Kiley Seat Boxes - 30/08/2007

In this age of mass production it’s good to see a small company like Kiley making a decent go of it. Jon Arthur takes a closer look.

Kiley has been handmaking fishing seatboxes for a very long time – since 1972 to be precise. It was Roy Kiley who first began the business. Dissatisfied with the traditional wicker creels of old he set about producing a wooden fishing box with a comfortable seat – it even featured cut-down walking sticks for adjustable legs! Initial reactions to this unorthodox design were lukewarm to say the least and most said it would never catch on. How wrong they were!
Since those formative years seatbox design has evolved greatly and, with it, Kiley has grown into a small, family-run business. Now headed by Roy’s son, Dean, it prides itself on quality handmade boxes, a far cry from the current trend of mass-produced products ferried in from the Far East. Obviously, some of that handmade quality must come at a slightly higher price but that is the same with anything else these days.
Kiley boxes come in a whole host of styles, from an eight-drawer River Box down to a two-drawer Euro Box. Specific drawer and base configurations are listed, but if you want something designed to your own specification then that should be no problem either. You can choose from deep and shallow bases, front drawers, cross drawers and whether the legs attach to a bottom-mounted frame or a central midframe.
I think choice is one of the company’s major selling points. For all the tackle tarts out there, you can completely customise your box’s seat colour, base colour and drawer colour. “Any colour you want as long as it’s black!” certainly doesn’t apply to Kiley!
Secure catches lock all of the stained wooden drawers without the need for pins. The adjustable legs are the Octoplus variety, which means a plethora of add-ons will fit them. My only real gripe is that the straps aren’t detachable and are only lightly padded. That said, though, the boxes are a lot lighter than most we get sent in!
Kiley boxes are functional and uncomplicated in their design, well made and comparatively light. In an age when ‘Made in Britain’ is becoming an increasingly rare phrase, it is nice to see a homegrown business still making a very good job of it.

Jon Arthur

Pros
- Plenty of choice
- Lightweight
- British made

Cons
- Carrying strap is not detachable

Tech Spec:
- Euro two-drawer: £140
- Euro three-drawer: £165
- Euro four-drawer: £165
- Euro six-drawer: £175
- Canal five-drawer: £170
- Canal six-drawer: £170
- Canal eight-drawer: £180
- Canal five-drawer deep: £180
- Canal six-drawer deep: £180
- Canal five-drawer mid-frame: £190
- Canal six-drawer mid-frame: £190
- River box: £200
- Pole box: £190
- Three-drawer special: £165
- Seven-drawer special: £185

Accessories:
- Standard footrest: £30
- Adjustable footrest: £35
- Back support: £45.99
- Shallow tray: £10
- Deep tray: £10