Taylor Made Platinum Series Fold Down Pontoon Fishing Seat, Beige

This is the Taylor Made 650176, a fold-down fishing seat that's right at home on a pontoon. It comes in beige and it's part of Taylor Made's Platinum Series, which means the upholstery matches the rest of that line. So if you're replacing a worn seat or adding a fishing station, it'll blend in with the furniture you already have on the deck instead of standing out as an obvious patch job.

The fold-down part is the whole point. Aluminum hinges let the backrest drop flat, so you can tuck the seat down out of the way when you're moving around the deck or getting at the storage underneath. Pop it back up and you've got a comfortable spot to work a line. It's a non-adjustable, non-foldable base, which is a good thing here. The seat sits solid and doesn't shift under you when you stand up to fight a fish or step off onto the dock. There's nothing to rattle loose, nothing to slide around when you're running across the lake.

Taylor Made builds these to live outside. The cover is marine-grade vinyl, the kind that takes sun and spray and wipes clean. Underneath it's mildew-resistant polyurethane foam, so it holds its shape and doesn't turn into a sponge sitting in damp dock air. The seams are stitched with polyester UV-resistant thread, and everything's held together with stainless steel staples and stainless mounting fasteners. That stainless matters. On the water, plain steel rusts out and stains your deck. Stainless keeps its head down season after season, and it's a big part of why a seat like this outlasts the cheap ones.

Size-wise it measures 17.5 inches long by 18 inches wide by 23 inches tall. That 23-inch height is worth a thought before you buy. On a pontoon with tall rails it's perfect, and you sit up where you can see the water and cast clean. On a low-sided boat you'll be sitting up a little higher than you might expect, so picture where it lands relative to your gunwale before you commit. There's no headrest on this one, which keeps your sightlines open across the deck and the profile low.

Mounting is straightforward, but measure first. The seat mounts to a standard pedestal, and the stainless fasteners you need come in the box. Every boat's a little different, though, so check your existing pedestal or bolt pattern against the base before you drill anything. If your holes don't line up cleanly, you may need to open a new pattern. On a soft aluminum or thin fiberglass deck it's smart to back the fasteners with fender washers so they don't pull through under a heavy angler. Ten minutes of measuring up front saves you a headache later.

Who's this for? Pontoon owners, mostly. Anybody who wants a clean, comfortable fold-down seat that matches their Platinum Series setup and can take a beating from the sun. It's a fishing seat, so it's built to be sat in hard, folded down, splashed on, and left out through the season. Beige is a sharp look on a pontoon, but keep in mind a light color shows fish blood and sunscreen faster than a darker one. A quick wipe-down with mild soap and water after a day out keeps it looking right, and it's a lot easier to stay on top of than to catch up on.

We're an authorized Taylor Made dealer, so this comes with the full manufacturer warranty behind it. If you're not sure it's the right fit for your boat, give us a shout before you order and we'll walk through the measurements with you. We'd rather get you the right seat the first time than have you send one back.