Seat lifehack 1:Fitting a child car seat with an Isofix safety lock on board
We have found a way to secure our two-year-old son well during manoeuvres. As we always have the child car seat with us anyway when travelling, it made sense to create an Isofix attachment on deck. We managed to do this on our Dehler 38 with minimal resources: We fitted two hinged deck eyes five millimetres thick and 280 millimetres apart (in accordance with the Isofix specifications) to the backrest in the cockpit. The child seat is clipped into these and the upper retaining strap is hooked onto the sprayhood tensioning strap. As the backrest has a curve at the coaming, we had to mount the eyes five centimetres above the seat surface, but this can be compensated for with a seat cushion. A foam wedge between the car seat and backrest also stabilises the seat. In our case, the front cockpit area was ideal for mounting, as it is well protected and, in our case, the forecastle box can still be opened and the winches operated.
Walter Simanko, Vienna
Seat lifehack 2:Bicycle seat on the boat
We have modified a child's bicycle seat so that it can be inserted into the companionway. To do this, we made the lower part of the plug-in bulkhead from a sheet of plywood. A piece of square aluminium tube is screwed to the upper edge. This is provided with two holes that correspond to the spikes on the seat. The child seat can now be attached to the aluminium bracket. As these bicycle seats are already fitted with straps, the little sailor cannot fall out of the "saddle".
Susanne Ritter-Kettenbach, Eltville
Seat lifehack 3:Cushion for round coamings
If you are sitting lengthways on the dinghy, you like to lean your back against the cabin bulkhead. On many modern yachts, however, this area is very rounded, so you are always pushed slightly towards the centre of the cockpit when leaning against it. To prevent this, we have made seat cushions with an appropriate fit that are bevelled at the front. To ensure that the locker lids remain accessible, the reclining surface was cut in accordingly and designed to be foldable. Rubberised pads help prevent the cushion from slipping on the dinghy. The cushion has proven itself in practice.
Andreas Mengen, Spay
Seat life hack 4: Trocking seat on the bulkhead
When motoring under autopilot, we often use the wind-protected and dry space under the sprayhood as a lookout. In order to be able to sit there comfortably and in the direction of travel, we have made a small special plug-in bulkhead. A seat is attached to this bulkhead, which is around 20 centimetres high. The advantage of this is that the raised seating position provides a better view, you are well protected from rain and sun, and the split construction makes it easier to stow the seat below deck.
Jürgen Kruse, by e-mail
Do you have any advice for other sailors?
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