# Bolt On Cushion Issue



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I've had the same problem (I use Tempress Navi-style seats -three in a row along the rear deck of my old Maverick skiff, and each one has four through bolts to secure to blind nuts inside the seat bottom) and sometimes I'm able to solve it. That blind nut is called a T-nut (I believe-- imagine a nut with a fixed washer that has spikes sticking down into whatever surface you tighten it to....). What I did was remove the seat, then carefully tighten the bolt with a large flat washer under it - on top of the edge of a heavy flat screwdriver or small pry bar... Once everything is in place try to re-set the T-nut with a prying action to pull it down into whatever surface it was supposed to grab onto. If you're successful you'll then be able to tighten down the bolt and washer re-setting those spikes the way they should be. Then un-bolt, remove bolt and washer, replace seat on your deck and carefully re-tighten that bolt. With a bit of luck you're good to go. If you're still not grabbing properly you're going to need a new cushion.... By the way on some of my seats (I replace mine every three years, that's three times so far and will need to do it again this coming spring since I'm in commercial service) I've just limped along on three out of four bolts.... For my next set I'm going to make a point of setting each t-nut on new seats before attaching them to my deck and trying to tighten them in place.... Hope this helps


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## TidalFly (Sep 1, 2015)

lemaymiami said:


> I've had the same problem (I use Tempress Navi-style seats -three in a row along the rear deck of my old Maverick skiff, and each one has four through bolts to secure to blind nuts inside the seat bottom) and sometimes I'm able to solve it. That blind nut is called a T-nut (I believe-- imagine a nut with a fixed washer that has spikes sticking down into whatever surface you tighten it to....). What I did was remove the seat, then carefully tighten the bolt with a large flat washer under it - on top of the edge of a heavy flat screwdriver or small pry bar... Once everything is in place try to re-set the T-nut with a prying action to pull it down into whatever surface it was supposed to grab onto. If you're successful you'll then be able to tighten down the bolt and washer re-setting those spikes the way they should be. Then un-bolt, remove bolt and washer, replace seat on your deck and carefully re-tighten that bolt. With a bit of luck you're good to go. If you're still not grabbing properly you're going to need a new cushion.... By the way on some of my seats (I replace mine every three years, that's three times so far and will need to do it again this coming spring since I'm in commercial service) I've just limped along on three out of four bolts.... For my next set I'm going to make a point of setting each t-nut on new seats before attaching them to my deck and trying to tighten them in place.... Hope this helps


Thanks! I thought about the prying idea to apply pressure via prying between the underneath of the deck and the large washer under the bolt head. Going to try this first before I try to take the whole cushion off because this is one long bench cushion with only two bolts and the one on the other end is nice and tight. Hopefully I can apply enough pressure from the underside to pull the T nut down to the deck and have it hold without spinning to thread that bolt further back up into it. Only issue may be when I start to get it tight and I have to "unpry", it may not be tight enough to the bottom of the cushion at the point to finish it up and tighten down. I will give her a try and report back.


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## Creek Runner (Sep 1, 2011)

What kind of skiff do you have TidalFly, and who made the cushion? I would take it back to them and tell them to fix it and install is right this time.

lemaymiami, next time when you set the t-nut down into the base get you some West 6-10 epoxy and apply to the head and base area and let it dry, problem solved. This obliviously has to be done prior to finishing the cushion. When I was service manager at the dealership, we use to have this 80 year old man do all our custom cushion and that's how he did his, never had a problem. 

Creek


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I'm afraid I pick up my phone and the seats I use are shipped to me in finished condition (these are three individual bass seats that I set about four inches apart in a row to replace the bench seat that I had in place for years and years -my beat up old Maverick skiff has just started its 29th year - and is in its 20th year as a working guide skiff....). As a result the nuts in question are simply out of reach with finished upholstery covering everything. They're super comfortable but I think they're a bit vulnerable to the slightest mis-alignment of the screw holes - so if you use a power driver you might just push the nut off of where it should be on the install, if you're not careful. That's why my next set, I'll be taking special precautions to bind those nuts tightly before actually installing them - and I'll use a hand held screwdriver initially.... for each bolt....


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## richg99 (Nov 28, 2009)

If, after you try the excellent suggestion above, .... and if it doesn't work.....

I would take a hole saw and drill a hole into the bottom of the plywood, near your faulty T-Nut mounting surface. If you size and position the hole correctly, you may be able to get your finger(s) up there. If so, replace the T-nut with a new stainless T-Nut, after smearing it with epoxy as suggested above. You have little to lose at this point.

richg99

p.s. why not put a T-nut into a piece of scrap plywood, then see how close and how big the hole must be to allow you to maneuver your fingers to do the job. Once you have the size and spacing figured out, doing it on the real cushion should be easier.


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