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| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
cookiejar
Mountain climber
Seattle
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 9, 2010 - 12:08am PT
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I am planning to make a belay seat myself with a piece of plywood, probably from Home Depot and some 15mm webbings. It sounds like an easy enough project. Any suggestions on the materials and issues to consider before I take out the saw? Thanks.
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Wonder
climber
WA
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DUDE, thats the s*t. Way better that the old nylon butt bucket. I'm sure we had some of those way back, oh yeah, intheday. DYI, go man go!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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YUR FER SURE GONNA DIE!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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consider buying Fish's belay seat. Compacts into a tiny self-bag, cheap, wellmade.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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It should be made out of ebony as it will attract heat better and keep yer booty warm on those long B-Lays. Instead of webbing use hemp cuz its cool.
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murcy
climber
sanfrancisco
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Plywood bosun's chairs are so '80s, dude.
Use one of those plastic tops for a picnic cooler. The larger ones come ready to go, with drink-cup holders. The weight is about the same as plywood, and you will be ghetto-chic, not just ghetto.
I'm serious.
I found one of those at the summit once, and thought it was kinda cool - and it was kinda lame that I had to carry it down for whomever used it. But, it looked like the Way of the Future for bosun seats.
The dual-wall plastic top probably offers up some degree of cushioning, compared to plywood. By the time you reach the top, it will have molded itself to your adze.
You might be able to obtain one by sneaking into Upper Pines or Housekeeping at night, making noises like a bear to scare people away from you . . . .
Or, just go to your local Goodwill store. With the prices of plywood these days, a salvaged cooler looks pretty good. Plus, you can keep your beer cold in the thing, until such time as you are forced (on the Wall) by circumstance to learn to enjoy warm beer.
After your ascent, the cooler top belay seat will still useful as the top of the cooler, so therein lies a great reason to not just discard it at the summit.
Always, please, go up the Wall as green as you can. No more of this Everest Basecamp trash dump. Halfway up, or at the summit, no more El Cap trash.
BONUS:
The bosun's seat rope/slinging you concoct can be left for all time, in case you need a good story at a party you attend with the beer cooler. Or, for a better reason: keep the bosun's belay chair ready, at all times, for your next climb.
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Wonder
climber
WA
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Tom, you're the dude. Housekeeping is a go. Do as he says.
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Paulina
Trad climber
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Make it larger than the measurements of your butt, is my advice. I once made one from some flimsy plywood found in a dumpster in Yosemite, but I could barely fit into it once the harness etc. were all on.
OMG, this harness makes me fat!
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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They have some great belay seats here.
http://www.loveswingsrus.com/
Just make sure you cover the plywood in something squishy and comfortable, otherwise your ass is going to hurt. Try to figure out a way of putting a back rest, or a back supporting strap, on it!
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cookiejar
Mountain climber
Seattle
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2010 - 02:22am PT
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Thanks for the replies, guys. That cooler lid thing sounds like an interesting idea. Let me scavenge hunt my local goodwill store.
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
Arkansas, I suppose
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Feb 10, 2010 - 08:50am PT
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The first one I did was pretty ad-lib.
Scamming a shower in Curry Village when these little plastic stools caught my eye. Nice butt-shaped cradle and handles on each end. Whipped out the old Swiss army knife, removed the legs and tucked the seat under my jacket. We slung the thing back at camp and used on the Nose.
It was kinda flimsy though, and taco'd about halfway into the trip. Fortunately we found another (wood plank) home job about two thirds of the way up, hanging at a station.
edit;
One bit of advice; run your webbing all the way under the seat. It sucks if the thing breaks on you with no butt back-up
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Feb 10, 2010 - 10:23am PT
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The fish belay seat rocks.
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R.B.
Trad climber
47N 122W
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Aug 28, 2011 - 07:36pm PT
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Heck,
My wall partner and I back in the '90's made two "portaboards"
They were so comfy at belays, heck you could lay on them and belay with the rope stacked next to you. Just place on bottom of haul bag when hauling and pray for no really hard updrafts.
Seriously, the portaboard was the bomb BITD. But today, Would be laughed at big time. Now a portabelay seat. Way manageable!
Used supertape webbing, 1/2" plywood and duct tape the edges. Simple and bomber.
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Prod
Trad climber
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Aug 28, 2011 - 07:43pm PT
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I'd go with a piece of cedar over a chunk of ply. Plywood cut into smaller pieces like that can expose voids in glue making it much weaker. But whatever, I have a Yates belay seat that I like.
Prod.
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| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
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