TOPIC: Replacement seat cushions- to vent or not to vent?

StevieB and I were discussing our new seats lately and he just received his new seats for his Owens. He didn't get seats with his, and while I did get the originals with mine, all of the seams were blown out. The upholstery shop making my new covers says I need to have venting on the backs to allow air evacuation during compression of the foam, so the seams don't blow out once again. I do agree with that as I've seen all the new boats have exactly that in the bottom. On the other hand, the original seats didn't have any venting and lasted for quite a long time that way, so part of me wants to leave it that way to keep it all original. I'm doing this boat up to be original and as correct as possible, but at the same time, I'm going to use it and enjoy it, not just show it, and need it functional and durable for the long run.

One of my originals:



While vents on the hidden part of the seats are a minor issue visually, is it a good idea to vent in order to let air and water drain out, or could it actually let water in from around the hole, which could mold on the inside and rot the wood?

Then we do have an issue with the seat back for the front bench, which is exposed. On the originals, this is the only one fully covered in vinyl on both sides. I don't like the idea of having vents on the back there from a visual perspective, but I realize it will help the seats last longer. I've tried to come up with a way to vent these and make it look decent, so I've come up with this so far even though I don't think it's big enough to evacuate enough air (even with four of these vents on the back). The top part will cover over the round vent to make it more visually appealing:



Thoughts? To vent or not to vent? And if so, which seats?

Not ever having that problem I think venting them may be better.

I have come to the conclusion that boats should have removable cushions rather than "fixed" seating. Make the bench as original, but just paint it or varnish it. Have cushions made to drop in place when the boat is being used. When not in use, remove the cushions. Makes more sense for lasting - and they won't mildew that way. A couple little brass "salt shaker top" vents in the cushion edges work nicely. They are about the diameter of a penny. If movement / slipping of the cushions is a concern, use snaps on the perimeter, or some heavy duty Velcro. The boats were not usually done this way, because it would have been more expensive to do so, not because original is better.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks guys. For some reason it isn't auto subscribing me to threads when I create them, so I wasn't aware of the responses.

The vents are less for ventilation of moisture, but more for moving air out of the seats/foam when sat on. The lady at the upholstery shop says when someone sits down on the cushion and compresses the foam, the air will have nowhere to go (because the vinyl is thick/solid), it'll try to escape around the seams. This will put unnecessary stress on the stitching, and over time it'll break the seams apart like it did with the original cushions that came with the boat.

I agree about removing the seats when not in use. They will set loose in the boat just like the originals did, no change there, except the back to the front seat will screw on the brackets like it did before.