Taylor Made Platinum Series Pontoon Bench Armrest, Right, Charcoal

If you're rebuilding or upgrading a pontoon lounge, the Taylor Made Platinum Series armrest is the piece that makes the whole bench look finished. This is the right-hand arm section, the one that caps the starboard end of a Platinum Series bench. It comes in charcoal, wrapped in marine-grade vinyl, and it's got a molded cup holder built right into the top. Small detail, big difference on a hot afternoon on the water.

Taylor Made didn't cut corners on the build. The frame is rotationally-molded marine-grade polyethylene, so it won't rot, rust, or soak up water the way an old plywood-cored arm will. The cushion is mildew-resistant polyurethane foam under that vinyl, and every seam is stitched with UV-resistant polyester thread. The staples and mounting fasteners are stainless. That matters more than it sounds. Cheap fasteners are the first thing to bleed rust streaks down your deck, and once they let go the whole arm starts to wobble.

The arm measures 8.5 inches long, 25 inches wide, and 28 inches tall overall. That 28-inch height is the standard Platinum Series seat-back height, so it lines up cleanly with the matching bench and corner sections. The 8.5-inch footprint keeps it tight to the seat base without eating into your legroom. Before you order, measure your crossmembers and confirm the arm's mounting base lands on solid aluminum, not open span. On most 20 to 24 foot pontoons that's not an issue. On a narrower deck, dry-fit first.

One thing to get right: this is the right-hand arm. Taylor Made builds the left and right as mirror-image pieces, so the cup holder and the contour face the correct way when you're seated. Sit on the bench looking forward. The arm on your right is this one. Need the other end? That's the left-hand version, a separate part number. Order the wrong side and the cup holder ends up facing the outside of the boat, which nobody wants.

Install is straightforward for anyone comfortable with a drill and a socket set. The arm bolts down through its molded base into the seat frame or the pontoon crossmember below. We like stainless lag bolts sized to bite into solid aluminum rather than self-tappers, which tend to strip out of the polyethylene over time. Snug everything down evenly so the base sits flat. And run a bead of marine sealant where the base meets the deck if you're mounting over an open fastener hole. That keeps water from tracking down into the log.

On the water, an arm section earns its keep in ways you don't think about until it's gone. It's where you rest your elbow trolling slow across a flat. It's the grab point when someone steps up from the swim deck and the boat rocks. And that cup holder keeps your drink off the deck where it'll get kicked over. For a bench a family actually lives on all summer, the arms are what make it a couch instead of a plank.

Who's this for? Anyone restoring a tired Platinum Series layout, replacing an arm that's been sun-baked past saving, or reconfiguring a bench into an L-lounge or a facing pair. Because it's a genuine Platinum Series component, the height, the rail cutouts, and the charcoal all match the rest of the line. You're not fighting to blend a mismatched arm into an existing set. It just fits.

A quick word on keeping it looking new. Marine vinyl in charcoal holds up well, but any dark vinyl sitting in direct sun all season will thank you for a UV protectant a few times a year. Wipe it down with mild soap and water, keep it covered when the boat's parked, and don't let a cover trap moisture against the seams. Do that and this arm will outlast a couple of reupholstery jobs on the cushions around it.