The seat is a hinged top to a built in coolor. It holds 16 12 oz cans. The space around the cooler is filled with expanding closed cell foam. The center container is for ice. We freeze it solid before a trip, refilling with ice cubes on longer trips. While sailing, you can reach over the bridge deck and grab a cool one without having to climb into the cabin. The only downside is that good quality beer is hard to find in 12 oz cans.