How to Replace your SeaDoo 180 Challenger Captain Seat with Veada's 200 Series Helm Seat with Flip-up Front Bolster

Intro:

If you want to be able to see over the windshield of your SeaDoo 180 Challenger but still have a seat in which to put your butt, the Veada 200 Series Helm Seat is a great product.
But, if you also want to be able to keep the swivel and slide capabilities of the original seat, rather then also buy & fit a pedestal, then these instructions are for you.

Here is an exploded view of the seat assembly, directly from the SeaDoo Parts Catalog, to which we'll refer by the numbers in these instructions:

Exploded View

Hardware to Buy:

4 - Stainless steel, 5/16", #18 thread, pronged T-Nuts
4 - Stainless steel, 5/16", #18 thread, 1" long, countersink head Screws

Note: This is a pronged t-nut 



Step-by-Step:

Remove the entire seat aseembly from the boat

    1. Remove the black, plastic "dart" (#3) from the rear of the "seat base" (#1) and the "rear protector" (#2)
    2. Bend the "rear protector" back to have access to the slide-stop nut on the opposite side of the "rear protector"
    3. Remove the slide-stop bolt using a short/bent phillips screwdriver and a 13/32" or 10mm wrench/socket
    4. Lift the slide handle attached to the "seat base" and secure it into the full, upright position with a zip-tie, tape or wire
      (place a zip-tie thru the seat-base hole, around the bracket, back out thru same seat-base hole, and tighten as much as possible)
    5. Slide the entire seat forward & off the "seat base" bracket
    6. Leave the floor-mounted bracket and take the seat off the boat

Remove the Cushion

    1. Using a 1/8" drill bit, drill out the two side pop rivets  (Image #1)
    2. Pull the rivets from the seat
    3. Remove the cushion from the seat shell (#9)   (Image #2)
Image 1: Bottom Cushion Side Rivet
 Image 2: Bottom Cushion Removed

Detach Seat Shell from Seat Base

    1. Using a 15/16" or 24mm socket, remove the "shoulder screw" (#21)  (Image #3)
    2. The seat shell can now be separated from the seat base  (Image #4)
Image 3: 24mm Seat-to-Base Bolt
 Image 4: Base (Seat Removed)

Cut the Base Out of the Shell

    1. Using a sawzall, cut the seat base swivel section out of the seat shell (Image #5)
    2. Refine cutting the seat base to match the width of the bottom-board you received with the new seat (Image #6)
Image 5: Seat Base Cut from Shell
 Image 6: Seat Base Cut to Match Bottom-Board

Mount Seat Base to Bottom-Board and Then to Base

    1. Mark six holes to be drilled thru bottom-board (Image #7)
      (3/8" holes for #1-4, 2" hole for # 5 , and 3/4" hole for # 6 )
      (NOTE: Learn from my mistake ... move base down so you have a min. 1" from bottom-board edge to base edge (left side of Image #7))
    2. Drill all six holes
    3. Counter-sink the four screw holes (#1-4)
    4. The bottom-board comes pre-drilled for the four inside holes of the Veada seat. Mark and drill for the outside four holes (Image #8)
    5. Attach the seat base to the bottom-board - tighten the four screws (#1-4) as tight as possible
    6. Attach swivel arm (Exploded View - #13) to hole # 6   (re-attach spring, as well)
    7. Attach the bottom-board and seat base to the base (Image #4) thru hole # 5 
    8. Attach the bottom-board to the Veada seat bottom, using the four screws and washers they provided
Image 7: Base to Bottom-Board
 Image 8: Base Cut to Match Bottom-Board


Finished Product



Swiveled - Bolster Down
Swiveled - Bolster Up
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Straight - Bolster Down
Straight - Bolster Up