questions about seats...

[32_d3gr33s]

I've got a 16ft speedboat and need some new seats. i'm looking for something cheap, as i havent spent much on the boat to begin with. I was looking at picking up some racing seats from a car, but was afraid of them sticking and staying wet, so i started looking at some buggy/sand rail seats. I then came accross these:http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wise-Deep...t-Seat/13069398?findingMethod=rr&ssm=0&sspt=1

would those be a decent seat for this boat?

It came with back to back seats that sit directly on the floor with about a 2 inch base. was planning on making a bench for the rear or some more comfortable seats from the old ones. would it look funny if i just put 4 of those in? any other suggestions? I dont want to spend more on seats than the boat is worth so input would be awesome!! Thanks

 

[Chris1956]

Re: questions about seats...

I couple of things to consider. If you put a bench seat across the transom, a lot of weight will be located there. I recommend you have three friends sit on your splashwell, with the boat normally loaded, in the water and see if you take water over the transom. If not, your plan can work. I have a speedboat very similar to yours, so I have had a lot of these thoughts over the years.

I personally do not like the seats you have chosen for a speedboat. First of all a speedboat is all looks and go fast. I would recommend seats that look better. Back -to-back seats can be had for a few $$ more than the ones you have picked out. You can normally find them for $150-$200 iand this is comparable to the cost of the seats you posted, and look much better, IMHO.

On my speedboat I needed to fiberglass 2X2 P/T lumber to the deck. I then screwed the back to back seat bases to the 2X2s to hold it in place. Pick out a nice rug to maatch or complement the seat color and the hull color. Currently I have painted my boat white, and have white back-to-back seats, medium blue indoor-outdoor carpet, and a nice metallic blue pinstripe. It had been white hull/teal pinstripes and rug/white seats, Blue meatlflake hull, blue rug, white seats, and some other color combos over the years. I liked the teal the best.

Make sure everything you install is twice as strong as you think you will need, and you should be OK.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: questions about seats...

Personally, for something as sleek as that, I wouldn't cheap out on the seats. I'd find a custom fabricator, or start googling making your own. There really isn't that much to making a base and pan, then have someone cover them for you. In the end, you will have a bit more invested, but the boat will be worth much more than one with cobbled in seats. Again, just my opinion.

 

[32_d3gr33s]

Re: questions about seats...

Thanks for the help guys. I've been tossing ideas around in my head for a few days. I wanted to go more with forward facing seats, because my kids always sat on their knees backwards in the seats, so I wanted something a little safer. On top of that the back to back wasn't as comfy. Any suggestion for a bucket style seat for the front 2 that maybe is a little nicer and not much more pricey? I really like the idea of 2 buckets in the front and some custom seats for the back. Thanks again.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: questions about seats...

when we were in highschool in the early 70's a friend had a boat like yours; he took out the back to backs and put in 2 car bucket seats from the junk yard.