[Captain D]

Hi Guys,

I know I asked this question in one of Mikeyt's old posts. I haven't been able to get any answers yet, and I'm really hopping to to this job in the next couple of weeks.

I want to replace my very wobbly seat posts on my 1997 Shabah 180SE with Thru-Deck power rise models. The only thing I'm worried about, is how much clearance do I have below the deck (between the deck and the hull). I could then cut a hole in the aluminum plate and slide these suckers in. I could also do away with the threads in the aluminum plate that seem to strip quite easily. And replace them with a bolt and a nut underneath.

I REALLY could use your expertise on this one. I thought of running a wire (like a clothes hanger) down the bolt holes to see how far it would go. But I would really like to know what's down there before I buy the pedestals and make a BIG hole in my deck.

Thanks for your much appreciated help!!!, Captain D

[mikeyt]

I'm not sure we have any documentation that can accurately answer that question. By the look of the drawings in the brochure i would guess if you drill down to the aluminum plate & measure that depth you likely have another 3" or so beyond that but i cant say for sure...

To be honest i had considered doing the same thing back when i changed my seat from a fold down to a bucket but since i wasn't absolutely certain of the available depth ...i chickened out.

Maybe someone else here has a bright idea on how to determine the available depth before hitting the hull? Maybe you can shorten the seat mount post so that it just goes past the depth of the aluminum plate?