Remove the wooden seats from your boat. Hose them down with a garden hose and allow them to dry.
Inspect the seats for damage. Fill in any missing parts with a wood filler. Allow the wood filler to dry.
Sand your chairs with a palm sander and medium-grain sandpaper in the 80- to 100-grit range. Remove any existing paint entirely with the sander.
Hose off your chairs and allow them to dry again.
Apply a wood primer to your chairs, with a paint brush. Allow the seats to dry.
Apply several coats of paint to your seats, allowing the recommended drying time between each coat. Allow the seats to dry completely.
Apply a coat of polyurethane wood finish with a paint brush.
Apply a second coat of polyurethane after the first one has dried.
Test-stain a small part of the seat to make sure that you like the color.
Apply a coat of stain to the entire seat, with a paint brush. Wipe off any excess stain immediately with a rag.
Apply additional coats of stain until you are satisfied with the color. The more times you apply stain, the darker the color will become. Allow the stain to dry completely.
Apply at least one coat of polyurethane finish, with a paint brush.
