I am jumping way ahead in the build manual looking for things I can do as I wait for the goverment inspector to come for the pre-cover inspection. So here I am today installing the seat frames into the cockpit. Starting with step 19 of Section 33 I fooled around with the Seat Base Aft tube until I figured out that the Tube Connector goes into the end opposite to the one that has a 1/4" hole drilled 2-1/4" from the end. Also the Tube Connector is placed so that the AN3-15A bolt goes through at right angles to the 1/4" hole mentioned before. Got it? It is a really tight fit getting the AN4-25A bolts in between the hull and the Outboard Support Tubes so I would recommend that this whole installation be done before the frame is put into the hull. But the Seat Base Aft tube might restrict access to bolting the frame to the hull ribs under the bulkhead so perhaps just install the bolt, strap and spacer at that point. I think there is a design error in the mounting of the Seat Back Tubes. Step 22 calls for two bolts to secure the tube in the Push-Pull Tube Strap. But this prevents the seat back from folding back and forth. For now I am just installing the bottom AN4-16A which matches the one on the other side of the u-tube seat back so the frame folds without restriction. Another thing to check at Oshkosh next week. 8 Aug update: Seareys at Oshkosh were built per the manual. However I found an excellent comment by Glen Clarke on his modification of the hinge to alleviate the problem on the Searey STS Technical Site complete with photos. For now I will go with one bolt.
