Re-covering main salon cushions

[IH82BL8]

I'd like to hear from boat owners who have done this on two points:

1) What type of fabric did you use? The existing fabric is a heavy upholstery fabric and I'd like something about that weight, maybe a hound's tooth texture. Has anyone done this using automotive upholstery fabric? Please do not advise me that I need Sunbrella fabric, as it is not necessary for interior cushions.

2) The existing covers have a zipper closure. My wife insists that industrial Velcro would be somehow easier to close than a zipper. I think a zipper would be easier for alignment and uniform tension.

Also, I'm not planning to do the sewing myself, so no need for sewing advise.

Thanks.

 

[JohnVTX]

We used upholstery fabric. and zippers...

 

[kito]

I did mine myself and just used an outdoor type fabric used on patio furniture. I wanted something not overly thick like what's on my couch at home.....more of a medium weight and water repellant. I sewed mine with never having used a sewing machine before. I bought a walking foot machine (Reliable Barracuda) that really helps a lot especially on those long runs. My advice is to search Youtube for reupholstering cushions....tons of them. Also, SailRite has some good videos on the subject. I bought my piping cord and thread from Sailrite. You can use your old fabric to use as a template but I found that just using the foam was easier. With a 1/2" seam on top and bottom, it gave the foam enough squeeze to fill the cushion perfectly with no wrinkles.
edit: Ooops I first thought I read you WERE going to sew yourself

 

[woodster]

I bought outdoor patio furniture material from a fabric supplier and had the seamstress use it on mine along with vinyl bottoms and trim......

 

[markwbird]

Go to Sailrite's web site. They have over 1 million different fabrics and they have everything else you need including How-To videos for everything you can imagine. I recovered all of the cushions on my boat using Sunbrella fabric. I had never sewed before. I just followed the instructions from the videos. Now I'm sort of proficient at it.

 

[Ken Cross]

We did ours on our previous boat. It was pretty simple. I did the sewing on my wife's machine. We did opt for zippers. We replaced the foam because the original was too soft for my taste. We dacron wrapped the foam and it felt like sitting on real furniture.

Regular interior upholstery fabric was fine. We don't have rain inside our boat. This was on a San Juan 28. Also as someone once said a sewing machine is a power tool.
Ken

 

[jimmcgee]

Picking the right foam makes a huge difference. We used firm in the salon and medium in the berths. Go too soft in the salon and you'll bottom out after a while when you curl up with a book. Too firm in the v-berth and your back will not be happy.

For fabric we used UltraLeather Brisa in the salon and a soft fabric recommended by the upholsterer for the berths. We wanted something in the salon that could handle a wet bathing suit, suntan lotion and minor spills without staining. After six years of use most weekends it still looks new. For sleeping we wanted comfort so soft fabric was important. BTW if you're sleeping aboard often the Froli Sleep System is some of the best boat bucks I ever spent.

 

[kloudie1]

Used Ultrasuede for our new salon cushions. tough material that is non-staining ..

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Used scotch guarded upholstery fabric. Got remnants . Put together with velcro. Been 7 years now

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

another pic

 

[jmce1587]

for my H31, we purchased sunbrella fabric from Sail Rite (wide selection), used existing foam with a 2" topper and had a local auto upholstery place recover all cushions

 

[jmce1587]

Sorry, also we used zippers (nylon) with no problems in 4 years.

 

[frankies56]

To make a short story long. had a qoute for my small boat boat 3 cushions took to a boat outfit in st augustine. just wanted a simple job. first thing out of her mouth I dont do piping I said I dont want pipeing not important material was fadded from the sun. left the cushions with her for a week and she came back with 900 dollar qoute really. so I took to a car upholsterer he had books on all types of material marine and car as well needles to say waiting on a price he said 300 dollars no way. then he said I am going to put piping and add some stripes to set it off.and said the foam was old and should be replaced as well. well when i got it back it was fantastic probably added a thousand to the value of the boat. well the short story I came back with cabin cousions and had them al done by him I used a material the looks like a plush leather marine quality I am talking forpeak. main salon and aft berth for about 1500 dollars again took those oringinal coushions and made them look like a million bucks. moral is go shop at these mom and pop auto places and look at there work. also for those in the st augustine area. that witches name was irish sail lady.more like sea hag with golden twine and attitud

looking downward

• frankies56
• Apr 11, 2015

 

[quadrille38]

You definitely want upholstery fabric as its heavier in construction so that it will stand up to the wear and trear that sitting on it will cause. It also holds its shape better for the application than other textiles.

Material content would be the next consideration. Cotton for example is not often found in upholstery fabrics as it doesn't have the wear characteristic needed for the application.
You will find that polyesters and other synthetics will have durability, won't be prone to absorb moisture and resist dirt and are easy to clean.

Think about clean ability. Something that's easy to wipe off or clean.
Vinyl is a good example as it ticks all the wear and clean features but it will be miserable and hot to sit on.

Zipper vs Velcro - not sure it makes a big difference here but maybe others who are experienced in sewing will have opinions on that.

We had our cushions redone and uses an ultra suede type textile. It's been super.

 

[FastOlson]

Yup. Covers should look nice, but they will not do anything (!) for comfort, sitting or sleeping.
If the original factory cushions are over 5 years old (ten absolute max) replace the cheap and flattened-out foam with proper 2.6 density foam. Best single comfort upgrade you can for the interior of an old boat.
Zippers are best, IMHO. And be sure that the settee seats and backs are tufted to keep the covers from rotating.
LB