New R27OB Captains "Bench"

[wabislander]

I am evaluating between the R25 and R27. We are going on a demo on the R27OB in the coming weeks. One of the things (from pictures only as our demo will be first face-to-face with the boat) I liked about the R25 was the captains chair.

I am not as initially excited about the flipping bench seat back from dinette to captains chair. Does not look it is comfortable seat for hours of piloting the boat? Would be interested to hear from anyone that has this configuration.

 

[scross]

Obviously our 12 year old R25 Classic does not have the exact same seats as the new R25OB. That said, I will comment on the differences of sitting in hours on end in a captains chair vs a flipping bench seat. A couple of years ago we replaced the foam, upholstery and hinges on our captains chair to better fit my 6’1” 240 pound frame. The result was a seat I am comfortable in for 5-6 hours straight. Not quite as comfortable as the drivers seat in my Tundra but pretty darn close.
I have also sat for many hours on the flipping bench seat on the port side while Vicki is at the helm. About an hour or two is all I can handle without a break. Vicki feels the same way. We replaced the foam and upholstery in the bench seat at the same time as in the captain’s chair.
If you expect to sit for long periods at the helm I would really recommend a dedicated captain’s chair over a bench seat.

 

[wabislander]

Obviously our 12 year old R25 Classic does not have the exact same seats as the new R25OB. That said, I will comment on the differences of sitting in hours on end in a captains chair vs a flipping bench seat. A couple of years ago we replaced the foam, upholstery and hinges on our captains chair to better fit my 6’1” 240 pound frame. The result was a seat I am comfortable in for 5-6 hours straight. Not quite as comfortable as the drivers seat in my Tundra but pretty darn close.
I have also sat for many hours on the flipping bench seat on the port side while Vicki is at the helm. About an hour or two is all I can handle without a break. Vicki feels the same way. We replaced the foam and upholstery in the bench seat at the same time as in the captain’s chair.
If you expect to sit for long periods at the helm I would really recommend a dedicated captain’s chair over a bench seat.

That is part of my concern. At least on your classic the bench has a full back. Not really desiring to have comfort issue on a brand new boat.