Big 'ole cooler to double as bench seat?

Keweenaw2018

Has anyone used a great big cooler to double as a bench seat in the cockpit?
I was going to rebuild my rotting bench, but if I can find a cooler big enough and beefy enough, I might just throw some cushions on top and call it good.

Has anyone had one that was a particularly good fit up against the transom of a 22 cruiser?

I would want it to be heavy-duty enough to be able to step down from the gunnel on to the lid.

WCF · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 7:20 pm Post subject:

What you are describing is what we do when we have passengers. Because we were in a time-crunch, we used coolers that had an affordable readily available snap-on cushion: The older Igloo Marine Ultra 54 (it was updated recently it looks like.)

I wanted to put them against the aft end of the cockpit initially, but I find they work better along the gunwales. Passengers don't seem to mind them. I added some tiedowns and use cam straps to keep them in place. A piece of carpet-covered trex shoved under the cooler levels out the front of the cooler. Dogs and people can step on them without worry.

We don't use them to keep anything cold, just as a place to sit and store dry food. Less expensive than many other options, and easily removed when we want to transport bikes or bigger gear.

Schuster · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 9:44 pm Post subject:

Hunter, I don't have a 22 but have had a 65qt RTIC cooler that was a knock off of the YETI. You could jump up and down on it, a beast for sure. Good if you keep them full and aren't getting in and out of them often. You should easily be able to find them online. Good luck.

Discovery · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:01 pm Post subject:

https://www.k2-coolers.com/collections/hard-coolers

I used a white Summit 120 K2 cooler in our TomCat for a seat and as an excellent cooler. Rugged and efficient. Sold the TomCat, but still have the cooler in the 5th wheel.

kcassal · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:19 pm Post subject:

I put the Blue 100 quart in the Venture 26 and it's great for a seat and holding a ton of food for longer trips. Quality and good height profile for sitting. I swap out to a smaller cooler for fishing.

https://bluecoolers.com/collections/blue-coolers-2-0-10-day-ice-coolers/products/100-quart-ark-series-roto-molded-cooler