shaping seat cleats? (Annapolis Wherry)

Builder's Forum
1

I'm continuing to build my Annapolis Wherry, and am getting ready to install the seats. For the front and rear seats, the instructions say to glue cleats to the side of the boat on which the seats will rest. I have to questions on this step:

1. Given the varying angles of the side of the boat, the seat will sit on only an edge of the cleat at best. Do people shape the cleat (say, with a plane) to get better seat-to-cleat contact, and then glue them together? Or is the cleat really just temporary support while the fillets between seats and hull cure?

2. Any tricks for placing the cleat in the right place? Given the various angles, etc., it's not obvious to me the best way place the cleats so that the seats contact all the necessary places.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

2

I can’t speak for the intent of the designer regarding seat cleats but I basically used used them as installation guides and supports. I did not do any shaping of the cleat. I put the seat tops in place and traced a pencil line off it. Then measured and installed the cleats so the seats would end up in the right place. Then epoxied the seat to the cleat and applied the fillets. Worked well for me, super strong, water tight and you will never see the cleat again (hopefully).