through the support beam on one side. That caused a little trouble as the screw tried to re-center itself but I made it work and it "seated" just fine. In hindsight, I actually would've liked them a little more toward center...the offset seat pedestals that I'm using can actually swing a little too far out toward the gunnel for my liking . But they work very well nonetheless. Another advantage of this set up - not that this can't be accomplished using other seat base setups - is that it is very easy to pop the driver's side seat/pedestal out and lay it on the deck when I'm moving spots and running down the lake, giving me an unobstructed view.

Lowerider58, it is sturdy. Does it flex a little? Yes. But no more than just walking around on the deck. Obviously time will tell if any of the screws work loose. If they do, I'll have to reengineer it with some bolts/nuts. I don't believe they will, even with two 250 lb men using them. They're as sturdy today as they were when I installed them..

Njpaulc - not sure how water would get in my rod boxes from this modification. All holes/screws/etc are outside of any compartments...just in the front deck in front of the three bow compartments.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me and we can discuss via text..

Reb