Brownac1983
Recruit
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2026
- Messages
- 1
I'm having a problem finding decent seats. I have a 1988 Traveler TX-160 (welded aluminum, very similar to a Tracker). When I got the boat 6 years ago, it still had the original Traveler branded seats which were still holding up fine structurally, but the vinyl was faded and cracked. About three seasons ago I decided to replace the seats and bought some off of eBay. They fit well and were decently comfortable, but the hinges were junk. I reached over my left shoulder to get something out of a storage compartment and the port side hinge just buckled. I chalked that up as being cheap and buying cheap crap, so I replaced them with a set from Cabelas (Bass Pro Classics I think). The hinges looked about the same, but I thought since I paid more they'd hold up better. They didn't. The seat started leaning back further and further each trip until it basically became a lay-flat, most notably on the port side (no doubt aggravated by reaching behind me for storage).
So now I'm in the market for seats again. I'm not a huge dude, I weigh about 190lb. It's not like I'm a 500 pound guy in a cheap seat. I feel like this shouldn't be happening.
Who sells decent boat seats with better quality hinges? Most hinges I see shopping online are the same as the ones that have failed on me. But I see some that have a round "ear" at the hinge point. Are those more sturdy?
My absolute limit for width is 17" (16" or 16.5" would fit better), which seems to be the limiting factor on buying better quality seats. A lot of the better looking seats I see online start at 18" wide.
Appreciate any help or advice. I don't mind paying more for better seats at all, I just want to make sure I'm actually getting better seats.
The hinges that bend look like this:
Are these style more sturdy?
So now I'm in the market for seats again. I'm not a huge dude, I weigh about 190lb. It's not like I'm a 500 pound guy in a cheap seat. I feel like this shouldn't be happening.
Who sells decent boat seats with better quality hinges? Most hinges I see shopping online are the same as the ones that have failed on me. But I see some that have a round "ear" at the hinge point. Are those more sturdy?
My absolute limit for width is 17" (16" or 16.5" would fit better), which seems to be the limiting factor on buying better quality seats. A lot of the better looking seats I see online start at 18" wide.
Appreciate any help or advice. I don't mind paying more for better seats at all, I just want to make sure I'm actually getting better seats.
The hinges that bend look like this:
Are these style more sturdy?
