Clamshell Vs Non Clamshell Seet's

Is this a Bad Design?


I have heard from people in the past (Dane) they think this is a bad design? I would like your opinion on why you do or dont like it?

I have been in and out of many types of boats and I can tell you from a stereo installers view that Non clam shell boats like this (Pro star 209 or X9)


are a pain in the arse! you have to be a limber as a Circ De Sole gymnist getting into that compartment, and once your in look out! LOL That fiberglass lip that works as a seet bottom tears the hell out of your back when woring in and around the boat. Some boats have a smaller Lip and its not so bad but the ones in MC's and Bu's OMG My back hates them. If you have this type of seet please add $1000 to cost of any install I do for you. LOL

BAD design. IMO… On an already small boat having to get people to shuffle out of the way to access storage is a pain.

The feedback I have seen here in the past is related to accessing the area… not feedback on design that makes your stereo install easier.

Grant, I hear it’s very easy to install a kickin system in a rowboat…. mounting the amps, crossovers, relays, battery holders, sub enclosures and running the wires is a snap.

Just think of it as a “challenge.” Plus you save on the chiropractor bill every time you crack your spine getting in and out. You could always apply some of that extra $1000 towards yoga lessons.

Wouldn't people have to shuffle out of the way on both designs pictured?

Then add 2k to the price of a Toyota install, the access to that area is in the walk thru, about 14" square. Somehow, I got two amps mounted in there.

What Paul said. Plus I can get either one very large ice chest, or two very small children in that compartment. Couldn't do that with my BU.

Toyota? Isn't that a Japanese company? Might explain the problem here. "We've got to figure out a way to make these things smaller". J/K-LOL.

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on June 13, 2005)

Jeff: If someone is sitting in that seet they need to get up or scoot out of the way to Acess that area on both designs. I was thinking That the clamshell was better not only for a Stereo install but it would be easyer to load and unload boards from that aera because they could just be slid in, the same is not true for the other design. But I guess the other design is better if someone is sitting there they dont have to stand up to get small stuff out of there. Ill take the clamshell over the other design any day,

The compartment is as big as an apartment in Tokyo.

If your a smart installer you put so much stereo equipment in that aera that no one need or can put anything in there and so there no need to keep opening and closing the seet you say is a pain in the a$$ LOL Case in Point

I have been thinking the seat should have both the clamshell and the access panel on the back rest.

Troy = best idea yet!

I agree with Troy, a combo seat where the back rest lifts up but you can also lift the whole seat up would be cool

I told that to the West Coast CC rep -- since you love your clamshell so much, why not also add access through the seat back!

He told me that they like the clam shell of board storage when the boat is towed or stored.

I said, I preferred a boat optimized for use on the water.

But, CC optimizes the boat for use on a private lake from a dock in florida, while BU optimizes the boat for use on a lake from a trailer in california.

All you have to do is spend a day on the delta in my BU with a crew of 4 or more and you will become a fan of accessible storage.

Good point Troy… that would make for the best of both worlds. That should be your next project Grant… get on it.

OK OK…Let’s try this again…. Guess I am only half paying attention as I wish I could wrap up my last meeting for the day and go to the gym. ( it would be the lake.. but it’s too windy)

I was thinking of the V drive version of the clamshell seating on SAN’s when I looked at the pics. I looked again and yes I see the base on the X9/ 209 and would agree that it would make installs a bit more difficult. I have spent most of my time on V drives not D drives.

The first pics looks similar to Scotty D’s old Toyota DD. On his boat the seat would land on anything that slid back too far when trying to close it(towels, vests, bags, ect.) And yes the two people sitting on the seat would have to stand and move to get under the seat.

Is this questions directed at those with more modest stereo aspirations? I would be curious to hear from DD users that use this area for storage instead of stereo gear to see if they do actually store boards under the seat. I can't see trying to jam boards under there on a regular basis. It seems to me you can stuff more small stuff under the second option that you may need to access through out the day and just leave boards on the tower. Grant… Do you have a pic of the same two above with the seats in the down position?

Seriously though…. Looks to me like a smart installer should be able to fit at least one more 12 and a couple more amps in there. (JK)

BTW, I told this to the West Coast CC Rep at the boat show in 2003 at Pleasanton. He liked the idea and he told me he would pass it on.

BTW, I still believe 100% that the clamshell design ASIS is absolutely pathetic. But, thats just my opinion.

Makes a good place to mount LCD screens!

Apart from that they are a pain.

I have an '84 DD CC. I intstalled a clamshell out of a SAN. After all the work it took to install I filled the bow with sub and amps now the seat is worthless. I third the ideal of dual access through the seat. Think I might put a parralel hinge on the lean back allowing me to access the electronics with a person in the seat.

I've experienced both types of storage access and can't see much benefit at all with the CC clamshell seat. I think it's a left-over from the ski boat days when folks would store their slaloms in the nose of closed-bow skiboats. A while back I've stuck wakeboards under there, but my current sticks won't fit due to size of modern bindings. Plus, I'd prefer that storage was more useful while underway than for apres-riding storage.

I think most riders would agree it's an archaic holdover from 3-event days and closed-bow boats just like the goofy RH prop rotation. IMO, CC needs to modernize their wakeboard boats to fit the needs/wants of current day riders.

My 2 cents.

It seems if the clamshell was to have the back portion of it open up so that you could acess the compartment with out having to lift up the seet all would be good. "Correct" It seems like a great Idea. I have no plans to do the mod to my set up but thoes of you who are constanltly needing stuff in that aera could do the mod yourself. Im sure It wouldnt be a big deal.
And for thoes of you who are afraid of hacking your boat up, No problem. Bring it by our shop Ill do it for you, Sound Illusions 650 622 9229 , Dont be suprised when you find a sub stuffed in that spot when you come to pick up your boat LOL,

Not having a seat base to sit on to reach things, means you have to stand up, sit back down on your knees, reach in and show your a** to everyone, then stand back up, then sit back down. I get tired just writing about it.

What happens when you want to stuff the boards in there. Move all the stuff that there already.

So much more to say about the toe crusher.

What's up with the RH prop rotation? Goofy is right.

Send your suggestions about CC to this guy:

scarlton@correctcraft.com

Yo Grant that some cool sht, keep up the great work.

unless you put a cooler in there,it is not really practical IMO.Reason is boards don't fit or there is already stuff there that they really won't fit plus anything you put in there must be in this imaginery box or it pinches it down and doesn't close right.to make sure it fit in there you might lose storage and we already know about that one.

Troy's Idea is good but the only problem I see happening is,you use the flip up part and have clothes,bags etc then you go to open the clam and everthing rolls out and now you can't close it till you repack everything.

I guess just having the option of either one or the other wouldn't be bad and option of the combination as well.

(Message edited by big_ed_x2 on June 24, 2005)