The Amazing Bean Bag Boat Seat – A Life-saver

When it comes to seating on a small boat running through rough water, nothing beats a bean-bag. You’ve heard me talk about this before, in Crazy Cool Boat Seats: Get Beanies. If you haven’t tried carrying beanies aboard, trust me, you should (read that blog, and you’ll find out why!) But recently, I made a new discovery about these things: they can also be real life-savers.

The realization came as an accident. While we were cruising offshore, one of the beanies was abandoned by a passenger who decided to grab a drink. A gust of wind somehow caught it, and the bean bag went flying overboard. Luckily we noticed quickly, turned around, and fished it out of the water. As we did so, however, I realized that this thing floated like a cork. Why? Because the “beans” inside a modern bean bag seat are actually foam pellets.

Now, naturally I wouldn’t ever suggest you depend on a bean bag as a PFD, nor are they approved by the USCG. But the next time you need to get some serious floatation into the water fast, you’ll be well served if you have beanies aboard.

See the two guys laying down, in the back? They’re enjoying the benefit of a bean bag ride.