Watchkeeper seat

I fnd this watchkeeper seat very useful. It allows the watchperson to sit in some comfort, with good all-round view and if required, protected by the washboards when installed and the person's head and eyeballs are well under the sprayhood. This level of protection encourages better watch viewing in all directions.

Comments on structure:

The seat is very quick to install or detach. There are brackets screwed onto the underside of the seat. There are receiver studs as 'wall' fixings are permanently bolted into the 'bulkhead'. The long underside brackets have female slots at the 'bulkhead' end which fit down onto the receiver studs. The underside brackets then slot into place and the seat is in place. The fittings are all stainless.

The brackets are load tested to 180kg at 450mm separation. See Force 4 Chandlery catalogue # 890490. £89.95 for paired set. See photos of parts in Force 4 catalogue. This spec would allow the seat to be cantlilevered out from the bulkhead with no further support.

In my installation, the 'bulkhead' turned out to be only a trim piece and was not strong enough to take the load. Therefore, I added a hinged pedestal to support from below and that has proved quite satisfactory. The seat stows flat with the hinged pedestal folder onto the underneath side.