Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 91

Twisted chair

I think my hunt for a seat has ended. After visiting second-hand furniture stores and dumps I noticed a skip hire disposal yard where there was a skip containing items made of non-ferrous metals. On closer inspection I found a bent aluminium and wooden slatted chair. Immediately I could see the potential. If I could straighten the thing out, I would have a lightweight seat with a back support. Furthermore, this seat would not retain water when I bring it into the boat on my feet after launching from a slipway or beach.

Central support for seat

I've stripped the paint off the seat - backrest yet to do

Back at home I set about straightening the seat after I cut it from its support frame. I more or less got it back into the original shape, and although not exactly so, I’m pleased with the result. After a lot of thinking, I worked out how I could mount the seat, and yet remove it if I find I’m not happy to keep it. The slats are made of ash, and when the paint has been removed they may be good enough for varnishing; if not, I can paint them.

View from astern

My priority is to mount the seat in the cockpit so that I can get on with painting the interior of the hull. I may make storage racks either side of the seat which would double as lateral support for the crew, so that I won’t slip off the seat. The storage racks would help secure the seat and provide handy, relatively dry spaces for small items.