Hobie Outback with Jackson Elite Seat

Give me some 1" foam, fiberglass matting, epoxy resin, and a piece of webbing...and a little time.  Take that Jackson Cuda "Elite" Seat and throw it on a Hobie Outback - the result - maybe a poor-man's Pro Angler?

I chose foam for the base - it will cushion and disperse the weight of the rider/chair at the contact points.  I added a couple layers of fiberglass and resin to strengthen the top of the foam to keep the 'legs' from digging into it.

I mounted a piece of webbing to hold the front of the seat down, similar to how it is on my Cuda.  This is mounted to an existing spot on one of the hatch screws - I just replaced it with a nut, bolt, and washer for strength.

Ran it through the foam block, to keep it in place when everything is tightened down.

View with no seat - as you can see, the rear seat support is in the tankwell...the seat is too big/wide to fit in the curved seating area.  Plus, if I fitted it up there, I wouldn't be able to pedal the Outback because the pedals would be too close to the seat to comfortably pedal.  The rear piece is two pieces glued together for height.  The front piece is a single layer...

The test run...saved it for after my fishing trip on Saturday the 15th.  Got back to the landing and unloaded the gear, and put the Cuda seat on.

Well, it works!  The Outback's stability handled the higher seating position.  I had to move the pedals up three spots to adjust for the seat's different height.  It pedaled great from that position...more comfortable pedaling from a chair vs. the deck of the kayak.

The future?  I'm not really planning on using it long-term, but I need to do a little tweaking to the foam supports...but it was a fun project - good to see it functioning on the water.