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Lightweight, removable seating ideas?

19K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Bierbower  
#1 ·
I was sitting soaking bait with my son the other day and wishing I had some kind of halfway comfortable seat with a backrest on the boat.

But I don't want to a) add a bunch of weight, b) do anything permanent, or c) take up excessive cockpit or locker space.

Thinking about trying one of the Crazy Creek-style backpacking/stadium chairs. They're obviously light and compact, but I have a hard time believing they provide a lot of back support. Has anyone tried them? If they give any real back support, it would be nice to put one on top of the cooler on the bow.

Also wondered about one of the low folding camp chairs that have recently come out. Heavier and bulkier when not in use, but obviously more comfortable and substantial. Problem is I don't really have anywhere to set one up except on the cockpit floor, and I don't like to be down that low.

Down the road, I want to add one of the pin-mount bases to my aft hatch lid so I can drop in a real seat for my dad when he comes along. The Millennium Marine folding seats look neat, but the shipping weight is like 13 lbs, which isn't any lighter than a garden-variety folding plastic boat seat. Again, any firsthand experience with the Millennium seats -- or any other lightweight option with a standard base?

Crazy Creek type
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Low camp chair
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Millennium seat
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Boat in question
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#4 ·
depends on where you typically sit, but if you find yourself sitting back near the sponsons, a cut pool noodle over the steps of the poling platform would/should add enough cushion for your back and you can slide one of the rear deck cushions over...dirt cheap, weighs next to nothing, and stores easy

as for the bow, Ive seen the backrest that fit into rod holders, which I believe I see on the back of the cooler...could also work but definitely more expensive than a pool noodle or one of those stadium seats
 
#12 ·
Add a removable back rest for you bench seat.
Great looking rig! I had a very similar backrest on my last boat. The wife pushed me into getting it because she was convinced our kids would roll out the back of the boat. I found the only times I used it were when she came along. That being said, I positioned it a little too far forward, and it wasn't especially comfortable because of that. In the current application, I'd lean away from a backrest because of both weight and expense. I'm really looking for something very "portable" that I can pull out of a locker set up wherever I want to sit.

Here's a second vote for Tempress (tempress.com)... I've been using their Navistyle seats now for about 10-11 years with great success.
Thanks. I may end up going with the Navistyle or similar when I get around to installing a seat on the aft bench for my dad. I'd be curious how heavy they are. It seems like manufacturers of this type of seat, Tempress included, don't count weight as part of specifications. It's tough to find.

This could be an option. Built by the same company that makes Ranch Hand bumpers and grill guards so I'm sure they are quality.
https://coolerrest.com/
Interesting -- hadn't seen those before. Probably be tough to stow when not in use unfortunately. Seems like a great solution for "guide box" style seating in the middle of the cockpit.

So I just put my Cabelas Gobbler Lounger (low camp chair) on the back deck of my Pathfinder and it is definitely going to work out.
Looks good. Any chance you could measure the distance from front feet to back feet? Because I moved my platform forward, I don't have as much space as I did with the stock platform. All those chairs list length and width, but they don't really say if they're talking about the footprint dimensions, the seat dimensions, what.

Thanks for all the input -- this is very helpful.
 
#9 ·
Here's a second vote for Tempress (tempress.com)... They have a wide variety of "seating solutions" from really fancy to minimum skiff seats. I've been using their Navistyle seats now for about 10-11 years with great success. Since I'm in commercial service (understatement) mine get replaced every three years or so (I'm set up with three bass-boat seats across the front of the rear deck on my old Maverick -and they make all the difference on my usual 70+ mile round trips...

By the way - I get no freebies from them - I pay just like everyone else and they ship to my door. I do see a few examples of their stuff at my local Bass Pro shops as well...
 
#11 ·
So I just put my Cabelas Gobbler Lounger (low camp chair) on the back deck of my Pathfinder and it is definitely going to work out. They're comfortable as can be. I'm 5' 9" and I'm just able to put my feet on the deck while sitting, so if you're shorter than that you may have dangling legs. Stick some rubber nonskid on the bottom of the legs and I'll think it'll do what you want and not cost an arm and a leg.
 
#17 ·
When fishing space doesn't matter, it's hard to beat a beanbag. Gets crowded though if you've only got one. This was a little trip last weekend to let my daughter catch some mangrove snappers with her Barbie pole. Who says poling skiffs aren't good family boats?

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