Vinyl seats opinion/thoughts

[UpstateNY585]

I was considering the BD or BL, but I am greatly concerned, like VERY concerned, about the durability of the seats. I have owned several boats, and the seats just do not hold up well at all, and that is with very light seasonal use. They crack and tear at the seams, and edging is easily scuffed up. Also, most boat seating is a very light shade, because vinyl in the sun is hot as hell.
I work in a dental practice, and all of our chairs have commercial grade vinyl, and with the use the chairs get, they hold up, sort of. It does not take a lot to puncture one. Someone who sits in a dental chair with a pen in their back pocket can quite easily puncture the material.
Even commercial grade vinyl is not as durable as leather.
Is anyone else terrified of shelling out big $ only to have the vinyl seats fail, and also be HOT AS HELL???

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[Gamecock]

No, I think they’ll be good, and I’m glad they chose it. Good quality marine grade vinyl should be the most durable thing you can put on seats that will see weather.

 

[BotBronc1977]

I'm right there with you. I have spent alot of time in boats and the material does crack overtime. I'm not an expert on materials and perhaps that is related to their constant exposure to the elements but I also had this fear. On the flip side they look great, those that have seen and sat in them say they feel amazing, and I appreciate the mold and mildew resistance. I think I am going to take a chance if the trim level I select has the option.

 

[Stitches1974]

I was considering the BD or BL, but I am greatly concerned, like VERY concerned, about the durability of the seats. I have owned several boats, and the seats just do not hold up well at all, and that is with very light seasonal use. They crack and tear at the seams, and edging is easily scuffed up. Also, most boat seating is a very light shade, because vinyl in the sun is hot as hell.
I work in a dental practice, and all of our chairs have commercial grade vinyl, and with the use the chairs get, they hold up, sort of. It does not take a lot to puncture one. Someone who sits in a dental chair with a pen in their back pocket can quite easily puncture the material.
Even commercial grade vinyl is not as durable as leather.
Is anyone else terrified of shelling out big $ only to have the vinyl seats fail, and also be HOT AS HELL???

Huh? Leather cracks in heat and requires maintenance to keep up. Newer marine vinyl is great and easy to maintain. I've not had the heat issue you're talking about either.

The people that have actually seen and touched it, say it's a no brainer to get over leather.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...leather-seats-in-2021-bronco-comparison.6508/

 

[Rayder]

I've had Audi's, BMW's and a Toyota (soflex) with vinyl seats, and they all held up much, much better than any leather I've had. The vinyl in my Audi looked brand new when I sold it at 20 years young. Some of the people who looked at it thought I had them re-done. I have no doubt these will hold up better than the leather option.

 

[Blksn955.o]

Also keep in mind that even leather seats use a majority of vinyl as for the most part the only thing leather tends to be the part your rear and back touch. The sides and backs are vinyl and sometimes the side bolsters are vinyl too.


Everything degrades leather will loose some oof its color, dry/get hard and crack if not taken care of. Plus...if one of the seat re cover companies comes out with a heritage with the plad insert...gold.

 

[JesseS]

Must have been a low end boat , my boat was 10 years old when I sold it, and I used it on Monterey Bay and docked at the marina. The seats and cushions were like new when sold. Granted it was a $100K boat but the seats in the Bronco should be fine, I have no worries.

 

[BroncoFanBoy]

My plan is cloth. If they look worn in 5 years, I’ll spend the 2k to change out with katzkin leather and get it how I want

 

[UpstateNY585]

Great! Thanks for this. I owned an Audi and totally forgot the seats were vinyl in that, and they did hold up very well, dog and all. I feel much better about this now!

 

[CHMAZ]

I have a issue with such dark materials on the upper trims. I live in Arizona and there is no way I'd go topless rock crawling mid-june with a black interior.

 

[vrasmussen]

So the videos show the seats looking grey but the interior video sample was solid black. Are the seats going to be black or grey like the demos we have been seeing? Also, is the vinyl heated with the mid package? The B&P when you compare the leather to vinyl seats only show the leather will be heated.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

So the videos show the seats looking grey but the interior video sample was solid black. Are the seats going to be black or grey like the demos we have been seeing? Also, is the vinyl heated with the mid package? The B&P when you compare the leather to vinyl seats only show the leather will be heated.

The black is the BL with orange accents. The BD is a lighter Gray combo seen in the interiors video with light blue stitching.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

So the videos show the seats looking grey but the interior video sample was solid black. Are the seats going to be black or grey like the demos we have been seeing? Also, is the vinyl heated with the mid package? The B&P when you compare the leather to vinyl seats only show the leather will be heated.

Shows heated under BD?

 

[Hkak45]

Must have been a low end boat , my boat was 10 years old when I sold it, and I used it on Monterey Bay and docked at the marina. The seats and cushions were like new when sold. Granted it was a $100K boat but the seats in the Bronco should be fine, I have no worries.

I have a crappy 1993 fishing boat and my seats are original and look like brand new too. The bronco seats will be great I think and it will be nice to not have to worry about the seats getting soaked to the pad if you get stuck in a quick rain storm. Cloth on the other hand.... lol

 

[jsharpe]

I have a issue with such dark materials on the upper trims. I live in Arizona and there is no way I'd go topless rock crawling mid-june with a black interior.

Yeah, I would have preferred a lighter option in the BL as well. Brings back memories of a targa top I had on my first car. Used to keep a couple towels behind the seat to save my skin on sunny days.

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