Do You Like the Hobie Vantage CT Seat?

I feel much better about myself: I didn't roll the Revo at any time during my test ride!

A guy's gotta take his successes wherever he can.

I won't be going with a 16 footer, but getting used to any new boat in a safe environment is an excellent reminder for all of us.

I'm feeling better about the Vantage seat, too.  It seems no one has long-term complaints about the seat, and it just takes some getting used-to.

Thanks.

I'm 5'10' 230#. The only problems I've had with the seat in my 16 Outback is with the hinge screw backing out on the left, that felt very twitchy. No problem when tight but keeps backing out after a few times on the water. I've used some blue Loktite on it but haven't used it much since due to the weather. I fish lakes exclusively and use the middle height position which feels very stable. The first few times, if I leaned forward in the seat it would  drop back to the lower position which was a problem till I rigged some bungie cord to hold it in place but still could be adjusted when needed. I love the comfort of it. I have a chronic low disc problem but can stay on the water for hours in that seat. Getting out and walking is another subject. HaHa.

The only problems I've had with the seat in my 16 Outback is with the hinge screw backing out on the left, that felt very twitchy. No problem when tight but keeps backing out after a few times on the water. I've used some blue Loktite on it but haven't used it much since due to the weather. I fish lakes exclusively and use the middle height position which feels very stable. The first few times, if I leaned forward in the seat it would  drop back to the lower position which was a problem till I rigged some bungie cord to hold it in place but still could be adjusted when needed. I love the comfort of it. I have a chronic low disc problem but can stay on the water for hours in that seat. Getting out and walking is another subject. HaHa.

crash mentioned that he checks the screws on his Revo as part of his pre-trip preparations.  I didn't see any complaints about those screws in the Hobie forums, so it's a good heads-up.  Let us know if Loctite helps?

I don't have back- or butt-pain complaints about the old style seat, but I rarely spend the entire day on the water in the Revo, so that may be why the old-style seat hasn't bothered me.  My main concern was whether or not the tippy sensation passes with more time in the seat than a two hour test ride.  Apparently it does, and being more comfortable is a bonus.

I'm surprised that the seat can change positions if you shift your weight a certain way, but not concerned.  I doubt I'd ever raise it above the lowest position unless I'm safely on the sand and trying to make a more graceful dismount than I do now.

Thanks for the insight.  Every bit helps.

 

I'm surprised that the seat can change positions if you shift your weight a certain way, but not concerned.  I doubt I'd ever raise it above the lowest position unless I'm safely on the sand and trying to make a more graceful dismount than I do now.
 

+1 on the dismount.
There is a spring on the jack stand on the back of the seat and when I lean too far forward and put more weight on the front, the jack stand would go back into the low position, which is not so problematic except that then the seat back is at the wrong angle. Its no problem since I added the bungie cord to prevent a premature release of the jack stand. For you it would not occur in the low position. Love the seat even though it is close to the designed weight limit when I am in it. HaHa. I'm working on that too. lol.

The Vantage seat defaults to the low position in the back (the kickstand is spring loaded). If you have the seat in the mid or high position and lean forward enough to tip the seat forward, the kickstand will pop back into the low position. If you use the seat in the high position most often and are handy with knots you can re-rig the kickstand to default high.

The screw that makes the left seat back hinge comes out on mine too.  I just check it before I get on the water.


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Sorry, crash, this is a bit past morning.  The Elk is at 5.8 feet - same as yesterday - and still murky olive green.  I don't think it'll be ready tomorrow.  Bummer.

Love the seat even though it is close to the designed weight limit when I am in it. HaHa. I'm working on that too. lol.

I thought the seat was good to 250lbs - you still have a bit to work with.   

The only thing holding me back from buying a new Outback is the lawn chair.  It sits higher than a standard seat(even in the lowest position), therefore your center of gravity is higher = less safe in the ocean.

I have both a revo and outback, both with the "lawn chair" seat.  The revo felt a little tippy for me at first, but that feeling soon went away.  The outback has always felt very steady even in the ocean.  I have both seats set on the lowest position and I am 6'3" 220 lbs.  I am very happy with both but the outback is the one I take nearly every time.

The only thing holding me back from buying a new Outback is the lawn chair.  It sits higher than a standard seat (even in the lowest position), therefore your center of gravity is higher = less safe in the ocean.

I want to clarify what I meant by "twitchy".  It's me thinking I need to shift my weight ever-so-slightly to make itty-bitty adjustments for a real or imaginary list.  It in no way means the Revo felt tippy with the different seat, and in the lowest position, if I was sitting any taller than I do with the standard seat, it wasn't very noticeable to me.

I tested a Revo 13 with the Vantage seat on a day with wind chop in the Bay, and while I couldn't settle down, I didn't have any sensation that the boat was less stabile in the chop than my 2014 Revo 13 is.  I simply couldn't get my butt to stop dancing.

My concern has been a surf launch if I'm not feeling 100% settled.  "Do you get used to the seat?"  Everyone else does.

But more prone to rock-and-roll because of the seat?  I don't think so.

The 16 gets a little sketchy on moving water set in the high position. The Outback is pretty solid in damn near any position or condition. I set the 16 on low for surf launching/landing, then adjust for comfort periodically throughout the day while fishing. I'm with Lee on the drainage problem. The venturi scupper doesn't drain very fast, and gets plugged easily. Would be nice if the Revos had the X-ducer scupper under the seat like the Outback. Still gets the job done thought [emoji12]





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crash mentioned not trying to adjust the seat height once you're out on the water, but some people do make adjustments.

Is it tricky to adjust the seat height?  Bear in mind that I'm not a fan of moving around much once I'm settled-in, and I didn't adjust nuthin' on my test ride.

It wouldn't be a deal-breaker, since "always low" wouldn't bother me one bit.  Curious about on-the-water height adjustments.

I was waiting for the 16 to roll over.  Darn!

It's really simple to adjust on the water. Like anything, become familiar on a flat lake before tackling big slop.

The 16 is far more stable than is given credit. Aside from surf impact zones, I've only been knocked off by one sneaky rouge breaker. That one was big and nasty though. Would have likely sunk a small PB. NWnoob had to chase down the runway yak. If not for him I'd have lost it and just swam to shore. The wave pushed it a good 100+ yds away, and the wind was sweeping it off.

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I have this style seat and I do like the it, but I decided in the end that I would just leave it in the lowest position with the front tilted up a little all the time. For me, this position is plenty comfortable and not tippy. After I got used to this position for the salt and choppier river water, I realized that I liked the stability it offers all the time. I started a thread last year about the drain assembly and like many on this forum have removed it all together and never looked back.
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=16887.0
I guess for me, the "vantage" feature never really paid off, but it is a comfortable seat anyway. The seat scupper works a lot better once you get rid of the drain assembly and you can keep the parts for later if you want to sell the boat and the buyer thinks it valuable for some reason to have the seat well fill up with water all the time.

Can you remove the drain without removing the cover on the bottom of the hull?  I didn't look at the speed drain and don't know what it looks like or if it's in two parts, but some comments on the Hobie forum suggested that leaving the hull plate alone creates a strong venturi effect for draining water.

You can still fasten an aftermarket soft seat in the new Hobies If you want to. I've done this once when I forgot my seat at home and fortunately was able to borrow one. Felt pretty good actually.

I would love to see photos of this.  Do you think it applies to the new Outback also?

According to this thread, its difficult.  http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=53557

The only thing holding me back from buying a new Outback is the lawn chair.  It sits higher than a standard seat(even in the lowest position), therefore your center of gravity is higher = less safe in the ocean.

Sorry. I didn't get any pictures, but I should have. I was itchin for fishn and just happy to have the problem solved. So here is what worked in a pinch.

I lowered the seat height adjustment bar to the absolute lowest position. Mojo Jojo that had a foam cushion pad that was about 2" thick or so that went down first to raise the seat just a bit and get above the bar enough. I believe it was INSAYN that happened to be carrying a spare seat. This was a Surf to Summit GTX Elite. It all adjusted well and strapped down ok except for the bottom cushion slide out issue. I remember cutting two short pieces of rope, and then tying them around each of the side carry handles for the seat to clip into. After that the seat was solid! This all put the riding position not only lower, but further back. I had to adjust the Mirage drive back a few notches. It all felt pretty comfy actually. In fact, it felt like there was a lot more room width wise for my fat A$$ than the Vantage CT seat gives. I didn’t notice at all that my legs were sitting on the bar. Needless to say, if someone had half a mind to do this intentionally the adjustment bar could be removed.

Tinker- Yes, the venture could be left in and gut everything else out, but I would recommend just removing it all. This opens up the hole and drains out faster anyway. Im not always moving forward (such as when I'm fishing!)  for the venturi to work.

You can still fasten an aftermarket soft seat in the new Hobies If you want to. I've done this once when I forgot my seat at home and fortunately was able to borrow one. Felt pretty good actually.

I would love to see photos of this.  Do you think it applies to the new Outback also?

According to this thread, its difficult.  http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=53557

The only thing holding me back from buying a new Outback is the lawn chair.  It sits higher than a standard seat(even in the lowest position), therefore your center of gravity is higher = less safe in the ocean.

Sorry. I didn't get any pictures, but I should have. I was itchin for fishn and just happy to have the problem solved. So here is what worked in a pinch.

I lowered the seat height adjustment bar to the absolute lowest position. Mojo Jojo that had a foam cushion pad that was about 2" thick or so that went down first to raise the seat just a bit and get above the bar enough. I believe it was INSAYN that happened to be carrying a spare seat. This was a Surf to Summit GTX Elite. It all adjusted well and strapped down ok except for the bottom cushion slide out issue. I remember cutting two short pieces of rope, and then tying them around each of the side carry handles for the seat to clip into. After that the seat was solid! This all put the riding position not only lower, but further back. I had to adjust the Mirage drive back a few notches. It all felt pretty comfy actually. In fact, it felt like there was a lot more room width wise for my fat A$$ than the Vantage CT seat gives. I didn’t notice at all that my legs were sitting on the bar. Needless to say, if someone had half a mind to do this intentionally the adjustment bar could be removed.

Tinker- Yes, the venture could be left in and gut everything else out, but I would recommend just removing it all. This opens up the hole and drains out faster anyway. Im not always moving forward (such as when I'm fishing!)  for the venturi to work.

That pad was actually only an inch and a half (probably an inch since I use it under my fat a$$) it is a tri fold turkey hunting seat ment to clip to the back of your coat or something, I found it at a garage sale and the old lady said her late husband was a gobbler but she used it for pulling weeds under her knees till she got a better one.

The new seats can handle sloppy conditions, video is 20 mph and confused seas.  Losing center of gravity has never a concern for me.