Saturday, October 3, 2009

Boat Seat Materials And Construction Clarified

By Frank Gehry

Boat seats are an important part of your vessel, whether you use it for fishing, sunbathing, leisure, or to transport your friends out for a picnic in the middle of a lake.

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.

Damaged boat seat materials, such as bent frames or ripped fabrics, not only decrease the appeal of the vessel but also lower its value. Especially if you are thinking of selling the boat, often a little seat repair and refurbishment will pay itself many times over.

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.

One of the most important boat seat materials is the upholstery, but please note that not all boat seats need and have it. Some are hard seats, and have wooden benches and backrests attached to a frame of a more solid material.

Hard seats, as well as other kinds of seats, often come accessorized with boat cushions for better comfort. Different fabrics are available for both upholstery and cushions, mostly depending on whether its use will be in-cabin or outside the cabin.

Outdoor use of boat seat materials requires that the fabrics are able to resist UV light as well as saltwater. Marine grade vinyl is the most common outside material for boat seats, but there are other viable alternatives.

On the more expensive boat seats, waterproofed and high strength nylon fabrics or even treated leather are sometimes used. Although these tend to have a higher price tag, they also look better.

Boat seat materials need to be hard wearing and sturdy. Most custom boat seat manufacturers will be more than happy to help a client to find the best material for his and his boats' needs.

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