Replacing the Seats in my boat Question

I want to replace the wooden benches on my boat and I went to Menards and found a reasonable price on wooden boards. Specifically, their 1"x12" 10ft "Quality" boards. Will these be sturdy and good for my boat? Below are pictures of my boat with a close up on the benches I wish to replace.



and another angle



If the boards are suitable for the boat I plan to stain the bench wood with Ipswich Pine (interior) and then sealing them with Varathane Outdoor Urethane. Any and all feedback is very appreciated! Have a great weekend!

welcome aboard !!

If you could expand more on what part of the country
you hail from and how your boat is used and stored
could get you more accurate feedback.

sunlight UV rays really beats up any kind of finish.
varnish, urethanes, paint, epoxy, etc etc
so if you store your boat under cover 9 months out of the year,
most any type of wood and finish would last a few years.
Most of us really wish the wood treatments would last a lifetime,
but, that is not gonna happen.
So, we must deal with the elements - - - follow the basic exterior
finishing techniques and you will be fine (for a few years).
then, replace them again.
Personally, I would suggest a good A/C exterior grade of 3/4" plywood and
stain and preserve to your liking and it would last twice as long.
a half sheet would be enough for your seats and transom.

read, understand and follow all directions of the products you may use.

I'm with Johnny on exterior plywood over regular boards. Both my local Home Depot and Lowes stores will cut a piece of plywood for you. The first cut is free and each subsequent one is 50 cents or so. Round the edges and paint.

Having owned a couple of sailboats with "brightwork" ( varnished wood trim) I'd say forget the stain and varnish and go for some PAINT. UV rays will kill any finish. It will just take a bit longer on a painted finish. Some guys like stripping and re-varnishing their boat. I didn't. I was working at the time and wanted to spend my time fishing, or sailing, and not varnishing.

richg99

Several coats of Spar urethane or Spar varnish would be good to seal the wood benches and is UV resistant.

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

Several coats of Spar urethane or Spar varnish would be good to seal the wood benches and is UV resistant.

Click to expand...

Urethane and varnish that have the UV inhibitors added do much better than the ones that don't, but I agree with the comments above and none of them will out last a coat of good quality exterior paint based on my experiences. YMMV