Positively locking boat seat and method for making the same

A pedestal seat assembly for recreational boats, comprising:

• a seat mount shaped to support a seat member thereon;
• a rigid extension having a lower end thereof, and an upper end thereof connected with said seat mount;
• and
• a base configured to mount said seat assembly at a variety of different locations in an associated boat in one of a plurality of different rotational positions, including a centrally positioned socket shaped to closely receive the lower end of said extension therein, and a base plate with a lower surface thereof shaped for abutting support on the surface of the boat;
• said lower surface of said base plate having a predetermined marginal edge defining a first closed shape adapted to mount said base plate at a first location in the boat, and a straight rib extending between spaced apart points on said marginal edge, and providing an auxiliary edge and guide along which said base plate can be severed to define a second closed shape, different from said first closed shape, adapted to mount said base at a second location in the boat.

A pedestal seat assembly for recreational boats, comprising:

• a base shaped to be mounted on a surface of an associated boat, and including a centrally positioned socket, and an uppermost bearing support surface;
• a rigid attachment plate shaped to support and retain a seat member thereon;
• and
• a hub assembly for removably mounting the seat on said base, including:
• a rigid support tube fixedly connected with a central portion of said attachment plate and depending therefrom;
• and
• a bearing sleeve having an interior surface shaped to closely receive said support tube therein, and an exterior surface defining a stem adjacent a lower portion thereof shaped for close pivotal reception in the socket of said base, and a radially outwardly protruding bearing ledge adjacent an upper portion thereof shaped to abuttingly engage the bearing support surface on said base to securely yet removably retain said seat mount in said base.

A pedestal seat assembly for supporting a boat seat thereon in a forwardly facing position, comprising:

• a base configured for mounting to a supporting surface and including a mounting socket;
• a rigid extension having an upper end thereof and a lower end thereof rotatably mounted within the socket of said base;
• a first self-biasing locking mechanism mounted within said extension, and releasably interconnecting said extension and said base such that said extension is restricted from rotational and longitudinal movement from the forwardly facing position;
• a seat mount having an upper portion thereof configured to fixedly attach a seat thereto, and a lower portion thereof configured to rotatably mount with the lower end of said extension and alternatively rotatably mount within the socket of said base;
• and
• a second self-biasing locking mechanism mounted within the lower portion of said seat mount and releasably engaging said extension such that said seat mount is restricted from rotational and longitudinal movement from the forwardly facing position.

In a method for making pedestal seat assemblies for recreational boats including a seat mount, an extension and a base, the improvement comprising:

• providing a lock adjacent the lower end of the extension having a laterally extending lock member to prevent longitudinal dislodgment of the extension and contemporaneously lock the seat mount in a predetermined rotational position;
• providing a base plate shaped to be mounted on a surface of an associated boat in one of a plurality of different rotational positions, and including a centrally positioned socket defined by an enclosed sidewall with a lock aperture which extends laterally therethrough and is shaped to receive a portion of the lock member therein;
• providing an insert having a sidewall with an interior surface shaped to closely receive the lower end of said extension therein, and an exterior surface shaped to be closely received in the socket of the base member;
• the insert member including at least two knock-out windows extending through the sidewall thereof in a marginally spaced apart relationship, and shaped to receive a portion of said lock member therein, with associated knock-out plugs enclosing at least major portions of said knock-out windows to prevent engagement with said lock member;
• pressing the insert into the socket in the base and contemporaneously aligning the lock aperture in the base with one of the knock-out windows in the insert;
• and
• removing the knock-out plug associated with the one knock-out window to form an assembled two-part base assembly with a lock aperture in the sidewalls of the insert and the base in which the lock member is received to lock the seat mount in the predetermined rotational position and prevent inadvertent dislodgment of the extension from the base.