What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Seats

L

Larry

Active Member
Any suggestions out there for seats that I can make. All the seats that I have located that are prebuilt run from $500 and up. I do not want to spend that kind of money right now but I need something to sit on for flight test. What have other 9 builder done? :(

Engine Hung, Wiring complete, cowling initially on, working baffling.
 
boat cushion?

why not use some boat cushions at first? If you want some "blank" foam, send me an email. I sell large qtys of foam plank to packaging industry. sheets are 48" x 108" x 1" or 2" thick. It is harder (1.7# if that means anything to you)than these custom seats, but much cheaper.

my first "cheap" solution is boat cushions, but if you want some "void filler" under that cushion, let me know and I will try to help.

jeff
[email protected]
 
Jeff,

Any chance you can design seat cushions for us? By design I'm thinking of how to layer the verious foams?

I agree with Larry regarding the price but I also want seats I can sit in for four or five hours at a time and not have to worry about getting back in the plane.

Regarding cushions for the test period, I did see one RV-6 around here that had long green lawn chair cushions in it for the test period. Kind of funny but functional.
 
Spruce sells a 3" thick piece of tri-density tempur foam that's big enough for a seat bottom and very comfy. I think they cost me about 60-70 bucks each.
 
Wow, that'll teach me to read a post while eating. I choked on the both the Van's price and my sammich. I did not know they are up to $315. Doubled in a year! I just got a quote from a local upholsterer of over $600 to do them up for me using good material and the Van's templates and style. When you consider the the total of going that route with today's prices, seats from Oregon and others don't look as expensive, relatively speaking.

Jekyll
 
Yeah, I thought I remembered a price of 170 dollars or so recently and was shocked at the current price. Wish my paycheck would go up like that :(
 
arffguy said:
Yeah, I thought I remembered a price of 170 dollars or so recently and was shocked at the current price. Wish my paycheck would go up like that :(
Click to expand...

I bought mine last year from a fellow builder who changed to Oregon Aero seats (very nice leather job BTW). Van's told him what the restocking fee would be $15. My friend sold them to me at the Van's price less the restocking fee. I paid $150, so the total then would have been $165. I wish my stocks would double in a year.

Jekyll
 
DIY Seats

Tony Bingelis had an excellent article in Aug 1990 Sport Aviation on building seats for his RV-6. You can also find most of the same article in the hombuilders secion of the EAA website

http://members.eaa.org/home/homebuilders/building/interior/1Carving Foam Seats.html#TopOfPage

And a second artile:

http://members.eaa.org/home/homebui...rs - Seat Construction Details.html#TopOfPage

As well as some nice diagrams on John Hovan's site:

http://www.matronics.com/rv-list/hovan/index.html

Kevin
RV-6
 
Here's a link from Sam Buchannan's website with really detailed information on how to build a seat. I can't vouch for how comfortable they might be, to be sure, but I'm thinking this is the direction I'll go because they seem much more affordable and relatively easy if you know someone who knows their way around a sewing machine.. When I start thinking a $1000 for seats, my conscience starts bothering me :confused:, but who knows. If my tail gets uncomfortable enough, maybe $1000 isn't really so bad. :eek:
Hope this helps.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~sbuc/tvrvbg/interior.htm
 
Has anyone else considered putting a plate over the depression in the seat(I assume it is for a parachute?) so there is not the big foam cushion to sink the longer you sit on it?
 
foam for seats

I will talk to my foam mfg. and reps. to see if they recommend a certain density and type foam for cushions/ seats. If they can readily supply me with this type foam product, then I can buy in bulk and cut it down to size needed. I am not promising anything since this is not my core business, but will pass on what i plan on doing for my own seats. But my business is selling large "plank" qtys of foam so i should be able to buy it cheap.

here is an example of a product and what i sell it for:

2"x48"x108" White or Black Polylam Plank
1.7#- $60 per sheet

this size plank would make seats for 2 or 3 rv's. But this exact product is too hard to sit on for long periods. As stated above, let me make some calls and better understand what i can get that makes good seat cushions, then I will pass that on.

jeff h
 
Seats and your Back

As much as we don't want to think about it, mishaps do happen. In this a/c the only thing between you and the bottom of that airplane is the seat cushion. It just seems prudent to ensure that you put the best material that you can between you and that hard surface. Broken backs and compressed spines are almost a given. Compared to either of those (and not to mention the pure comfort factor), the advanced (and relatively expensive) foam seats from Oregon Aero or Vans will be a bargain.

While I haven't personally tested my posterior on Vans cushions, they look very similar to the Oregon Aero seats that I purchased. There is a world of difference between those and 'regular' foam seat cushions. Your rear end is going to spend a lot of time parked there. Not only are they going to a bit safer in the event of an unplanned encounter with terra firma, they are dramatically more comfortable.

keith
N355RV - completed and pending inspection
 
arffguy said:
Yeah, I thought I remembered a price of 170 dollars or so recently and was shocked at the current price. Wish my paycheck would go up like that :(
Click to expand...

I ordered by seats from Classic Aero in December to get the 2005 prices and Luke told me that his prices were increasing because the whosale price of foam is skyrocketing.
 
I heard a story on NPR back when Katrina hit that there is a chemical used in the production of foam that is only produced by two companies in the US and that both are on the Southern coast. A friend in the mattress business told me the same thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top