Add a Fighting Chair

[gradydaniele]

Hey guys,
Possible Winter project id like to tackle is to add a fighting chair to my 89 Offshore w/grady bracket.
The boat has a huge open area in the stern.
Being that I mostly troll and still fish I was wondering if anyone here ever tackle this project.
I was thinking of using a flush mount so that the seat pedestal could be removed when not needed.
this was the mount i was thinking of using :

Todd - Flush Mount Posi-Lock Base - 6900

Explosive Powersports - RV Trailer Boats Marine Parts

www.explosivepowersports.com

with this type of chair

Manual Super Slider | West Marine

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Todd Boat Seats - Cape Cod Seat (Model 1000 Chair)

A favorite among discriminating boaters for years, this classic seat affords good looks and extreme comfort.

www.toddusa.com

all in I'm looking at about $700 for the parts.
For that king of money am i better off just buying a portable setup like this?
$759.99 @ west

Pro Strike Fisherman Chair & Base Package | West Marine

Check out our Pro Strike Fisherman Chair & Base Package and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

Curious to know what you guys think. go portable or make a removable one.
also if anyone has can pictures of their setup id love to see what setup you have and your thoughts.
tight lines Dan

 

[gradydaniele]

Btw I have glassed reinforced 2x wood below the rear floor hatch. So plenty of material to fasten anything down back there in the cockpit.

 

[SkunkBoat]

The flush mount with the cap looks nice. To get it truly flush you will have to do glass work.

I would not call that first chair a "fighting" chair

Personally, I am not a fan of fighting chairs or anything taking up deck space.

We had similar to 2nd chair (with gimbal) on my brother's 29 Aquasport(inboards). Very Heavy.
Came in handy on swordfish but we eventually went to using a swivel rod holder in the gunnel.
Not sure a chair would be useful at all with an outboard bracket.

 

[Fishtales]

The flush mount with the cap looks nice. To get it truly flush you will have to do glass work.

I would not call that first chair a "fighting" chair

Personally, I am not a fan of fighting chairs or anything taking up deck space.

We had similar to 2nd chair (with gimbal) on my brother's 29 Aquasport(inboards). Very Heavy.
Came in handy on swordfish but we eventually went to using a swivel rod holder in the gunnel.
Not sure a chair would be useful at all with an outboard bracket.

Agree with tis post. The mount is very nice, the chair is a helm chair not a fighting chair. Prob best to locate something stronger.

 

[usmm1234]

I have not seen many older Grady decks that could handle a fighting chair without a lot of beefing up. And then whatever you put under there, should be removable in case you have to remove a fuel tank. The deck in my 330 was re cored and glassed, but I wouldn’t mount a fighting chair to it. We take one stainless folding chair with a gimbal on it, in case we hook something big.

 

[Finest Kind]

IMHO:
Get a good harness like the Black Magic, for REALLY big fish and fight standing up.

HARNESS AND GIMBAL BELTS | Black Magic Tackle

www.blackmagictackle.com

For comfort fighting most fish, just use a Rod Cushion like this:

Belly Waist Prop Fishing Rod Support Rod Butt Cushion Fishing Accessories | eBay

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I would forget the chair and just keep the cockpit space open.

 

[oliver305]

I use Leadpro boat seat, no need for installation or mounting. Easy to fold when not in use.

 

[glacierbaze]

Can't speak for the OP, but some people just use the term 'fighting chair', when what they really have in mind is a fishing chair.

 

[Fishtales]

If you put in a good flush mount, you should be able to change configurations (chair, table, rocket launcher, or open space). I'd give myself the option to reconfigure to best fit the activity of the day.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Can't speak for the OP, but some people just use the term 'fighting chair', when what they really have in mind is a fishing chair.

Glacier , how does that folding chair with gimble work? Sometimes we hook into some big dolphin and having a chair like that would be great ...if it works well of course,otherwise it's taking up valuable deck real estate on the 228.

 

[SkunkBoat]

My brother had a heavier swivel deck chair down in FL. Best use of that thing was putting it on top of a big dolphin so it couldn't flop out of the boat before you got control of it.

Nothing worse than gaffing a 30 pound dolphin , bloodying the boat, then getting slapped in the face on its way over the side....
been there more than once on different boats...

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

My brother had a heavier swivel deck chair down in FL. Best use of that thing was putting it on top of a big dolphin so it couldn't flop out of the boat before you got control of it.

Nothing worse than gaffing a 30 pound dolphin , bloodying the boat, then getting slapped in the face on its way over the side....
been there more than once on different boats...

in other words ...stand up and fight like a man!

 

[SkunkBoat]

or put it in a rod holder and crank....

 

[glacierbaze]

Glacier , how does that folding chair with gimble work? Sometimes we hook into some big dolphin and having a chair like that would be great ...if it works well of course,otherwise it's taking up valuable deck real estate on the 228.

I don't have that, although I did years ago on a 30' Sea Ray, and it served dual purposes pretty well, but I wasn't after tuna or marlin.

 

[gradydaniele]

Gorilla bluefish and big bass are all I fish for in the Long Island sound, just to give you the extent of “fighting chair “ term but I’d love the option to change it out so I could mount a table or a leaning post in.

 

[gradydaniele]

Something like this I was thinking.
I have the closed transom with an Armstrong bracket

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

or put it in a rod holder and crank....

Ben there done that. I am kind of a wuss. I have switched my trolling gear to Shimano 2 speed Tyrnos 30s. Drop that bad boy in low gear ,or is it high I get these two reversed all the time , and it helps make the fight more fair to me and less fair for the fish. lol.

 

[Holokai]

You could get a rotomolded cooler like a Yeti Tundra 210 in the middle of the deck with the lid facing forward or aft (make sure to strap it down). Plenty of “chair” space (24” tall), dry or wet storage, and removable. It’s a little short for pelagic fish but will fit food/drinks/bluefish just fine.

YETI Tundra 210 Hard Cooler

Our YETI 210 cooler is the deepest YETI Cooler but can easily fit in the back of a truck bed or boat deck. View more features.

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[drbatts]

A fighting chair or fishing chair is waste of space on these smaller boats. I used to fish 2 different 50ft sporties with much bigger cockpits, in which the owner had fighting chairs, we hated them as the were always in the way. Better options would be either a foldable deck chair with a gimble that can be stored in the cabin or just fight the fish from the gunnel.

 

[SkunkBoat]

A fighting chair or fishing chair is waste of space on these smaller boats. I used to fish 2 different 50ft sporties with much bigger cockpits, in which the owner had fighting chairs, we hated them as the were always in the way. Better options would be either a foldable deck chair with a gimble that can be stored in the cabin or just fight the fish from the gunnel.

same. 50 Ocean with 16'+ beam and the $10k chair was in the way.