best boat seat for captain

5 Best Boat Seats For Captains – You Deserve The Comfort!

This page contains affiliate links. This means that we may get a small commission for recommending products, if you choose to click on something and buy it. This does not cost you anything, but we wanted to be honest and let you know!

(Last Updated On: February 15, 2023)

Updating your captain’s boat chair to a more comfortable and modern seat can improve your experience on the boat greatly.

Simple features from seat storage, armrests and extra padding on the chair can go along way.

The best captain boat chair is the Wise Baja Series Bucket Seat which uses high-quality marine graded vinyl that is resistant to mildew and UV treated.

A rough-looking boat chair can look terrible and ruin the overall look and feel of a boat.

Upgrading to the latest boat seats available will ultimately add value to your boat and provide additional functionality such as 360-degree rotation and more.

READ ALSO  Best Winter Boat Covers

Table of Contents

Best Boat Chairs

Boat ChairsPreviewOur Rating
Wise Baja Series4.9
Leader Accessories New Low Back4.9
Tempress NaviStyle4.8
Moeller Heavy Duty4.8
Wise DeluxeWise Deluxe High Back Captain Chair4.7

Unlike other marine products that you will only use a few times on the boat, the captain’s chair is something that is used all the time. Finding a suitable chair that maximizes comfort and provides useful features is critical.

The performance of the seat is fairly important as not only must it withstand heavy impacts from the waves but also saltwater and UV rays from the sun.

The majority of high-end examples provide excellent resistance and sturdy mounting platforms for longevity.

Factors such as type, design, size, material, compatibility, ability to fold and more should be considering prior to purchasing.

Below is a list of the best boat seats for captains that offer a range of useful features and optimum comfort.

#1 Wise Baja Series Bucket Seat

Wise Baja Series features rotational molded plastic frame, UV, high compression foam padding, and mildew treated grade marine vinyl.

The flip-up Bolster is to lean against or sit up higher while docking or cruising to heighten visibility.

This boat seat for captains is double topstitched heavy-duty construction. There is a separate black plastic rectangular mounting plate with 4 metal inserts one in each corner for the seat slider to bolt into.

The mount is good for any standard BIA pedestal or seat mount.

Check it Out

#2 Leader Accessories New Low Back Folding Boat Seat


This is another Leader Accessories chair that is suited towards maximum comfort as it is designed to fit your body’s contour completely.

The seats are coated in heavy-duty marine-grade vinyl along with the molded plastic frame for durability.

The dimensions for this captain’s boat chair are 19 inches tall, 16 inches wide and 14 inches in depth.

It comes in various colors that look modern and can match different boat colors and preferences.

The chair itself will simply mount onto the standard 5″x 5″ mounting bolt pattern.

Overall, it is one of the most comfortable boat chairs that any captain will enjoy sitting on for long periods of time.

Leader Accessories are market leaders and everything they produce is known for being high quality.

Check it Out

#3 Tempress NaviStyle High Back Seat

the best folding boat seats


The Tempress NaviStyle High Back is a stain-resistant marine graded vinyl chair that uses a high plastic frame that folds for additional space on the boat.

With additional lumbar support and padding, this captain boat chair is very comfortable to sit on for long journeys.

The folding functionality is very desirable and features an automatic locking feature to keep it locked, which is very useful when trailering.

There is also a “no-pinch” stainless steel hinge with an integral lock so that it remains in position.

The Tempress NaviStyle is available in 9 different styles and it is one of the best folding boat seats with the added benefit of being reasonably priced.

Check it Out

#4 Moeller Heavy Duty Boat Seat

boat seat that has heavy-duty qualities and excellent craftsmanship.


The Moeller Marine alternative is on the slightly expensive side of things but offers heavy-duty qualities and excellent craftsmanship.

The seat is only available in all white but this is the most popular color that suits the majority of boats.

The dimensions of the Moeller Marine are 13.5 inches in height, 17.5 inches wide and 18.5 inches long.

If you are a “big” adult, the seat may be slightly too small for long periods of time due to the smaller width than the others.

It is a popular boat chair that is loved by many captains worldwide. The design will always remain modern regardless of the boat and the marine graded vinyl will withstand years of punishment.

Check it Out

#5 Wise Deluxe High-Back Seat

This Wise captain chair will offer support and comfort. The backrest and the seat has high-compression foam padding that will keep you comfortable throughout the entire boat ride.

The seat is an injection molded plastic frame that is made to be durable.

The Wise captain chair uses marine grade vinyl for the cover on the seat. The marine-grade vinyl will repel moisture and resist mildew.

The addition of UV to the treated surface of the vinyl will keep it suple and not prone to the sun’s damage.

No-pinch aluminum hinges save your fingers when you raise or lower the seat back. It has a dual hard stop that can minimize flex and improve stability. This helps to prevent the seat from rocking, even on rough waters. 

The maximum weight capacity of the Wise captain seat is 200 pounds.   

Check it Out

What to Look for in a Boat Seat. Boat Seat Buying Guide

For the boat captain and passengers, the chair is something that is used all the time on the boat.

Finding a seat combines performance, comfort and durability can be tricky but the recommended boat chairs above all offer these three traits.

Many boat owners will put off replacing their boat seats as they believe it will be expensive to upgrade.

However, the majority of these people are only checking the dealerships and don’t realize you can find cheaper alternatives elsewhere.

Before replacing your boat seats, it’s important that you consider the factors that could be the difference between an average and a good boat seat.

captain seat on boat

How to Install a Boat Chair

All boat chairs that you buy from new should come with the mounting hardware required to secure it in place on the boat.

Along with this hardware should be screws and the other bits but keep an eye out for the material.

As the majority of boats will be used on salt water, it’s important that they are resistant to corrosion.

For example, stainless steel hardware is mostly used as per the example above.

For a direct replacement to your old boat seat, check the mounting bolt patterns are a standard size.

This will ensure installation is very simple and is just a bolt-on job without any hassle.

Comfort

Boat Chair

Comfortable boat chairs are big business and ensuring maximum comfort for long journeys is highly desirable.

Ensuring that there is adequate padding on the seat that will adsorb the impact hits for the waves will go along way.

The design of the seat plays a big part because if it is a sporty bucket boat seat, it won’t be as comfortable as a pontoon wide-bodied seat with armrest.

However, the flip side is that at high speeds, the bucket seat will hold onto you as you fly off the waves.

boat seat

Other Features of Boat Seats

As mentioned in the comfort section, armrests are a great addition along with lumbar support for additional comfort for those long trips on the ocean.

The list of features can carry on from folding boat seats for fishermen to have more room to 360-degree rotation.

Assessing your needs and requirements of the boat seat is vital before purchasing just from sight alone.

There is a dedicated boat style for each type of boat and the above example is a mixture of the top-rated captain boat chairs available.

Conclusion

Upgrading your boat chair can make a huge difference to your experience on the water.

Long journeys will become much more comfortable with spongy padding and other features.

The Leader Accessories examples rated first and second in this review are the best boat chairs for captains and will not leave you disappointed.

We also highly recommend purchasing a suitable boat seat cleaner that will help you safely remove dirt. You should also avoid using a bleach-based cleaner as this can interfere with the stitching, which can then deteriorate over time.

What Are Your Thoughts?

  1. HI, I AM LOOKING TO PURCHASE 2 NEW BOAT SEAT WITH ARMREST FOR MY 18 FT LEGEND EXTREME . WHAT WOULD YOUR CHOICE BE FOR MY BOAT Thanks David

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *