I have a eagle talon 12 sot yak that I'm trying to build a seat for. I have a idea in my head with a boat seat and some PVC but before I commit I just wanted to see if any of y'all wanted to share some of your redneck ingenuity and see how some of y'all built yours.

Here is one that was posted in the rigging section at the top of this forum.

There are probably a few others you might check out!

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/10891210/tarpon_120_diy_seat#Post10891210

I have also been trying to figure out a redneck seat for my kayak. I have an extra stadium seat that is very heavy duty and comfortable. The metal frame that would rest on the bleacher is on the sides. My problem is that the old seat area has no flat surface for easy mounting. I may try the PVC idea in the attachment that Jimbo referenced.

Here is one that you can mount a boat seat onto a pvc rack.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...at#Post10947890

I would stick with a small, quality lawn chair. Find a way to spread the load some where it contacts the kayak to avoid wearing a hole in it. The result will be lighter, and you can take the chair out and use in at camp, too.

I hope that this makes sense. Before you spend time and money on materials or modifying your boat, might I suggest that you do a simple test. Round up several cushions, etc., to simulate your proposed height, go to the water, place them in your seat, and see how the increased height affects your stability. I once tried an inflatable seat and it drastically affected the stability on my Tarpon 160. It was only used once and was traded off.

That's my fear. I have tried a few cushions and I've noticed even just a few inches is enough to affect my center of gravity. The fact that I'm 6'6 already puts me at a disadvantage. I have found a dense foam pad that is about 1" thick that helps with the numb butt. My main thing is not having anything for the back. The factory seat has a short back seat. I might try to build a backrest out of PVC. I think if I go from my back scuppers I can build a crate platform and might put a cusion on the side of the crate closest to my back and see how that goes. The yak is only 30" wide. I love the speed and the way it tracks and surprisingly fits my tall tail pretty well.

Mariner Sails stocks several different types of seat cushions in various sizes and prices. Some are a basic closed cell foam base, several have padded neoprene bases, and they also have uber-comfy gel seat pads. Most of these should give you better cushioning while not adding height and maximizing your stability.

It might be worth your time to visit the store and do some butt-testing!

If I may ask, what happened to your old seat?

If it's just a regular seat you need with a backrest there are a ton of aftermarket seats out there that you can buy that will fit your kayak.
You may have to add a couple of plastic deck loops to attach the seat but it will be cheaper in the long run and not effect your stability.

Nothing happend to mine it just sucks. Lol when I was looking at yaks and reading the reviews that was everyone's only complaint about the eagle talon. Me being me was like " I'm young enough to handle it." Lol boy was I wrong. I've looked at a lot of after market seats but after seeing the price tag on most of the "good" ones I just thought it might be cheaper to make my own. The redneck in me is like here hold my beer and watch what I can make out of some PVC and a little time. The idea I have now will give me a place to keep my crate * the back of the ET won't fit a standard milk crate* and act as a back rest.

Understand!
I would say good luck trying to build one or even trying to find a comfortable seat cushion for that matter.
The cheapest and probably the easiest way to comfort is try to find a comfortable seat cushion, but there really isn't one that will work for everyone because everyone is different.
Probably the most comfortable seat on a kayak would be the one on the hobie Pro Angler just because it's basically a well padded lawn chair type with arm rests, and it sits high enough to give your legs and butt a break from sitting flat on the floor for hours.

Well I think I might have got it figured out. It looks like it will work for what I am looking for. I have a few pics but can't figure out how to get them from my phone to here. What I did was take 1 inch PVC from my back scupper holes came up about 8 inches to where it is flush with my tackle tray holder. Put a 90 in it and ran it about 1 foot until it was about a inch from my seat. I put another 90 in it and came up about 8 inches *mid back* now I have a spot for my milk crate with only giving about 2 inches of my back storage area. I put a seat cushion on my crate and will use that as a back rest. Hopefully my description gives you a idea of what I did. If anyone can post the pics for me I can send them via email.

Pics... If they work.

Here's a seat I rigged up for my old kayak before I got a Diablo Adios. It was a camping chair I got from Academy for $8 and some tarp bungees used to secure it. I put some traction pad where the seat previously was so I could store gear underneath the seat. I loved it cause it got me up off the kayak and increased visibility. No issues with stability either. The whole setup cost less than $20. It functional, comfortable and very sturdy. It was also easily removable if need be. Hope this helps.

I also own an Eagle Talon 12. I love my kayak and put up with the piece of junk factory seat for 3 years, not wanting to spend the money for an aftermarket seat. Academy has the Yak Gear manta ray seats for 99.00. After about a year they went on sale for 79.00 and I broke down and bought one. I love the seat. I can fish twice as long. It does not raise the seat up so I still get the we butt when I'm fishing. When it's warm I don't mind the wet and when it's cold I wear waders.