Wilderness Tempest 170 Cockpit Seat Modification

The Wilderness Tempest 170 has a rather lame seat, where the backstrap hangs at waist level, below where your back leans back against the rim of the cockpit. Thus, your back is very uncomfortable touching the rim. There is no mechanism to keep the backstrap high enough:

Problem:

A solution:

Replace the seat with a HLOGREE Kayak seat, sold at Amazon for about $60:

Conversion:

Remove the old seat cover from the plastic seat shell, and separate the backstrap and the lower seat extension:

Remove all of the straps from the Hlogree:

Place the Hlogree seat onto the seat frame to test the fit:

Coat the Bottom of the Klogree seat and the kayak seat frame with contact cement. Use a few upholstery cleats like the orginal seat if you have some in order to make sure that the seat never comes loose:

After 20 minutes or when both parts are dry, assemble the two parts by lining up the back folding edge of the seat to the top rim of the seat frame. Press in place and place a heavy weight into the seat to apply pressure. Although the glue sets up fast, i prefer to leave it set overnight:

Reinstall into the kayak using the same 4 stainless steel screws:

This new seat now offers full back support!

 

The seat folds down nicely into the cockpit for transport and for installing a cockpit cover. And the seat is foam, so it is one more thing to help keep your kayak from sinking.

I hope this helps!!

Bob