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Bow gate seat & corner cooler

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chrislca

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We optioned both on our 22 LSB, but it turns out you can't easily open the cooler when the bow gate seat is in place. Is this expected? An adult can manage with brute force, but each time my 4 year old tries to grab a water, he risks losing his arm/head given the tension between the two cushions.

Given the design/thought put into everything else, this seems out of place. Is this how it works or should the cooler have been hinged on the front?
 
chrislca said:
We optioned both on our 22 LSB, but it turns out you can't easily open the cooler when the bow gate seat is in place. Is this expected? An adult can manage with brute force, but each time my 4 year old tries to grab a water, he risks losing his arm/head given the tension between the two cushions.

Given the design/thought put into everything else, this seems out of place. Is this how it works or should the cooler have been hinged on the front?
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Those front seats aren't really designed to have a bow gate seat in them (and to operate freely) - and I wouldn't allow anyone to "force" the seats open as it'll prematurely wear (and could outright break) the hinges and upholstery.

Agreed that it's not a great design when you're using bow-gate seats... but that's how it's designed.

For what it's worth, I never use the cooler up front either - it's much easier to just bring a cooler with and leave it in an out-of-the-way spot.
 
It wasn't an option on my boat, but I never understood the built-in cooler. I pack my cooler at home; I don't bring items to the boat in a box of some sort (maybe a cooler?) to transfer to another cooler on the boat and then reverse the process when our day of boating is over. I also like to keep the weight from drinks and ice in the stern, not the bow. Side note, I only use coolers with wheels. My slip is waaaay at the end of the dock and I don't want to rely on the little courtesy wagons at the marina.
 
Agree with authorized user. Gimmicky and cool technology but not carrying cooler or container with ice down to transfer to cooler

I have a soft cooler that just holds a 6 pack including 2 freez pak can holders stacked on top of each other. Wife has same for her beverage choice. Beer stays ice cold through the last can. Lightweight and easy to carry
 
Totally understand the cooler doesn't make sense for everyone, and we might just give up on it as well. I've been leaving it mostly full of cans (boat is docked at our house), and then just bring down a bag of ice when we push off.

I was thinking back to the online build/price tool where Bennington is pretty good about preventing you from optioning things that don't work together. This one seems like a miss.
 
I'm in the same boat, at least when I keep my bow gate seat in the bow. Like other's have stated, the built-in cooler really seems to be more work than it's worth so we just use it for storage.

Bow gate seat tip: My seat sits flat on the floor and last year I discovered mold/mildew under it when I moved it. As such, I attached four rubber feet (approximately 3/8" high) to the bottom to allow air under the seat. No more mold/mildew issues.
 
Great idea
Michiman said:
I'm in the same boat, at least when I keep my bow gate seat in the bow. Like other's have stated, the built-in cooler really seems to be more work than it's worth so we just use it for storage.

Bow gate seat tip: My seat sits flat on the floor and last year I discovered mold/mildew under it when I moved it. As such, I attached four rubber feet (approximately 3/8" high) to the bottom to allow air under the seat. No more mold/mildew issues.
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Great idea. We just ordered these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L52R1X2 to prevent it from sliding around, hopefully the 1/8" clearance is enough for moisture to escape.
 
chrislca said:
Great idea

Great idea. We just ordered these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L52R1X2 to prevent it from sliding around, hopefully the 1/8" clearance is enough for moisture to escape.
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I bought my rubber feet at Home Depot. While it doesn't slide around, it still can tip if someone is sitting on the edge but that is no different than without the feet.
 
I like the bow gate seat a lot though when I'm underway I tend to move it to it's side position in front of the port side door. I like to have door access to the bow for anchoring and boat handling without having to climb over furniture, and I keep my anchor and line under the port bow corner seat (opposite the cooler).

So many ways to use these things and lots of flexibility makes it all good. And yes, many coolers that I don't use. :cool:
 
Chris Z said:
I like the bow gate seat a lot though when I'm underway I tend to move it to it's side position in front of the port side door. I like to have door access to the bow for anchoring and boat handling without having to climb over furniture, and I keep my anchor and line under the port bow corner seat (opposite the cooler).

So many ways to use these things and lots of flexibility makes it all good. And yes, many coolers that I don't use. :cool:
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My bow gate also sits in front of the port side door and never moves......don't have a cooler which is good because I would never use it.
 
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