Shock Absorbers for Pedestal Seats

[Kman]

Ok, I’m getting whinning complaints from the front seat passengers on the TT. Seems while under way in bumpy water, their colons are being shoved into their throats . Hey; it doesn’t affect me, standing behind the helm, but they’re complaining.

Soooooooo, what kind of shock-absorbing gizmo do you guys recommend for a pedestal seat?

I see there are a couple things out there. One is a height-adjustable “air ride suspension” pedestal from Springfield. Seems priced awful cheaply at $~$80



Springfield Keyed Air Ride Pedestal

The other is a clamshell type that mounts between a fixed pedestal and the seat



Garelick Active Seat Shock Absorber - 77000:01 - BoatersWorld.com

Anybody use these or have other solutions?

Our front-seat victims, er, riders thank you.

Kman

[johnz]

I tried the springfield one, the piston is not stainless and the sucker was rusting within a week. Sent that back for a refund.

I also checked out the Ridesoftly (shock absorbing marine seat pedestal post) model, but the 22" height is too high for our boat (we have 16" pedestal) The unit itself was very well made though and I'd recommend it. At $295 thats a good deal too.

There is a similar unit by Seaspension Shock-Mitigating Systems for Boats - Largo, Florida but that's more expensive at around $700.

The cadilac seems to be the model made by Glyde-Ryde but again this is around $650, though its all stainless construction. It is in use by the Coast Guard, so that tells you something.

So there you have it. Good luck and email me back if you find anything else as I'm still looking too. There are other products besides the ones I've noted, but most of them are crap.

[Kman]

Hey John:

I've installed a couple of the Garelick 77000s pictured above. The owners seemed to like them, but I don't recall ever riding in them. They're just two plates that are hinged on one end with adjustable rubber dampeners on the other end. Better than nothing...