I need seat measurement for compac 16

[mandolinut]

I am away from home and forgot to bring my measurements for the width and length of the seats in my Compac 16. I am looking to have cushions made and ordered while I am in West Palm Beach for Christmas.
I would really appreciate somebody taking the time to give me a quick length and width.  Need ASAP. Thanks in advance.

[Salty19]

IMO, Not a good idea to order these blindly with two measurements.   You will almost certainly be dissappointed by the fit, the seats are not rectangular and the curves are not predictable by guessing.  The maker probably will not gladly take them back if they don't fit as they are your measurements.

Some fabricators already have the pattern for CP16s.  If not, I highly suggest making a paper template of the exact shape you want and handing it to the fabicator.   Maybe you can hook up with an owner and cut the template from his/her boat? 

I know this isn't what you want to hear now that you've made the trip to West Palm already but I think you'll be pretty upset at the results with just simple measurements.   

As a buddy of mine says, "It will look like a couple of drunk Indians made it".  No offense to drunks or Indians!

[Billy]

I agree with Mike. I like these better anyways.

http://www.sportaseat.com/

You can lay them flat like cockpit cushions or upright and get back support. Use them on the deck/cockpit/ or even on the beach.

mine are the west marine ones and a little larger but for a 16 I think these would be PERFECT!







Mike, did you get yours yet?

[Salty19]

Billy,

Yep, we sure did.  Love the sportaseats!! Cheaper than cushions, good back support and portable.

Here's a pic of the admiral using one on deck.

[Billy]

Awesome! yea don't know what was a better purchase. The seats or the Bimini. Haven't used the Bimini since Sept. but use the seats year-round....... But could do w/ out the seats in Aug. The bimini is a must in FL.

This was taken Thanksgiving weekend. 4 of us went out for a 3 day trip, 45 miles from Port Richey, FL to Clearwater, FL. We stayed one night on Anclote Key where there is a bunch of invasive trees you can cut down for fire wood. Notice the chainsaw in a trashbag straped to the deck..........and the dingy (kayak) in tow.

the jib bag makes a nice footrest!


taken w/ my friends Go-ProII

I did order a foiled rudder from Com-Pac at the St. Pete boat show earlier this month so maybe that will be the best purchase. Which ever it ends up being, the seats are worth it!

[mandolinut]

Thanks for the seat ideas. I will look into it. I was thinking about several options . A number of square "boat throw cushions" or solid high density closed cell foam cut for the bottoms of the seats.
Could you tell me how the bimini works out with the boom height? When I am sheeted in it appears the boom would be too low for a bimini. Did you have to have your sail recut or use a topping lift when using the bimini? I am also in Florida. Was the bimini made locally?  Thanks.

[Billy]

A picture says a thousand words.....

When the sail is up it lifts the boom so it actually works better when under sail. When I drop the sail I tighten the topping lift to raise the boom. The boom could probably be a bit higher, but the fabric will wear out from the elements before any chafing. I do have 5/16" halyards (way too thick) and the knot at the top keeps the sail about an inch from the top of the mast. I still can hoist the sail all the way, just have the boom a little lower. If I had smaller line I could raise the sail another inch taking the boom up with it. I thought about cutting an inch off the Bimini frame, but it is already a tad bit difficult to go forward.



But all this is from a 19. I have seen a lot of 16s with biminis  though. I am very happy with mine! I got it from the Com-Pac factory. Not sunbrella fabric but similar, after all, it's what compac uses. My only complaint is the main sheet only allows for the
Bimini to be so far back (it's on a track). A longer boom would help the angle and allow for a longer Bimini and more shade.

Just think, the money you could save on seat cushions could cover the cost of a Bimini!

[mandolinut]

Thanks for the pictures. I have only had this boat a few months but know already it is a keeper. My skin is pretty torn up from years in the Sun, so a Bimini is on my short list. For now, I'll keep the long sleeves and broad brim on.

[Bob23]

Mike, Mike, Mike:
   I'm really disappointed not to see a color coordinated Sport-a-Seat on Island Time.
   I have the same color (sand?) on my boat. The seats are great and well worth the $. Buy the real thing, not the wm knockoff. In my opinion.
Bob23

[Billy]

Buy the real thing, not the wm knockoff. In my opinion.
Bob23

Boooooooooo

So what are you really trying to say Bob? I'm cheap?frugal?
Well you know sailors, because the wind is free, we think everything else should be too.

Seriously, I like mine because they have a pillow headrest, and a non-skid bottom, and a little longer which works well when flat (more coverage in the cockpit and head support when upright). I think they were around $80. Three years and much use later they are still holding up well.

And I was wondering where mike would find teal green seats too. I kinda like the "sand" color. It matches the wood.

Merry Christmas guys!

[brackish]

Got a couple of the WM knock offs when they had a momentary special that dropped them to $55 with free shipping.  Like them so much I keep them in the back of my truck so I can use them all the time, not just when I'm on the boat. 

With regard to the "real thing", this calls for a Com-Pac consumers report side by side analysis.   Not sure what the real thing could do better (longevity maybe) but I have been a manufacturing guy all my life, can look at something and make a fairly accurate estimate of cost content, and in my opinion that fella who makes and sells the real thing is cutting a fat hog.  So is WM for that matter, but just not quite so bad.

[Bob23]

   I've seen the Sport-a-seat girl (Linda) at the Annapolis shows and others. They had the WM and thiers stripped down to see the metal and mechanisms. Without a doubt, thiers was better and, because I sail in salt water, I think it should last longer. If the WM works for you and you can handle the harsh critisizm you may encounter here, go for it.
   The Sport-a-set is American made. WM- guess where. I hope you're happy depriving some unemployed American workers kids presents this Christmas. I don't know how you can face yourself in the mirror!!! Before anyone gets thier BVD's up in a knot, you do know I'm kidding!
   At the shows they usually discount 10% so last time I finally pried my wallet open. I think it was about 95 clams or so. A great investment...I should buy another.
   This fall, I removed the sliding seat rig from my Alden Ocean Shell, plopped the Seat in there, grabbed my kayak paddle and PRESTO! I had a kayak! The seat provided great back support, stayed put and didn't mind getting wet one bit. Hooray for American Made!
Bob23

[brackish]

Bob, you're kinda preaching to the choir.  I manufactured a product line of which many of the models were considered best in class, so it was no surprise that we were a market share leader.  Corporate MBA consultant types thought they could send it overseas and do better despite my howling about how dumb that was.  When that happened, nobody wanted the product, company collapsed, was sold twice and now is doing ten percent of its former volume.  

However, I'm a firm believer in free and open competition.  That's what keeps everyone honest. The sport-a-seat would have been $130 each delivered when I bought my WM's for $55.  They are probably better but would they provide more value?  And I look at them, and see maybe $30 of manufactured content which might vary up or down based on volume.  Sport a seat sells direct, so no middle distribution costs.  I'm sure those folks are great people and work hard, I wish them well but, they don't feed my family.

When my youngest son's 22 year old Honda Accord (handed down from me) died a natural death at 285K miles he asked me what he should do.  After careful analysis of his stated needs I told him the best "value" for him was a Ford Focus which he bought and really likes.  In a few years, after there has been ample experience to prove reliability, I'll trade in my Toyota for an F-150, with an Eco Boost engine.  What goes around comes around.

[Bob23]

Brack:
   You know I was jesting, of course. If I had to make the choice with your prices, I'd make the same choice you did. I could buy 2 WM and still have beer money left over.
   Ford Focus is a wonderful car. While I've had many Toys, my current 2004 Camry is not that great. No problems, just a good car, not a great car. Flip side, Toyota just replaced the entire frame on my 2001 Tundra due to rust perforation. Nice of them, but I'd prefer it didn't rust in the first place.
   I hope I don't have to choose a new truck. None of them are in my price range so my Tundra with 196k miles will have to make it to 350k. Should be no problem based on that years reputation and my fanatical aircraft-like approach to maintenance. I plan on "moving upstairs" before the truck sees 20 years.
   Sorry for the hijack. I guess I should sit on a WM and Sport-a-seat side by side.
Bob23

[brackish]

I do know Bob.  No complaints with my truck, but getting 8300 lbs. of towing capacity with a 3.5L engine pushing a full size truck and 22 mpg seems to be a technological leap by Ford.

To get back on topic, I have both the full cockpit cushions that came with the boat and the seats and use them both.  If I had to make a choice I would pick the seats.  The cushions are nice but have drawbacks.  opening the lockers is one.  Then when you open the locker things slide down the back of the cushions (my expensive glasses) get hidden and then someone (me mostly) sits on them and breaks them.  The cushions get dirty easier and are harder to clean than the FG seat.  They trap dirt and mold underneath if you leave them on the boat, and taking them off is an unwieldy task at least for the length of cushions on a 23.  Additionally, I'm considering the modification to mid boom sheeting and the cushions would restrict the effective traveler length on the bridge deck.  I've got kind of a bad back and the seats are wonderful for that