Custom Cockpit foam?

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Tim Schaaf

I am contemplating a set of custom closed cell foam cushions for my cockpit, such as are made by Bottomsiders or C-Cushion. But, they are pretty pricey, so I have some questions for the Forum, before I do anything. First of all, I recently bought some of the generic, much less expensive So-Pac closed cell cushions. Has anyone had experience with both these and the more expensive custom jobs? Is the foam equivalent in quality and longevity and firmness? Any comparisons? Secondly, if there is no difference, I am thinking about buying So-Pacs, and then cutting and glueing them together to make my own custom set. WAY less expensive! I would not actually have to do very much for the cockpit on my H33, and I could easily paint some trim over the glue seams to achieve an attractive result. But, has anyone ever done any glueing of closed cell foam? Any problems? What glue? Regular contact cement? Anyone tried painting? What paint? And, finally, while the So-Pac cushions are great for sitting on, the seem pretty firm for sleeping on. Anyone have experience with sleeping in a closed-cell foam cushioned cockpit? In the tropics, I often sleep in the cockpit, so I hope all you "Norte Americanos" from the frozen North will forgive the question! :) Actually, according to the Weather Channel, some of you may be roasting in your cockpits, too!! Thanks for any suggestions.
 
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Russel Garecht

You could be sorry

Tim, You are farther south than we are, a.k.a. hotter. We bought a set of Bottom Siders for our 29.5. They are a fine quality product BUT: Unless you get them in white (I’m not sure even white will help) don’t plan on them fitting after they get hot and expand AND never, never plan on sitting on them after they have been in the sun a while. We made the mistake of getting Hunter blue and they are a lot more trouble than they are worth in the summer. Russ s/v Her Diamond Ring
 
Phil Herring

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,924
- - Bainbridge Island
cushions in heat

Bottomsiders are sprayed with vinyl and C-Cushions supposedly dipped in vinyl, as opposed to paint. And as Russ says, be sure to choose a light color in hot climates. You might also consider Ameriseam cusions, which have a mesh fabric cover that makes them breathe better.
 
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Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
I think that everything is hot in Cabo.

The vinyl coating is going to be hot but I believe that everything else will be too. We got bottomsiders and are happy with them. The advantage is that when it is wet they are easy to wipe off and will not hold any water. Our boat is in the California Delta (105 yesterday) and I new that the cushions regardless of the type would be warm. We made terry cloth covers for ours. When we are sitting around being harbor 'taters the covers absorb the moisture and keep them from getting dirty (tracking on/off the boat). When the weather gets wet we just remove the covers. Keeps the cushions clean and cool. Just throw the covers in the washer with the rest of your towels and they are ready for duty.
 
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Russ Garecht

Are mine the only ones that expand

Slip covers will do the trick for the hot butt, but ours still expand to the point that we have to pull them back to close a locker. If no one is sitting on them they arch up 2 to 3 inches. Also, if you order them make sure you tell them where your motor control pannel is. Appairently, Hunter did not put the panel in the same place on all 29.5s. Our cushions was off by about 3 inches. SAVE THE BOXES the cushions come in!!! If you are going to buy them, get them through the HOW store. They are very very very good at correcting anything that is not right but you have to rebox the cushions and that is not an easy thing to do. It took me over a month to find a box for the cushions that UPS would except so I could send (they paid freight) the miscut cushion back to be fixed. Russ s/v Her Diamond Ring
 
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Alan

Food for thought...

With the recent heat wave here in the NE, and with reference to my forum question regarding cooking with an alcohol stove vs. propane. I've actually learned to cook on my Navy blue bottomsiders! I can fry an egg on one cushion and cook some bacon on the other. If the heat wave doesn't end soon, I'm going to try a grilled cheese sandwich HA/HA!! On a more serious note I have the blue bottomsiders and I am very satisfied with them. Yes, They do get hot but a simple towel stops that. More importantly they are easy to clean and store. Good luck with your choice.
 
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Kathleen on "Jolie"

Phil Herring?

On another tack: would you be the Phil Herring who was hanging out in Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico 1981? I think the boat was s/v Suhail. I know it's a long shot!
 
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