As many have done, I am researching the process and components of kayak making in depth before diving in. At this point, I have wood for the strong back and forms. Nothings cut, otherwise I would have posted pictures! As it happens, I stumbled on a clip on youtube around how they make seats in an F1 car. They use a beads of some sort in a vacuum bag with some sort of epoxy or resin. The driver sits in it and wiggles a bit for 30 minutes or so. Out pops a fully custom molded seat. A bit of foam and finishing is done and the seat is created.

So that got me thinking, could you make a kayak seat with a similar method? Or at least take a solid mold to make a fiberglass seat with? Mount a small bag of EPS foam in a vacuum bag in your kayak. Pull the epoxy or whatever your using through with a pump. QUICKLY take the kayak for a short paddle on flat water, making sure to brace like you would for edged turns, as well as get in a relaxed position like you do when resting or stretching your legs. Do this for the amount of time needed to get a decent set. Have someone help you out and let it cure the rest of the way.

Then pull a mold off it to make a fiberglass seat. If the EPS foam is structurally sound enough, I imagine you could actually use the cured bag as a seat. I'd want to trim it drastically to make it lighter, maybe add a thin bit of closed cell foam for padding.

Thoughts? Anyone up for trying it? I'll probably give it a go, but it's going to be quite some time before I get to that point in the process.