How do you get these !@#$% seats up?

[John Watts]

The seats on my Targa 18 are the kind on about a 2" pedastal that locks into a plate on the floor. They can be moved into other plates at the bow and stern for fishing. The problem is that apparently unless EVERY bit of grit or dirt is cleaned out of the socket and from the pedastal before putting them together, it's nearly impossible to get the seat back out of the base. The manual says not to lubricate them. Does anyone have a good method for getting these up without destroying them?

 

[Mikel Stephens]

I get mine off first thing in the morning...maybe the temps are lower then but I can't hardly get my back post out during the day

(maybe it's just a freaky coincidence)

 

[Jim Brone]

I used to have this problem with my Smokercraft.I used to use armorall on them.It usually worked well.

 

[Glenn Covington]

I got a 2002 Targa 17 and I had to take it back to my dealer to get the seats loose. He layed on top of them, with the seat folded down, and rocked back and forth, and forward and backwards a few times and then was able to pull them up. I rubbed a bar of soap on the bases and haven't had any problems since.



Good luck!

Glenn

 

[George Welcome]

A light film of good axle gease both on the shaft and in the pocket will keep them working fine.
http://www.imaginationbassin.com

 

[David Hunt]

My experience is that if you lube them with silicone spray, they come out a lot easier. Unfortunately, they also will pop out when somebody leans back in them (a pretty rude awakening). I like Mikel's suggestion of doing it when it is cold. They are a b----- to get out once they are in though. david.....

 

[Texas Transplant]

Here is the solution, for I used it on my Targa and it worked great. Go down to your local hardware store and buy a small can of lockease. It's a liquified graphite that is used to free up door locks. Gently apply some around the fittings, so that it will 'seep' down between the plastic and the aluminum sockets. Don't use a 'large' amount, but rather start with a moderate amount.



Just leave them for a little while, and give the liquid a chance to drip down. The alchocol will evaporate, and leave a very light film of graphite there. It's likely that you will have to work with the seat to get them out the first time. My technique was to kneel down, and put my shoulder under the seat (pushing up), while working the latch.



After getting them out, clean both the socket and plastic insert to get most of the dirt/grime off. Then apply some of the lockease to both.



If you overdo it, the seats can have a tendency to come out if you don't have them locked in real good. All in all, I did this on my Targa once, and in the next two years I never had a problem moving the seats around. Only had my seat come out twice (but I'm a pretty big guy and was leaning back on the seat pretty heavily both times).



Tex

 

[John Watts]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I was finally able to get them loose, but it took some doing. I finally was able to get them out by removing the seat from the post, then while holding the latch in with my foot and while putting a lot of sideways pressure on the post at the base with my foot, I banged the !@#$ out of the post with a rubbet mallet. After 8-10 whacks they popped loose. They were really in there tight! I'm going to try the Armour-all on the bases and see if that makes it better for the next time.

 

[Tom(fishfafun) Lutz]

John...



When I had the tracker it was so bad (and couldn't find a consistant fix)I just gave up and ordered some of those straight pin inserts from BPS and changed my pedestal posts/seats to the straight pin type with hydraulic lifts.



End of problem (but not as cost effective)...and you can lube those posts to death if you want and it won't effect how they keep a seat in place,har.



Tom