Bow Seating

In the past center console boats were aimed mostly at fishermen and bow seating was very limited or nonexistent. Recently boat builders (and some fishermen)have started to realise that most fishermen spend the majority of their boat time entertaining family and friends and comfort is important. Here are a few things to look out for:

COMFORT: When buying a boat one is often impressed by the number of seats the boat has. The trick here is to count the number of comfortable seats and ensure that your core boat users will be comfortable. Another factor to consider is placement of seating. If you are spending the day on the boat it is preferable to have one comfortable social area where everyone can sit together, as opposed to a split arrangement which invariably leaves half the party feeling left out.

SAFETY: If you are going to have people and especially small kids sitting in the front of the boat you want to have nice deep seats. When your boat hits a wave or large wake(these can pop up out of nowhere) at speed, passengers in the bow tend to get bounced around and the potential to get thrown overboard and come into contact with the prop is very real. The same goes for a sudden change of direction that can happen unexpectedly- in this case you want a backrest that is higher than the passenger's center of mass.

PRACTICALITY: Seats should be easy to clean and have the ability to drain . Water will always find its way into the seat foam(often through the stitching) and then you need a few drain holes to avoid ending up with waterlogged seats. This is also why it is preferable to have composite seat bases- most upholstery is made with plywood backing boards.

FOAM QUALITY: High density foam is more expensive but in the long run it is more comfortable and keeps your seats looking crisp.

DIMENSIONS:

To be comfortable and safe, seats need to be 450- 500mm high. 450-500 mm deap and have a backrest of around 450mm high, slanted back between 95 and 105 degrees.

When seats get to these dimensions they have the added benefit of doubling up as multi-level casting decks- where you can stand on the seats out at sea and still have somewhere to brace your knees.

TYPE OF BACKREST on forward facing lounger:

You have 4 options here:

No backrest - I mention this option because very often it is preferable to having a back rest that doesn't work, is uncomfortable or flimsy. Everything is a trade off on a boat, so when a feature is added you want to ensure that it is worth having.

Removeable or fold up or fold out back rests. I lump these together as they generally end up with the same result. You get a small backrest, with not enough height or lean back angle. They tend to flex and later break, so have a good look at how robust they are. What is sufficient for cruising on a calm lagoon is not always something you want to be leaning against out at sea. Note also the low backrests, typical of a bay boat

The fixed backrest. These are by far the most comfortable and are definitely worth having. They give the appearance of taking up space and tend to offend the hardcore fisherman, but in actual fact they create usable fishing space, particularly if you are jigging or spinning up in the bow, they provide a nice area to wedge yourself against. Additionally they provide a lot of options for features such as dual forward live-wells, wine cooler, sink/prep bowl, gas hob, lockable rod storage, rubbish bin to name a few. Having a solid area to hold onto when moving from the console up to the bow of the boat while out at sea is also very reassuring. Higher backrests on a hybrid center console

For boats under 25 feet these seat dimensions are somewhat difficult to achieve in the bow area. Some quick maths will tell you that you will require around 1 meter of freeboard to achieve this on a boat with a wet deck. Bay boats generally have a lot less freeboard than this, as a result their bow seating tends to be uncomfortable and somewhat of a let down, sufficient if you are using the boat as a runabout, but not for a day on the water.

This has lead to an increase in popularity of the offshore/bay boat hybrid center consoles. Here you have a moderate V-hull with a shallow draft combined with a high freeboard which allows for comfortable and spacious seating.

These hybrid boats offer stylish comfort combined with the versatility of a fishing boat that can be used in the shallows, offshore or for water sports and entertaining. On the downside you sacrifice a bit on ride quality that a deep V offers - but ultimately you need to be a pretty hardcore fisherman to go out in weather that demands a deep V designed specifically for heavy offshore conditions.