I’m looking for a pad or something to help absorb some of the impact of running rough water. My beautiful fishing partner/wife has some back problems and jumping waves causes pain in her back and subsequently pain in my ass. I try to keep that in mind when I’m driving the boat but anything else that might help would be great. I was thinking of trying a thick piece of memory foam. I’d even be interested in replacing the seat if there’s a really good aftermarket solution. Thanks.
Vexus is the first company I've seen that's incorporated shock absorbing seats into a bass boat, but it's really common in multi-species boats. "Smooth Moves" is a brand I'm familiar with, but I think they're only made for pedestal seats.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
stadium seat pad
Your memory foam idea is some thinking although probably not going to react fast enough to the forces involved. What I'm thinking would be (?) most effective is an air-ride system. Gonna be pricey though.
Otherwise, I'm thinking - slow down. That' what I do....not driving a jet ski.
I have a couple smooth moves seats in my boat, and they are absolutely fantastic. That said , it’s a deep-v with pedestal seats. If it’s a bassboat I’m not sure what your options are other than slow down.
Triton Tr17, Yamaha 130
Lund Pro V 1900, Optimax 200
Smokercraft Pro Mag 182, Suzuki DF140
Helix 9si, 10si mega
Minnkota Talon, Terrova
Anyone here purchased the Dowco Cruisair seats? Curious on your opinion and the average cost?
Got 2 on order for 1400, will let you know in 6 weeks.Originally Posted by avid fisherman
A lot cheaper than back surgery.....
99' 201 Pro Elite
08' Evinrude 225 HO
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I got this for the wife, she has had two back surgeries and this works better than nothing. Actually we tried a salt water boating trick and it worked great ...I mean great. A bean bag chair , unfortunately there is no room left in a bass boat with the bean bag in there.
XPRESS H 18 SS, YAMAHA 115
I have a good friend I fish with often and a few tournaments. He’s had multiple back and neck surgerys ..... when we fish we just drive around slow. It’s free too.
BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
www.ncboatguy.com
4” upholstery foam. Seen a few boaters use it through the years.
Inexpensive and cut to size needed.
Ranger has Soft Ride Seats (SRS). I have them in my 2009 Ranger Z21 Intracoastal. The springs & SS suspension bands take the brunt out of rough ride.
The higher end Llebroc seats have a gel impact system, I think they call it AquaFlex. I put them in my 21XL and was amazed at how big of a difference it made in rough water. Probably the most comfortable boat seats I have ever sat in.
The best thing you can do is get the right prop and have the right guy rework it as well as slow down, a bravo might be in order
Thank You Leon Pugh
Do like I did after having a spinal fusion. Switched to a bay boat.
Peculiar thing, but what type, make and size boat do you have? Some are going to ride rougher than others, no matter what you may do with your seats, apart from slowing down, since the hull cannot handle it. I have a '02 Cobra 201DC with '03 Merc 225 with Trophy Plus small hub worked for extra rake, that handles rough water quite well, but when really bumpy, I need to slow down due to my full neck fusion and stenosis in my lower back. I had the best air ride in my personal tandem dump, but offroad at our pit would kill me just as bad as smacking the top in my bass rig.
Thanks for all the replies. My boat is pretty new as are the seats that came with it so I'm not looking to replace them now but I really like some of the suggestions you guys had (like the Lebroc gel and especially the Cruiseair seats that you can now get on Nitros.) I know that slowing down is the best way to mitigate impact. Also, tee totaling prevents drunkenness and abstinence prevents pregnancy.
I specifically didn't mention boat brand and model because the one I have is the one I'm going to have for the foreseeable future. It fits my needs for many reasons, this particular subject just doesn't happen to be one of them. I have a 2019 Xpress x19 with a prop worked by Mark. I know a 21 ft glass boat would be best for ride and I'm thinking I'll have one one day but I don't now. That said, the 19 foot xpress rides better than the 18.5 ft Sprint I came out of (and I liked the ride of that 286pro), but that's neither here nor there.
This thread was really just about clever things I can do right away (like foam and cushions and bean bags) as well as getting the lay of the land moving forward. Thanks for the big ticket ideas because one day I will be looking to get either new seats or a new boat. Thanks again guys.
I saw Rick Clunn, on the Bass Pros Tv show talk about a trick he used to help his bad back. I tried to find the video but was unsuccessful. Basically he talked about that he sat on a bumper, not for the shock absorption, but so he could change the angle he sat and was able to use his legs to absorb the shock. I actually have tried this a bit running rough water. When I knew that hard hit was coming I would lift my butt up a bit a try to use my legs and it does help.
I have some lower back issues. I've tried several different things and have found that this works best for me.https://purple.com/seatcushions Ikeep a pair in the pickup so I just throw them in the boat when I unload it
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