I have a relatively new fiberglass center-console boat with pedestal seats.
The deck is wood with fiberglass on both sides. When the seats were mounted
(OEM Mako) they drilled through the glass/wood/glass and then used a type
of toggle to secure the two pedestal stands.

No adhesive was used around the perimeter of the pedestal stands or on or
around the top of the toggle type bolts.

Well water did it's magic and seeped into the wood and rotted out about six
inches of wood on either side of the pedestals. I found this out because
when the seats became loose and I pulled an access hatch open to inspect
everything I discovered wet wood pulp.

I sent the boat to a fiberglass shop (via warranty work) and they took out
a large rectangular section that encompassed the rotted area and then some
and then refiberglassed that area without any wood at all. And then
remounted the seats and pedestals. Now there will not be any possibility for
rot.

Which is great as far as I am concerned. But this whole thing has got me to
wondering about the correct way to mount those seats and pedestals from
the factory.

Seems to me that any adhesive or marine caulking would cause the pedestals
to be like cups or water reservoirs when it rains or you wash down your boat
because they wouldn't be able to drain properly if water got into the top of
the pedestals. It seems like those pedestals should also be redesigned with
water drainage ports or something at the base of them.

Anybody have a line on the right way to do this sort of thing? I bet that
there are quite a few boats out there with future surprises in store for their
owners.

Pedestals look like these: http://tinyurl.com/ytfjh