drying out seats...

[MJO21]

I have the bad run of vinyl from 2013. For the most part the seats still look pretty decent. My biggest concern here is that they hold water. Between kids getting in and out from skiing or just swimming the seats absorb a lot of water.

I can walk across the seats and see water push up into the seams, I open the rear hatches to drain the water out of them, it will drain and then drip out through the night and into the morning.

Any advice or is this normal? I am most worried about the foam rotting away or developing mold and mildew.

[JohnnieMo]

I'm not sure if it's normal but my 2013 does it too. I also open my hatches and prop up the loose cushions after every trip and then run a fan above the boat. Some seats NEVER get dry, but it makes a difference. I find the two rear corners are the worst. They can sit 6 months and still spit when you walk on them. With that being said, those cushions don't seem to wear any faster than anything else and there is no sign of mold.

I don't think replacing the seats will help. The water gets in through the stitching, and it can only get out the same way.

[UNSTUCK]

I'm not sure if it's normal but my 2013 does it too. I also open my hatches and prop up the loose cushions after every trip and then run a fan above the boat. Some seats NEVER get dry, but it makes a difference. I find the two rear corners are the worst. They can sit 6 months and still spit when you walk on them. With that being said, those cushions don't seem to wear any faster than anything else and there is no sign of mold.

I don't think replacing the seats will help. The water gets in through the stitching, and it can only get out the same way.

Fast forward 4 years...My RZX has the exact same problem with the two corner seats. They are always spitting out water at the stitching. Doesn't matter how long they have been drying out. I don't have this problem with any other seat in the boat. Just those two corners. Wonder why? We don't step on them nearly as much as the center back seat.

[bsreid]

Yup our r20 was like that and so is our rzx. Thankfully it’s never in the rain so it’s not a problem but when it is it never drys.

On the r20 they were a removable step and I actually brought them inside and put them in the closet for the winter so they would actually dry.

[BurnMac42]

Fast forward 4 years...My RZX has the exact same problem with the two corner seats. They are always spitting out water at the stitching. Doesn't matter how long they have been drying out. I don't have this problem with any other seat in the boat. Just those two corners. Wonder why? We don't step on them nearly as much as the center back seat.

My R21 is the same way. My starboard rear corner seat will spit out water at the seams for weeks after being out of the water...I put fans on it and everything and it doesn't matter...I'm concerned about the longevity of the seat due to this...

[freeheel4life]

On our demo/shop boats we always just pull the nuts and fender washer off the the studs(7/16 deep socket). Then you can pull the cushions out and tilt them up. Once tilted a lot of the water will start to drain out of the cushions. Then just put them back in. Be careful on moving them in and out of the boat as the studs can poke holes in vinyl and scratch gel coat so be sure to set them down studs skyward in the boat.
When back in place the positioning of the other cushions in the boat will keep them in place and the nuts really arent needed, BUT if you are a particular guy, ditch the nylock and get a split lock washer and regular ol nut and use a little anti seize. If the stainless stud and nut get stuck you will be and unhappy camper. Sometimes some encouragement is needed when putting them back in to get the studs to line back up with their corresponding holes in the deck(compressing the foam a bit to get everything lined up)

[BCRider]

One of the first things I did when I got my VE a couple years back was remove the wing nuts and cut the threaded posts on the rear bench so they couldn't puncture my ballast bags. I also want to be able to remove the rear seat and engine hatch in case I need to get to any of my ball valves in a hurry. I too also lift all the seats after every outting. Those corner cushions definitely collect a lot of water over the season and I always hang mine from the tower racks. In the winter I bring them inside so they can thoroughly dry out.

Another thing I do is also keep a spare towel folded on top of the corner seat by the step to help keep the water off the cushion.

[UNSTUCK]

What different about those corner seats that makes them hold water? Do we need to remove them and put some holes in the bottom sides so they can drain out?

[bsreid]

My r20 actually had a 1 inch wide circle of the little holes spread out. I don’t understand how they can be so different? Maybe because it’s so small they used a different foam?

[JohnnieMo]

My left rear seat comes out but my right rear does not. So I flip up the left all the time. It makes no difference to water retention. They both still suck.

My bow seats also tend to do the same thing.

[talltigeguy]

It sounds more like the corner seats are made out of sponge instead of closed cell foam. This seems like a design flaw. If you ever need to reupholster, I would swap out the foam as well.