The Boat Seat Store

What makes boat seats look old – sunscreen and oil: Video

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:05:17 +0000

Sunscreen and other oils are one of the main reasons boat seats start looking old. If you want to make your seats last and look new for longer, you need to clean them often. This video explains why.

Prevention

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:34:17 +0000

How Do YoU prevent dirt and oil damage to vinyl boat seats?

If you own a boat and your seats have cushions, it is highly likely those cushions are made of vinyl. Vinyl is an ideal material for boat seats because it is not easily damaged by water and holds up well in most any weather. While this material is very durable, surface dirt can wear it down over time.

When people sit, stand and move around on your boat seats, the dirt and oils on the surface act like a fine sand paper. Those particles wear down the surface, making vinyl more susceptible to cracking, fading and staining. These tiny bits of grime can get down into the vinyl once it begins to wear down, causing it to look old. If you want your vinyl seats to last, you need to clean them regularly – and not just with water. Cleaning well with appropriate cleaners will remove the dirt and oil on the surface of vinyl seats, keeping grime from damaging your seats in the long run.

Check out our vinyl cleaning post for a quick tutorial on how to clean vinyl boat seats.

How to clean tree sap off your boat seats

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:09:43 +0000

Tree sap is one of the most common causes of damage to vinyl boat seats. It can get on vinyl seats while the boat is uncovered or if a small portion of the cover comes loose, exposing the vinyl.

The real problem with tree sap is that it melts easily into the seats in the sun or hot weather, making it next to impossible to clean off. It is best to take preventative measures to keep tree sap off your boat whenever possible and to clean it off quickly if it does become a problem.

Keep tree sap off your boat seats

Keep your boat covered when not in use. It is also a good idea to do a thorough check of your boat when you pull it out of winterization. Tree sap has a sneaky way of getting in through even the tiniest of holes in your boat cover. Also, if you leave your boat uncovered for a while to dry out after use before covering to prevent mildew, do a quick inspection before you put the cover on.

How to get tree sap off your boat seats

It is best to use a citrus-based cleaner without bleach to clean tree sap off your vinyl seats. If that isn’t working, and you need something stronger, try using methyl hydrate.

Removing Mildew

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:56:15 +0000

Mildew is one of the most common problems with vinyl boat seats. It often grows on seats when boats are covered because it thrives in warm, dark, damp places. Mildew ends up smelling and looking bad, and it can eventually break down the vinyl your seats are made of. It’s best to take measures to prevent it whenever possible and clean it up quickly once you realize it’s become a problem.

Avoid mildew on your boat seats

After an outing, try to let your boat dry out before you cover it. It is a good idea to let it sit with the storage compartments open to dry well before covering for extended periods of time.

When you do cover it, be sure to stick in a moisture absorbing, mildew prevention substance. You can buy buckets of commercially produced mildew prevention solution or you can try one of many popular household products. A tin or two of charcoal bricks (not match light!) works very well.

If mold is allowed to grow it will also penetrate the vinyl and over time it will not be able to be removed, the only thing left to do is to re-dye or replace.

Get mildew off your boat seats

You should use a mold and mildew killer and cleaner to stop mildew in its tracks and prevent it from continuing to grow. You can buy these at any gardening store and most marine suppliers.

Buy New Seats

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:47:34 +0000

Choosing And buying New Boat Seats

Boat seats are fundamental add-ons for any kind of boat, whether it is a fishing boat, a pontoon, a motor of sailing yacht, or even for commercial boats like ferries and ships. Very often a recent owner of a new or used vessel finds that the existing seating is not sufficient for the purposes the boat was bought for, or is in need of modification often implying a complete replacement.

Boat seats are parts that insure not only the well-being of your fellow mariners, but also serve to convey your personality onto your boat.

Seating is a very prominent and visible part of any boat and its quality and looks will not only determine how the boat is perceived in relation to the personality of the owner, but also its apparent value, witch would be an important consideration if you are trying to sell a boat. Investing in new seats or upholstery is probably the best thing you can do to increase a boat’s value before putting it onto the market for sale.

If you are choosing and buying new boat seats, you will find that there is no want of choice. There are most assuredly dozens and dozens of types and variations of boat seats available at boating supply stores near you, and also through Internet boat suppliers, online catalogs and specialist retailers.

You will not be stuck with lack of choice, and the great variety of sellers is actually of help when it comes to getting a good deal, so make sure that you shop around and compare.

There is also the security question to bear in mind. Boat seats are very important, not only for the boat’s value and for what is says about you, as noted above, as well as for the comfort of your passengers.

But their importance is also related to the fact that it would be dangerous for passengers – especially for newbies to the world of marine excursions – to remain standing while navigating in open waters, whether rough or calm, or even when traveling through most harbor and coastline areas. Also, most boat cushions double as handy emergency floatation devices in a pinch.

Impossible to be overlooked or ignored by the enterprising boat owner, fisherman or skipper, boat seats can be both purposeful and pleasing to the eye.

When looking for seating arrangements for yourself, for your crewmen and for any passengers you may take along, you should definitely check out the wide variety of cushions and boat seating arrangements available. Check out www.PontoonStuff.com, www.BassPro.com and www.BoatingSeats.com for comparisons on styles and prices.

Boat Seats in General

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:15:57 +0000

Cheap Boat Seats On The Internet. Auctions Or Aftermarket?

It’s pleasant to travel on a boat with people along a river or on the sea in a watercraft. The main point related to comfort when traveling on a boat seems to be seating. Comfortable, cheap boat seats are needed to make the journey pleasure and happy. Inexpensive seats are often available for boats. Instead of spending the full retail amount, you can often get away with paying only half the sum.

Purchasing cheap boat seats is an important concept. High quality seating can be found even with lower prices. Generally used boat cheap seats will need a little repair for usage. If you have a lot of people who are eager to purchase marine seats, you can make an introduction with the retailer for bulk discount. If you are not satisfied with models you see you can also get discounts, even if you buy different models.

Of course, internet is a great source for us to gather information on seat models, pricing, and availability. We can not only gather information but also purchase those seats through on-line shopping.

Cheap boat seats may be classified into different types, as follows. Classic back to back boat seats, Attwood seats, back to back boat seats, bucket seats, fishing boat seats, pontoon boat seats, jump seats and so on. Classic boat seats are made up of cushion type material constructed with plastic frames. This will store extras in the base compartment. You have to simply lift the side of the seat to access the interior of the base.

Seats are generally constructed with tough and good looking frames. Deluxe pontoon seats are of this type. Some heavy duty element is used for folding and bending the seats to and fro. Pontoon seats are available in attracting colors like red, blue etc., durable lounge seats offers a convenient storage compartment under the seat cushion. Some points are to be kept in mind for these seats. We should not use this as free as the standing seat or normal seats and necessary care should be taken.

For a good, pleasurable and happy seagoing journey that doesn’t break the bank, cheap boat seats are highly recommended. The seats are often constructed with extra-wide surface with more space. Warranty is also provided by many companies for breakage, cracking and warping.

Boat Seat Upholstery And Fabrics For All Uses

Boat seats are important parts of any boat, which should not be neglected under any circumstances. Many different kinds of boat seat materials are available to ensure that they provide the optimum safety and performance.

For instance, it’s important to know about the different options that you have when it comes to using the right upholstery to make sure that the seats stay watertight and won’t need a lot of regular maintenance, while still allowing for other uses, e.g. sleeping if they are interior couch seats.

Faded or bent seats, or seats showing a lot of wear and tear, are not only eyesores but they will also result in lowering the appeal and value of the boat. And they will ultimately be more expensive due to higher care requirements.

There are different materials used for the skeleton – the most common ones are fiberglass, steel, anodized aluminum, or different kinds of wood (mostly marine plywood with stainless staples, and sometimes solid wood for custom seats intended to match the fittings of vintage boats).

Boat seats based around a steel frame should of course be using stainless steel, or rust will damage your seats in the long term. Marine plywood is also an alternative, but it needs to be pressure-treated and waterproofed.

Boat seat upholstery is not always present on all kinds of marine seating. Some benches are simply constructed, with hard wooden or fiberglass backrests and sitting areas, often padded but more often still unpadded.

Hard seating that isn’t padded is often fitted with cushions. Whether the boat seats you are after are fitted with cushions or non-removable upholstery, please note that the available range of fabrics and colors is usually much bigger for indoors seats than for on-deck seats.

For outdoor use, fabrics that will stand up to sunlight and to infiltrations of salty water are a must. The most common material is marine grade vinyl, although it is not necessary the more comfortable one.

Heavy duty waterproof fabrics, nylon and leather can be viable alternatives, especially on high end boats. In the cabin of a boat, fabrics and leather are more common.

When shopping for the right boat seats, you need to make sure that the materials durable and long lasting. With your input and the above information, local boat parts manufacturer or supplier will be able to determine which fabrics are suitable for your boat seats and which are not.

Boat Seat Types Explained

Are you looking for specific kinds of boat seats? There is no lack of different options for boat seats, so knowing which ones to choose is crucial so that you will have the right equipment for your craft.

Lounge boat seats are very common, especially on motor yachts or other non-sailing vessels, such as skiffs. They are intended to carry several passengers in a comfortable, not too sporty environment. They can be found both below deck and on deck, and come in a variety of fittings.

These boat seats are usually fixed to the ship, and if intended for outside use, are also weatherproofed. This to avoid that they soak up with water, which would make then useless.

On bigger boats, lounge seats are often attached together by twos on the backrests. This arrangement is known as a back-to-back seat, and can concern two single seats or whole rows of seating for large decks. These are often alternated with tables, as this provides for a space-saving arrangement for ten passengers or more.

Benches are also popular as seats on many boats, and especially so on smaller ones. You will find benches as main seating on vessels such as dinghies and rowboats, but they are also common on other watercraft, often mounted onto the boat’s sides.

It’s quite common for these bench boat seats to be collapsible, or also completely removable. In this way, they are often employed to add passenger seating in a pinch, and folded down or put away when not in use so that circulation of passengers is made easier.

The most minimalist kind of boat seat is probably the leaning post. This may strike you as a surprise, but these posts can be fitted with small benches, strategically placed padding, or other solutions to make sure that they can be used to rest a weary bottom.

These posts are most often used for center console boats, to give passengers some more stability when moving around. They can function as a leaning post, a seat or a bench. On fishing boats, it is common to have leaning post type seats to include up to four fishing rod holders, as well as an integrated hand and foot rail.

When choosing any of the above seats you should begin with the end in mind and make sure that they are well-suited to the purpose of having them on your boat, and then consider the quality of the manufacturing and their expected durability, especially in view of the conditions that they will be subject to by the sun and the sea.

Also, once you have found the boat seat model that you want, make sure to compare several merchants on price to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck.

Types of Boat Seats

Charles Dobbs — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:33:34 +0000

There are many different types of boat seats available and the most important consideration in making this determination is the type of boat you have and what you will be using it for. The most common types of boat seats are:

* Leaning Posts

* Captain’s Chairs

* Swivels

* Bench Seats

* Flip-Flop Seats

* Bucket Type Seats

Leaning Posts:

Leaning post seats are most often used for center console boats. They are also some leaning post seats for bass boats. They can function as a leaning post, a seat or a bench. Most of these types of seats have optional removable backrests and thickly clustered cushions for superior comfort. Most leaning posts type seats have four fishing rod holders and an integrated hand and foot rail.

Captain’s Chairs:

There are many types of captain’s chairs that run the gamete on quality. Top of the line captain chairs have UV stabilized polyethylene construction, extra thick clustered cushions, padded armrests on anodized aluminum mounting brackets and foot pedestals. This seat also is a slider, meaning the seat itself slides up or down for the comfort of the captain.

Swivel Seats:

Swivel seats are especially popular on fishing boats that have a seat hole pattern to attach them onto. The benefits of swivel seats are that they are removable, can turn 360 degrees, fit most standard seat holes patterns, are self lubricating, with non-corrosive poly swivel bearings and most are made with E-coated steel which resists corrosion. Additionally, most swivel seats have a quick release mechanism that allows the seat to slide out thru plastic tracks that are mounted to the boat.

Additional Types of Boat Seats:

* Some fishing boat seats are cushions on top of ice chests. These seats can be positioned anywhere the angler desires in the boat, or fastened to the deck in specific locations.

* Bucket seats are considered very comfortable seats. Most are made of heavy-duty marine grade vinyl which means they are sun, salt and mildew resistant. These types of seats are mounted or can be mounted to the boat.

* Proform seats aka fishing seats are ideal seats for small boats. They are usually made of molded plastic, have a cushioned seat and back for comfort and are ultra-low when folded flat.

* Lounge seats. This type of boat seats are back to back of one another. They are usually seen on sky boats and runabouts. Most have plastic frames, cushioned seats and have dry storage underneath. They come in many different sizes, are permanently mounted into the boat and most are UV treated to provide for mildew resistance.

* Bench Seats. Bench seats are boat seats that are similar to a couch in a home. More than one person can sit on them, right next to each other or they make great sun bathing seats, as a person can lay down the length of one. Most of these types of boat seats are found on walk-through windshield boats and pontoon boats.

Flip-Flop Seats: Flip-Flop Bench seats are popular on fishing boats as well as many recreational boats. What is great about these seats is that they are cushioned both on the seat and the back and have either a live bait well or storage area underneath. Some are also insulated and can carry ice and cold stuff.

Bucket Type Seats: Usually bucket seats are flexible and there are several styles even in bucket designs. Some work best for helms of the boat, some are good fishing chairs and can vary in price depending on the level of comfort and style you’re looking for.