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zeeksta
02-27-2002, 09:36 PM
what did the original seat look like in a 1972 sixteen with the wrap around seating... mt interior is all new except for an omc fishing seat to drive from...help! where can i buy one or have one made?

DOND
02-28-2002, 11:43 AM
Call Bilt-Rite upholstery at 904-259-4807.They did all the interiors for the Donzis.John Harmon is the guy to talk to.He is a very nice guy and very knowledgeable.He is making the seat for my
1969 16.

Forrest
02-28-2002, 03:59 PM
In 1972, the original drivers seat was a two-piece chair with no sides. Unfortunately, these two-piece units (bottom and back) were made of curved 3/8" plywood that rotted out after only a few years of getting wet. Also, the original aluminum brackets the held the back to the bottom corroded away as well. The company who supplied the curved plywood pieces either went out of business or just quit making them around '73 or '74. When that happened, Donzi went to the wrap-around bucket in the 16.

I still have the original two-piece unit in my '72 16 Ski Sporter (http://www.donzi.net/hull.cfm?id=65). Many years ago, I replace the plywood pieces myself from replacement parts supplied from Donzi when they were located on NE 188th street. Don't even bother checking with them now. John Harmon tells me that those pieces became NLA as replacement parts back in the mid '70s. Also, way back then, I had a stainless-steel fabricator in Norfolk, VA, cut and bend new seat brackets in 308 stainless. Recently, when it came time for John to do the new interior on my 16, I used what remained of my plywood seat bottoms as a form to laminate a curved piece of plywood to match the original from 1/8" veneers. Once the pieces were laminated and cut to match original, I took it all to Bilt-Rite where John and Sue used the original patterns to make me a perfect two-piece front seat. One thing was still missing, though. That was the small aluminum band the goes along the edge of the back of the seat. This strip covers the staples and is must have. The aluminum edge material sold in marine supply stores today is just to thick and rigid to form correctly on the seat back. John told me that the original material is the same material that was what was used on the edge kitchen countertops back in the 1950s and '60s. Good luck finding any of that stuff now! Anyway, if you look at the original aluminum edge-trim that runs under the dash of '60s and many '70s classics, you will find more than enough to do the job. The new version of this edge trim found in marine supply stores works great to replace the "borrowed" piece under the dash.

zeeksta
03-04-2002, 08:13 PM
ok i guess i want a later seat.... does bilt rite make all the seats for donzi... anyone know whay year seat would look good with the wrap around seating? the original doesnt look to comfortable

Forrest
03-05-2002, 09:53 AM
Give John a call at Bilt-Rite. He knows what works and what doesn't.