best finish for wood boat seats?

I bought an old boat for fishing small lakes near my cabin and it has bench seats with wooden tops that were all rotted. I’ve cut new 3/4 inch marine ply seats, but not sure how I want to finish them. This boat will sit outside in the weather all summer, but stored indoors in the winter. I know I don’t want carpet, and am thinking maybe just leave them wood rather than vinyl. Anyone have any thoughts on the best wood sealer/finish to keep them decent?

I would maybe go with bed liner for seal and durability and then a coat of light paint to reduce summer heat.

Plywood wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’d either seal them with an exterior urethane or coat them with white flex seal (rattle can stuff, not the paint can stuff). Laugh all you want, but the rattle can stuff is awesome on wood.

If you don’t like either idea, I’d buy some 1/4″ starboard (poly board) in gray (not black-too hot….not white-shows stains/mold). That would be my first choice if I was in your shoes.

I did my transom with bedliner a couple years ago on marine plywood and it seems as though it did not adhere to the wood very well, seemed like I could peel it off. Still used as it was not in a place where it would get traffic on it.
For the seats, I would just use a good barn paint. Kills has a siding, fence and barn paint.

Spar varnish is a good wood coat if you want clear. Polyurethane will would work as well. .

You might want use this concoction. I used it on all my boat wood/plywood part under two coats of spar varnish. Found it originally on the Tin Boat Forum. Still looks great after a couple years. I used two coats of this wood sealer formula under two more coats of spar straight.

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