Will a pedestal seat base work upside down?

Fixing to put a floor in my Tracker 1542 and plan to add a couple of pedestals in the floor. Just wondering if anyone has tried to use one mounted upside down instead of having to build a spacer for them or having to elevate the floor. Seems with just the base pin hole sticking up, there would be less in the way and easier to mount.

Are they the threaded style bases or the slide in? They should work but you will have seat bases sticking up creating a tripping hazard.

The slide in type. I realize the tripping hazard. If I built an elevated square for the base I would have an even bigger hazard. These boats are not deep enough inside for me to elevate the entire floor high enough to clear the bottom of the boat. I may give it a shot and see if it works. Easy enough to change later if it doesn't. I use the boat as more of a panfish type rig since I already have an alum. bass boat.

heres my 1542 tracker , rised stringer 1in&floor 3/4in used pvc lumber

ifish4redd said:

heres my 1542 tracker , rised stringer 1in&floor 3/4in used pvc lumber

Click to expand...

ive got the same posts and bases. if i remember right only an inch or so of the post that goes in the base was threaded and the other 3 or 4 inches was smooth. i cut it so only 2 inches slide into the base, oh and i cut the pole down under the base so my floor only had to be raised 2 inches wich worked fine being i have a semi v and the hull from behind the bow is more or less pretty flat. i think the centerline of my hull was only 3 inches lower than where the hull meets the gunwales on each side so it worked easier than it would on a jon but its doable in a jon i think. oh and only having 2 inches of post in the bases is plenty sturdy for me, i weigh bout a buck seventy though... i even pulled the plastic plug where the seat goes in the top of the post and cut about 6 inches off the post and just put the plug back in so they were the height i liked..

I have already cut my plywood for the front and rear floors and intend to lay it directly on the stringers with blue foam underneath. Tracker stringers if you can even call them that are only 3/4-1inch tall off the floor. Really don't want to raise the floor any in this boat.
I'll probably just do something like this if I can't make it work upside down

Whats the thickness of your plywood?

Using 1/2 inch. It will be double thickness under the pedestal area though.

The slide it type will work upside down. I know a guy who mounted is pedestal base that way.

Well after 3 hours of driving around my town hitting every Walmart, Gander, Dick's, etc, I finally found some seat bases in the next town over, 30 miles away at Walmart. What is up with no one having seat bases in stock when I need them RIGHT NOW? The ones I got will definitely work upside down. Just a shame to turn that beautiful polished aluminum to the bottom

Here is an idea for you. You said you have about an inch from the bottom of the boat to the top of the stringer plus your using 1/2" flooring. If you look at the picture posted by Ifish4redd ther is an additional piece of flooring between the base and floor. If you added 1 to 2 piece of 1/2" plywood between the floor and pedestal base you would have a gradual increase instead of a tube sticking straight up out of the floor. That would give you 2 1/2" inches which may be enough depending on the depth of the base.

Well after some deliberating I went ahead and did them like this. My sea legs ain't that great anymore and I also always have my dog with me, so keeping the floors as low as possible takes priority for me. These really won't present a trip hazard since the one with the base in the middle is up front and the seat is always there. The other is close to the back bench and also out of the way.