Introducing the Beatdown Outdoors BD Double Seat: Two-Angler Seating Without Giving Up Your Deck
Adding a second fishing seat to the front or back of a boat sounds simple until you actually try to make it work.
Permanent seat bases can mean drilling into the deck. Some double-seat systems take up valuable floor space or create another obstacle to step around. Others work well in one boat but become a problem when you change boats or need a different seating configuration.
The new Beatdown Outdoors BD Double Seat was built to make that process simpler.
Designed to turn an existing compatible seat base into a versatile two-person seating system, the BD Double Seat installs with a 3/4-inch threaded bolt, rotates at the base for positioning and uses quick-release bases that allow the seat pedestals to be removed in seconds. The system can be used on the front or back deck and is designed specifically for boats with a compatible 3/4-inch threaded seat pedestal base. Seats are sold separately.
But the real test of a boat accessory isn't how it looks in a product photo. It's how well it works after hundreds of days on the water.
That is where fishing guide Austin McClure of McClure's Guide Service comes in.
Built Around the Way a Fishing Boat Actually Gets Used
Austin spends a significant portion of the year guiding, frequently fishes from different boats and has been running the BD Double Seat with clients.
For him, one of the biggest benefits is that the system doesn't have to become a permanent part of one boat.
“I use multiple boats, so I can take it in and out of my boats in a matter of minutes.”
Instead of installing multiple permanent seat bases or building a dedicated two-person configuration into every boat, the BD Double Seat uses the boat's existing compatible pedestal base.
Installation is intentionally straightforward.
“All you have to do is take your three-quarter-inch bolt, drop her in, tighten her up, you're ready to go.”
That simplicity matters for anglers who want the option to fish two people from the same deck without permanently changing the layout of the boat. It matters even more for guides like Austin who may move equipment between boats throughout the season.
The BD Double Seat installs directly into an existing 3/4-inch threaded seat pedestal base rather than requiring two new permanent seat locations to be added to the deck.
One Double Seat System for Multiple Fishing Setups
Boat layouts vary dramatically.
A bass boat doesn't have the same deck dimensions as a larger aluminum boat. Guides, tournament anglers and recreational fishermen may also want their seats positioned differently depending on who is fishing with them.
Austin says that adjustability has been one of the biggest advantages of the system in his guide operation.
“No matter what, I can adjust it any way I like for my clients.”
The BD Double Seat rotates at its base, allowing the seating position to be changed without having to relocate the entire mount. That gives two anglers more flexibility to position themselves where they need to fish rather than forcing the boat around a fixed seating arrangement.
For Austin, that flexibility is especially valuable because the people climbing into his boat change every day.
One trip may involve experienced anglers who are constantly casting and repositioning. The next could include older clients, younger anglers or someone who simply benefits from having a comfortable place to sit while fishing.
A seating system has to accommodate all of them.
More Seating Without a Pole in the Middle of the Deck
Adding seating shouldn't create another problem.
Traditional two-seat configurations can introduce additional pedestals or hardware into the center portion of the fishing area. On a working fishing boat, anything occupying that space can become something anglers have to continually step around.
Austin specifically points to the open center area as one of his favorite parts of the Beatdown design.
“There's no poles in the middle that you're gonna trip over, especially if you have elder clients or maybe somebody that's not as agile.”
For a guide who regularly has clients moving around the boat, that isn't a small detail.
Keeping the center of the deck more open makes it easier for anglers to turn, reposition and move between areas of the boat while still giving two people dedicated seating positions.
Austin also reports that he's had good results using the system over both carpeted and SeaDek-equipped surfaces, another important consideration for anglers who don't want a seating accessory damaging the deck underneath it.
Remove the Seats in Seconds When You Don't Need Them
A good fishing setup needs to work while you're fishing... but it also needs to get out of the way when you're not.
The BD Double Seat incorporates quick-release bases that allow the seat pedestals to be removed without tools.
Austin regularly takes advantage of that when running his boat or transporting it.
“Take your pin, slide it out, pull it out. You can lay it on your deck or you can put it in the back of your truck.”
That means anglers can run a two-seat configuration while fishing and quickly clear the setup when additional visibility or an open deck is preferred.
It also makes the system easier to adapt from one day to the next. Fish with two seats today, remove them tomorrow or move the setup into another compatible boat without rebuilding the deck around it.
Designed for Anglers Who Fish With Other People
There are plenty of situations where having two anglers seated together simply makes fishing better.
It may be a guide fishing alongside a client. It could be a parent and child fishing from the same deck. It could be two crappie anglers working the same area, fishing partners watching forward-facing sonar together or anyone who wants a more comfortable two-person setup without permanently installing additional seat bases.
That's what makes the BD Double Seat less about simply adding another chair and more about changing how the available space in the boat can be used.
For Austin, that versatility gets put to work constantly.
“I have clients in it every day, 300 days a year.”
That's a much different test than occasionally installing a double seat for a weekend fishing trip. Austin's setup has to accommodate different anglers, different boats and long days on the water over and over again.
It's exactly the kind of real-world environment the BD Double Seat was designed to handle.
A Simpler Way to Add Two-Person Seating to Your Boat
The idea behind the Beatdown Outdoors BD Double Seat is straightforward: give anglers another way to configure their boat without making the setup permanent or unnecessarily complicated.
It installs into an existing compatible 3/4-inch threaded seat pedestal base. It creates two seating positions from that location. The base rotates for positioning. Quick-release bases make it easy to remove the seat pedestals when they're no longer needed. And for anglers like Austin who fish from multiple compatible boats, the entire system can move with them.
For guides, serious anglers or anyone who regularly fishes with another person, that versatility can solve a problem that usually requires considerably more commitment to the boat.
The BD Double Seat is available now from Beatdown Outdoors for $599.99. It is compatible with 3/4-inch threaded seat pedestal bases, and seats are sold separately.