Rear Seats on 3257

S

SnakeBite

Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
RO Number
33128
Messages
94
Hey, All - The 3257 I bought last summer has no rear seats. The previous owner said he never used them and prefered to have folding chairs back there. I put a rug down for the rest of the summer and tried that, too. After seeing posts and pictures of other Carvers, though, I'm thinking that I'm really missing something. The previous owner did leave me withh the aluminum brackets that serve as the supports for the seats. I suppose it would be easy enough to build some seats and some cushons made. I'm not sure how to handle back-rests or if I will really need them. Do others out there use seats or is it somewhat common just to use chairs? Any ideas?

Thanks!

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I would prefer the full width bench seat than chairs. We used chairs on our 27 Montego until we decided to put the bench back in...love it!
 
Hi Doug.
It's really interesting to me, to hear the progression that owners of these Montego's seem to go thru. (canvas configuration, exterior striping and colours, cockpit seating, etc)
We are entering our third year with our boat.

In year 1, we left the rear seats in, as we acquired it from the previous owner. I found it frustrating and inconvenient getting out to the swim platform...which we use alot. I really didn't like walking/stepping onto or over the middle seat. I was seriously considering having a transom door cut, but couldn't really decide on a new cockpit seating arrangement that I liked. I wanted a wrap-around set-up, but didn't want to block the mid-cabin window, or lose the wet-bar cabinet storage access. Cost and timing was also a factor. At the end of the season I took the entire cockpit floor out to upgrade the genny, and do some other servicing in the engine room. This req'd removing all the seating and steps to the side decks. I also removed the hinges on the two centre hatches, and use them now as liftout hatches only. Much easier, IMO.

For year 2, we left the seats out initially, then decided to reinstall one bench section on the starboard side. We have removed the backrests completely as well. They were attached using only a single track in each section...the cushions slid into the tracks using the piping that was sewn into the top of the cushion...they simply hung there, if I recall... The one remaining bench seat comes in handy when loading and unloading things on and off the boat, and when someone wants a different view out at anchor, or someone drops in. Without backrests, Kathy just uses a pillow and sits sideways, if she was reading or something...
We used up to 4 folding chairs back there this past season...2 folding Coleman chairs, and 2 zero-gravity recliner types. It worked well, is a little tight with 4 four people, but more comfortable than the bench, and more flexible. And I really like the increased sense of access to the swim platform.
We have a full cockpit carpet on the floor...in fact, I've cut it into 3 edge-bound sections to facilitate access to the hatches.
 
Ours is not a Montego but we do have the U-shaped bench seat in the cockpit. Personally, I think I would prefer to have a nothing in the cockpit and be able to have folding chairs and a table. However, I know my wife prefers the wrap around bench. If you have the option to try it both ways I would do that and see what works best for who ever gets to make the decisions on decor. LOL. We will continue to have a wrap around bench.
 
When we got our 88' 3257 it still had the factory bench seat with backrests at the stern. I hated the thing because we anchored out all the time and you had to climb over the center of it to get to the swim platform. Eventually, the seat started slipping and falling when you climbed over it so I bolted an aluminum angle support to the transom to hold the seat in place which seemed to work OK but I still hated to climb over it. When we sold the boat the new owner completely removed the benchseat; man, what a difference and, IMO, a huge improvement.
 
Wow...great input, guys. Where we dock, we step straight to the swim platform from the dock and step up over the cut-away to access the boat. If I put the bench in, I would probably just put one starboard and port and not put anything in the center. It would be really nice to cut a transom door, as was suggested...but, baby steps right now! I think I can live without the back-rests if I put in some benches. Still up in the air right now. The open cockpit area does allow flexibility and the chairs stack nicely out of the way. The three-section carpet sounds good...the wife bought the rug that is there now. ;)
 
Can't wait to see if you have a 'Gee, How can I make this forward cabin bed bigger?' moment! lol.
That's item NEXT on MY list!

I'll try to find some pics of our current seating set-up, not sure that I have any.

Good luck whichever way you go.
 
On my Montego, I had the full bench seat. Here are my thoughts based upon my use:

Pro:
*Loved sleeping there
*No chairs to move around
*lots of room for guests
*the dogs loved sitting there to guard the boat
*lots of milk crate storage below the seats

Con's:
*encouraged guests to sit back there while under way, and being an ass heavy boat, that's not good
*troublesome swim platform access
*broke the seat due to stepping on it in the middle
*troublesome and bulky when accessing the engine room
*one more area to collect dirt and spiders (and dog hair)

If I were to have this boat again, I would choose one of these:

1: Bench seat on each side that could be easily removed for cleaning, same as factory just no center section. Use a padded cooler in the middle that could be easily moved.

2: (my preference) have a folding chair in each corner and a nice yeti type cooler for the center. This would make the boat MUCH better for fishing, the chairs can go on the deck when not in use, and cleaning would be much easier. Plus, you could take the assets with you when you sell/trade the boat. My theory with my montego should have been to put money into removable items on that vintage/price point of a boat.

As far as the carpet, my boat came with the black hexagon backed carpet that was shot. It was one piece with a cutout for the er hatches. I replaced this with a 3 piece design that was MUCH more attractive and functional, not to mention easier to clean. My templates are on file and I paid less that $700 for the whole shebang including carpet for the transom step, side steps, helm area, companion area, and 5 rugs. It was aqua back carpet and he did a great job. Just can't be picky on the colors.

One word of caution, be careful how much money you put into improvements if you only plan to keep a few years. I sunk a bunch of money into mine that I should have put in the bank and just lived with the boat as it was. Learned my lesson, the boat treated me well, glad she was part of my life for a few years.

Keep asking away, I am confident she will be a great pleasure for you!

Jim
 
quote:
Originally posted by ChefJunk

One word of caution, be careful how much money you put into improvements if you only plan to keep a few years. I sunk a bunch of money into mine that I should have put in the bank and just lived with the boat as it was. Learned my lesson, the boat treated me well, glad she was part of my life for a few years.

Jim

Click to expand...


I couldn't agree with Jim's words more. Easy to spend more money than you sensibly should...I wouldn't have thought so in year one with our Montego, but three years in, and I'm looking towards a newer, larger boat, and feeling like we've spent more on this one than I should have...
 
Scott/Jim...I think I know what you mean. From a humble purchase ($16k) with everyting running, just needing a lot of cosmet work. Engines run fine, air is cold, shower is hot, and generator runs just fine, and no tears in appolstry. BUT - My wish list (not necessarily wife approved)= Canvas, carpet (outside), sound system replacement, bottom painting, minor repair on props, engines tune-up w/oil change, rear seats, fiberglass wet-sanding, compounding, polishing, and waxing, striping/decal removal and replacement, new doc lines, fender racks, additional lighting, teak refinishing, dash covering, front of passenger covering, etc... :) This stuff can add up quickly! I think I'm going to have to make a list and prioritize.
 
Looks like you're making that $16k boat into a $32k boat! That's a lot to do, and I am sure every project you complete will make your wife love her even more and encourage more projects! Makes my old Montego at $27,500 a steal! Should have held on a bit longer and tried to sell her outright! Get it Kenny!

Jim
 
She has a touch of evil...say's the boat is just fine the way it is! We know better, though;) Can you beleive she vetoed by plans for a brass pole? I'll stick with the this formum for advise!
 
Doug,
If you choose to add the seats as I did for our's when we owned it, the seats do not run straight across. They have a taper to them. Take a look at my pictures to see. Origionally the boat had them removed which was fine as we were having children at the time. This gave our kids additional room to play. After they were 7 and 5 I decided I wanted them back in so I made them to fit and look like the origionals. I figured out their dimensions based on pictures and lines that were on the boat. We definately loved them after they were in. They were a great to lounge on and it made the boat look larger / wider. When removed it looks like something was missing when they manufactued the boat.

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We had a tough time deciding what to do with the back bench seat on our 3257. We liked the room the bench seat offers for cruising and rafting out however we did not like having to step on the cushion to get in and out. We decided to keep the bench and modified the center section by removing a piece of the seat cushion the same size as the transom opening and covered the area with carpet. It makes stepping onto a more solid area easier to get on and off the boat. We also had a cushion made to cover the carpeted area if we ever needed the extra seating space.

Good To Go
 
Hey, Guys- I thought I would update this old thread. I decided (for speed and thrift) to try putting benches on the stock frames for both starboard and port, leaving the center section open. I used 3/4 PT with SS posts and flanges, carpeted, and put out door cushions (temporary) to see how it would work. So far (a little ugly) but we really like the arrangement. I used the same carpet for the bridge area and the front dash area, as well. Thanks for your suggestions...they made a difference in how I approached the project. I'll probably have real seats done for it as well as the rear coming bolsters for next year.





 
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