In 20ft. bowrider with sunsport seating engine is padded by the sofa pillows.
In Jumpseat configuration (referred as "Standard" configuration in boat spec.) engine is only covered with fiberglass cover.

Dealer commented that sunsport seating is quieter. But how much? Is it worth it?

I have no possibility to try/demo Sunsport seating at dealer. Anyone tried both on similar boats/engines?

I'd go sunsport. I like the look, it gives you more room for seating, and a full sunpad.

My last boat had a big sunpad, It was really quiet. My current boat has a fiberglass dog house with removable seating. It's very loud. I liked the quiet better.

I currently have sunsport seating in my Four Winns. I think it is loud but not as loud as it could be if it was the dog house as described above. I like the look a lot better as well.

For looks, I like the "dog house" vs the big sunpad. I would also think crawling over the big sun pad would be a pain. I have the "dog house" set up on my boat. As far as noise, I don't have a comparrison between the two set ups.

Sport is the way to go. Have owned both & would only go sport in the future.

Never really thought about the noise factor, really. My sport seating had some really wimpy egg crate style sound deadening. I took it all off (it was starting to fall off) and didn't notice a difference. But 3/4" plywood covered by foam and heavy vinyl does seem like it would be quieter than the fiberglass engine cover style.

And yes, climbing over the sunpad can be a chore, but how many people have rotted out or broken their jump seat base from stepping on it during ingress/egress. I'll bet a lot. My sunpad just has some stitch damage after 11 years, but is still solid otherwise.

My boat is also just 20'6" long and with the cuddy cabin, the sport seating can make the cockpit feel crowded with four adults on board. Maybe a bowrider wouldn't feel the same, but it sure would be nice to be able to sit in one to make sure.

Agree. I've owned both also. Noise factor is irrelevant IMO. I would hate sitting backwards for one thing, and the port-side rear-facing seat is so close to the seat facing it, as to make them knee-bumpers. No, don't do it.

Off-question, but don't forget a bimini top. A must have.

Like Phill said, the sport seating makes the boat alot smaller and is almost unuseable if you have the port side rear facing seat. As an example, my 18' SeaRay had front buckets and rear jump seats and had more room in the cockpit than a 22' boat with a bench and sunpad we looked at recently.

Just depends on how you use it I guess. We don't lay out in the sun so the sunpad is wasted on us however I do like the extra seating of the rear bench.

I've got the jump seats, and think it's the way to go. I have a 19' boat, and we spend a good portion of our vacation with 4 adults and 4 kids onboard. There have been several times here at home that we've gone out with a couple more then that, and everyone fits. When I look at similar sized boats with sunpads at boat shows, I don't see how I could fit more then 6 people comfortably.

Seems like it depends on your usage, which I suppose is why they make so many different models!

I agree with Philr, if it doesn't come with one, add a bimini. It will make a day on the water much more comfortable.

Billy, our boat is a tick over 25', and seats five adults comfortably in the cockpit. My daughters spend over 50% of their time on the hook on the sunpad, either playing or laying out. Of the rest of the time, most is in the water or in the bow. On the hook, the cockpit is for adults! Underway, the kids are always in the bow, even if the bow cover is on -- by their own choice.

Another good thing about having a sunpad is the massive storage on both sides of the engine. Not only do I keep tools and spares down there, but often put the grill and camping equipment there as well.

Next time you are near Washington DC, let me know and you can see for yourself.

Waywego, comparing a 25'er to a 20'er, like Kramer is looking at, and I have, is not an accurate comparison. Yeah, if my boat was 4 feet longer I am sure the cockpit wouldn't feel crowded either. Just like the cabin on my Dad's 30' long, 10'3" wide Chap Sig 300 felt a lot roomier than his 27' long 9' wide Sig 27!
And with the kind of motor box/jump seats that can be "converted" to a small sun pad, maybe that's the best of both worlds?

Billy, in general, I agree with you. But if you look at our particular boats, the difference may be much less than you think. I looked at a 2135 and compared to our 2500, I'll bet the cockpits are very close in size. Our boat has the windshield set back much further and has a very large bow area. With a couple of inches less beam and maybe 6" less length of cockpit, I suspect you would not really notice much difference.




I'l bet we even have pretty much the same front seats!

My boat has a "U" shaped seat in front of a sunpad which measures around 32" in width. The sunpad was a requirement for my wife and the seat configuration we both liked.

Pros:

1) Quiet ride at speed due to engine being covered by 6" of foam
2) Place to lay out and sun
3) Place to sit when rafting, fishing, etc
4) IMO, looks modern and sporty
5) Nice storage for charis, grill, beach gear, etc.

Cons:

1) Have to step on it or be careful not to when boarding
2) Reduces space on boat
3) Harder to actually work on engine

I think whether or not I would do a sunpad again would depend on the overall layout of the boat and the deal I could get on it. I could go either way next time.

I like the sunpad on our boat for all of the reasons that ND has laid out. It's also a handy place to dry towels on. If you have a walk thru, like is on our boat and is showing up on many more mfg's boats, stepping on the pad/climbing over it is not a problem.