: . . . (part of why I was thinking of making my
: own) . . .

If the thought of doing it yourself comes to mind, and cost is a factor, survey your stock of fiberglass remnants and consider making a 'glass seat which is custom molded to your body.

Making a mold is as simple as sitting down in a pile of sand, but for something a bit more durable I suggest getting a bag of concrete. Sand mix works fine, as does yourbaic Sak-Crete(r), or the house-branded equivalents sold by the big-box stores. A bag should cost under $5.

Use 2x4s and make a frame about 18 inches square. Set that on a plastic sheet and fill it with freshly mixed concrete. Don't use excessive water. Keep the mix a bit on the stiff side. Cover the mold with another plastic sheet (large plastic garbage bags work great for this job) and carefully seat yourself in the mix. Wiggle a bit to get the material to flow around your anatomy, then carefully get up.

Once the concrete hardens, this "Chicago Swimsuit" will be a durable mold. Seal it with a coat of paint or resin, then buff and wax it. Line it with scraps of glass cloth saturated in resin to create a plug, then use the plug to mold your seat from more scraps of glass cloth and resin. The concrete blck makes a unique stepping stone in the garden, or a birdbath--depending on what story you want to tell.

Once you have cast the shape of the seat, you can add sides to make it as high off the bottom of the boat as you wish. Some people find that an inch or two makes the seating more comfortable.

If you have scraps of carbon fiber, they work nicely in a seat. Or, when casting the seat, lay a 'top' piece of saturated glass clothover the plug, then back it with in a mosaic patern of various colored woodchips. Scraps from strips work nicely. Fill gaps between the wood with resin, or a mix of resin and a filler to give it some color or accent, then cover it with anoyher layer of saturated glass cloth. Your seat will then be a composite structure, just like a strip-built boat.

PGJ