Dinette vs. U shape settee

Pros, cons, preferences. I have an area to build either a U shape settee or a dinette. This will be the only lounging area inside the main cabin. The water tank(s) are underneath whichever I decide to build. I may have dinner guest(s) aboard but that will be a rare occasion. I also don't watch TV, but I am considering installing one just in case. With tech being what it is, I could possibly use it as a second monitor.



Most boats or RVs I have been aboard had a dinette. I have built a few dinettes and settees but never spent any time in a settee. What are the drawbacks of these two seating/dining arrangements? I've heard tells of some settees having the table in a bad position that makes getting in and out fairly difficult. I'm leaning more toward the settee because it would be the TV viewing area on top of the dining area. What are your thoughts on the settee vs a dinette conundrum?

I have a built in L shaped couch in one corner of my salon. Folds out into a full size bunk and there's storage space under it too. For a place to sit and eat, I've got a hi-lo table that I can place in front of it (normally sits off to the side so it's out of the way).

The galley (diagonally opposite of the couch) has a bar top (good for spreading out food, a place to put something down and work on it while standing, etc.). So we have a pair of bar stools (with heavy weighted bases to keep them from tipping), so sitting in front of the bar top is an option as well.

These pictures aren't my boat, but they're others of the same found in some for-sale ads, so similar enough.

Bar top (mine doesn't have the railing and mine is slightly deeper front-back than this one):


Interestingly, the stools we have are identical to these, so I wonder if they were a factory option:


Couch layout:

ben2go said:

Pros, cons, preferences. I have an area to build either a U shape settee or a dinette. This will be the only lounging area inside the main cabin. The water tank(s) are underneath whichever I decide to build. I may have dinner guest(s) aboard but that will be a rare occasion. I also don't watch TV, but I am considering installing one just in case. With tech being what it is, I could possibly use it as a second monitor.



Most boats or RVs I have been aboard had a dinette. I have built a few dinettes and settees but never spent any time in a settee. What are the drawbacks of these two seating/dining arrangements? I've heard tells of some settees having the table in a bad position that makes getting in and out fairly difficult. I'm leaning more toward the settee because it would be the TV viewing area on top of the dining area. What are your thoughts on the settee vs a dinette conundrum?

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Ben, have you decided to build a larger boat? I thought you were building a 28' Spira design?

"What are the drawbacks of these two seating/dining arrangements?"

Any rainy day.

Since in any dinette configuration you are sitting on a slab of plywood with a cushion on top after a while its still a slab of plywood.

If the boat is big enough to have real seats elsewhere , its no big deal.

But if its the main seating area , a few hours can be uncomfortable as heck.

IN RV with the same space / room problem the trend is to theater seats that recline and use a small table at mealtimes..They are built to fit thru a narrow door..

Hard to work out space for seating more than 4 folks .Thanksgiving with 10 friends ,probably in cockpit..

Plan B is to look under house , car or coach seats and construct a webbing base or simple sprung base.

https://www.recpro.com/recpro-charle...a-rv-loveseat/

OR Thomas Payne electric theater seats at camping world

My preference is U-shaped settee. You have more sitting choices - you can obviously sit on any of the seats like a normal person. But you can also sit with your back along one base with legs stretched out on the other seat (crappy description, I know).

I like to sit on the short base with my legs stretched along the long seat. My wife can sit on the opposite side and a single blanket covers both our legs. It is also easier to stretch out for a nap when you have a long base - as opposed to a dinette where you may not have room to lay down without dropping the table.

The table can be a problem - I'm having one built now and the builder suggested putting the table on a slider (like on a helm chair) so I can push the table out or pull it in as necessary. I never thought about that before, but it allows a larger table than what I could fit otherwise. I thought it was a brilliant suggestion.

Last thing I like, it may be possible to have two different back angles on a U-shaped. 11* back angle is great for lounging, not optimal for dining. So I'm trying to have 11* on my short legs and 6* on the long base. Gives a couple choices for where you sit when there are just two people.

I tend to think of them all as settee's on a boat. I think of a dinette as a small table for 4. This is probably just a semantic's thing. Are you referring to a 'booth' style settee (2-3 people on each side of a table) vs a U shaped settee?

Shrew said:

I tend to think of them all as settee's on a boat. I think of a dinette as a small table for 4. This is probably just a semantic's thing. Are you referring to a 'booth' style settee (2-3 people on each side of a table) vs a U shaped settee?

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I think the same as you do - all are settees. But my builder talks "dinette" or "settee" and settee can be L or U shaped. So I've adapted to their language.

But I think you are more technically correct.

Here is a live shot of my salon.

I have a settee, and a table. If you are going to only have one area to sit and eat I would make it a settee, as it is useful when you are not eating as it is also a lounging area.

U shape vs dinette. Really depends on what you want to accomplish

Dinette-

Bigger table, room for 4 at dinner plus room for the food
Makes a usable desk if you need a work table
Only 4 so leg room no problem

Downside, max of 4

U shape

Maxim-number of people, great for cocktails
Possible 6 people for hot dog lunch
Table is smaller so even if only 4 people, not as much table space
Does not work well as a desk due to smaller size table.



So if my boat was a day use chip & dip, cocktail boat, I would go with the u shape.

If my boat was an overnight couples boat or a liveaboard boat I would go with the dinette.

Also converting the dinette to sleep people is a consideration, I had a fore and aft dinette that was too narrow (and short due to the angled seat backs) to comfortably sleep two people. My fix was to convert to an L shape that was lowered and gained extra width under the side deck to effectively widen the sleeping area and gain extra length by eliminating the angled seat backs. I use an angled cushion instead for the seat back. I can now seat five where I could only seat four with the fore and aft configuration, and the bed conversion is wide enough no one feels like they are going to fall off the bed.

You guys bring up some good points that I didn't consider. One being the plywood base under the seat cushions. The water tanks will be mounted under there so no worries about storage. There should be enough room to do a webbing base for the cushions to sit on and would provide more of a couch/sofa feel. I hadn't thought about an L shape with a table. That could work. I had planned to put the table on two legs that would allow the table to be removed and stored or used to make a bunk. The table floor mounts would be flush to prevent trips and stubbed toes.



The bar idea I have worked out. It's similar to the second pic in rslifkin post. I'm thinking of using tall director's chairs there or possibly tall stools with a backrest.



I've always known a dinette to be like a restaurant booth and a settee to be like a couch/sofa type seating with a table tall enough for dining. Research says a settee is essentially a seating area.

Sailor of Fortune said:

Ben, have you decided to build a larger boat? I thought you were building a 28' Spira design?

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Yes. After it was pointed out that I may not be happy with that specific boat, I rethought it. I found myself redesigning the boat and adding to the hull's dimensions. I dropped that idea and went back to the design I really wanted to build, Selway-Fisher's 45' Teign.

If price is no object, look at Swaardvis flush mounts. Taco marine sells them, I have two to support my table, one adjustable height and one fixed, and can rotate my table into a rigging bench for fishing.

Table bases are frequently very wimpy, a chair base makes for a stronger adjustable , rotating base.

IF you visit a shop that sells chair bases you will fund sliding mounts that can be used 2 or 3 in a row if mounted with care under the table.

This allows the table to be stored "in" and slid out as required for extra guests.
A robust seat pedestal column helps this configuration.

AKDoug said:

If price is no object, look at Swaardvis flush mounts. Taco marine sells them, I have two to support my table, one adjustable height and one fixed, and can rotate my table into a rigging bench for fishing.

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It's a budget build to a point. I'll have a look at those. Thanks.

FF said:

Table bases are frequently very wimpy, a chair base makes for a stronger adjustable , rotating base.

IF you visit a shop that sells chair bases you will fund sliding mounts that can be used 2 or 3 in a row if mounted with care under the table.

This allows the table to be stored "in" and slid out as required for extra guests.
A robust seat pedestal column helps this configuration.

Click to expand...

That is an idea I had not considered until now.

I would not have an L shaped setee or a seat in the cockpit facing fwd. Nor would I have a seat facing inbd so your looking at the other side of the inside of the boat.

All of these configurations situate one so they are looking at things other than what I would like to look at. The fwd facing seat against the transom means one will see mostly the backside of the boat’s cabin. I took out the cockpit seat on Willy. Have lots more usable space and w our folding chairs we look out over the transom .... at the view.

We haven’t taken out the L shaped setee and changed to a dinette just because it would take considerable time to build. When we lived in Alaska I had time and almost did it 44 times. But we sit in our folding chairs looking at the great view aft ... not at the back of the cabin.

So I’m against U and L shaped setees and not having a good view out and away from the inside of the boat.