Hey Joe,
You are actually the reason I want to do this job. I saw your idea about cutting the cushions to allow easier access to the compartments. I found marine vinyl at my local fabric store for $17/yd. I was thinking about just doing the whole cushion in vinyl. What do you think about that. Is there any need for fabric on one side?
Scott
Hi Scott,
You want a material that won't retain the heat in the summer and not be too cold to lay on as the weather cools off.
My cushions came with a beige material that resembles thin burlap on the bottom of each cushion which we used over again when my wife redid the cushion covers quite a while ago. She used the zippers over again too.
The material that I bought was very similar to what was on there previously which was a Navy Blue with white flecks. We made the mistake of cutting it with a scissors and it frayed in places. I bought 12 yards of it from a Marine upholsterer and I think I paid $130.00 for it back then. The material is a soft synthetic but it didn't hold up too well.
I talked to a fellow on this forum just recently who is retired from the upholstery business not far from where I live, and he told me that he has hundreds of yards of material to choose from. He said that he can have enough to do my cabin cushions real cheap. I'm thinking of taking him up on that. We were going to try to do it ourselves but I think I'm going to pay someone to do it.
To me, cutting the cushions seems like a great idea on my boat. You just need to mark them somehow so you know where they go.
