The cabin cushions for the O'Day 20, I just bought are a mess. The fabric is torn and worn. I talked to one guy who said he would re-upolster the cushions for about $300 a piece!! Couldn't I buy new ones for that price? Has anyone done their own re-upolstery? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Re-Upolster Cabin Cushions or Replace?
- Thread starter Cate
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Try SailRite
Hi Cate: Have you checked with the SailRite web site? They're pretty good at these sorts of things, and their site has a very helpful forum section that might provide some answers. If that doesn't work, maybe I should give you my mother-in-law's phone # (she's in Brick). She could sew just about anything, I'm sure. Pete Boat-that-currently-has-no-name (ODay 322) Little Silver, NJ
Hi Cate: Have you checked with the SailRite web site? They're pretty good at these sorts of things, and their site has a very helpful forum section that might provide some answers. If that doesn't work, maybe I should give you my mother-in-law's phone # (she's in Brick). She could sew just about anything, I'm sure. Pete Boat-that-currently-has-no-name (ODay 322) Little Silver, NJ
How's the form?
We recently replaced the cushions on our Hunter 340. We changed the style and upgraded the type of fabric, but the best thing we did was upgrade the foam. This made the seating more supportive and much more comfortable. Often the original foam is a poor quality that is meant to last about 4-5 years. While it looks thick, it is not dense and when you sit on it you really sink in and there is no firmness. I encourage you to look closely at the foam and try to determine if it is worth reusing. There are some great internet sites where you can buy high quality foam if you want to do the job yourself. As for the covering, we went with a soft imitation leather that looks beautiful and you can easily slide across it if you want to move across on a U shaped dinette. With cloth you tend to stick more if you want to move across. While I know you don't have a dinette, it is still good to consider how you want to use your cushions and what type of surface you want. Enjoy the decision making process since that is part of the fun - no doubt whatever you use will make a huge difference on the look of your interior. By the way, if you do the foam yourself, a GREAT tip for cutting it is to use an electrric knife. Nothing works better or easier when cutting foam. It gives a nice clean cut. Rob
We recently replaced the cushions on our Hunter 340. We changed the style and upgraded the type of fabric, but the best thing we did was upgrade the foam. This made the seating more supportive and much more comfortable. Often the original foam is a poor quality that is meant to last about 4-5 years. While it looks thick, it is not dense and when you sit on it you really sink in and there is no firmness. I encourage you to look closely at the foam and try to determine if it is worth reusing. There are some great internet sites where you can buy high quality foam if you want to do the job yourself. As for the covering, we went with a soft imitation leather that looks beautiful and you can easily slide across it if you want to move across on a U shaped dinette. With cloth you tend to stick more if you want to move across. While I know you don't have a dinette, it is still good to consider how you want to use your cushions and what type of surface you want. Enjoy the decision making process since that is part of the fun - no doubt whatever you use will make a huge difference on the look of your interior. By the way, if you do the foam yourself, a GREAT tip for cutting it is to use an electrric knife. Nothing works better or easier when cutting foam. It gives a nice clean cut. Rob
Great Advice Here
Thanks Rob and Pete. I'll take a good look at the foam too. It looks like it is probably the original which would make it almost 30 years old-YUCK. I would appreciate any links to foam manufacturers. Pete- I emailed you about your mother-in-law. I failed sewing in HomeEc
Thanks Rob and Pete. I'll take a good look at the foam too. It looks like it is probably the original which would make it almost 30 years old-YUCK. I would appreciate any links to foam manufacturers. Pete- I emailed you about your mother-in-law. I failed sewing in HomeEc
replace
Cate, to my thinking there's not much point in having new covers made around old foam. Time to just chuck the mess and get new everything! For my Catalina 25 the entire cushion set was available from the factory for around $1200 2 years ago. Your boat is smaller and my guess would be you might be able to get them done for as low as $900. Check around on the web and in the ads in back of sailing magazines, because there are plenty of places that may already have the pattern for your boat.
Cate, to my thinking there's not much point in having new covers made around old foam. Time to just chuck the mess and get new everything! For my Catalina 25 the entire cushion set was available from the factory for around $1200 2 years ago. Your boat is smaller and my guess would be you might be able to get them done for as low as $900. Check around on the web and in the ads in back of sailing magazines, because there are plenty of places that may already have the pattern for your boat.
New Foam
Replace the foam. Find upholstery material on sale. Check with fabric store for a seamstress and it will be cheaper. Foam link
Replace the foam. Find upholstery material on sale. Check with fabric store for a seamstress and it will be cheaper. Foam link
Replace!
Hey Cate! Definitely replace the foam. Use high-density. Sailrite.com is a great resource for mildew resistant stuff. Local fabric stores, ie JoAnn, etc also carry high density foam. I have made cushions and covers before and the key is the pattern. If you are goint to do it yourself, be sure to remove the old fabric and make a pattern for each piece. Be sure to label the pattern piece. Also record the depth of the foam so they fit properly afterward.If you want more step by step directions, let me know and I will give you my e-mail. You also need a sewing machine that can feed thicker fabrics. My Bernina works very well. I have made cushions for the cockpit, stern rail seats and for the stern railing padded covers. In my limited experience as soon as the word "marine" is attached - triple the price! Best of luck!
Hey Cate! Definitely replace the foam. Use high-density. Sailrite.com is a great resource for mildew resistant stuff. Local fabric stores, ie JoAnn, etc also carry high density foam. I have made cushions and covers before and the key is the pattern. If you are goint to do it yourself, be sure to remove the old fabric and make a pattern for each piece. Be sure to label the pattern piece. Also record the depth of the foam so they fit properly afterward.If you want more step by step directions, let me know and I will give you my e-mail. You also need a sewing machine that can feed thicker fabrics. My Bernina works very well. I have made cushions for the cockpit, stern rail seats and for the stern railing padded covers. In my limited experience as soon as the word "marine" is attached - triple the price! Best of luck!
Did it too...
I used to own an O'Day 20 myself. Learned to sail on her and had a lot of fun. Great boat. I replaced/recovered her cusions myself. I got the high density foam from Joann Fabrics. I used the old fabric as a pattern and sewed up the new stuff myself, inside out, on my wife's machine. I'm no seamstress but they turned out a hell of a lot better than the old ones.
I used to own an O'Day 20 myself. Learned to sail on her and had a lot of fun. Great boat. I replaced/recovered her cusions myself. I got the high density foam from Joann Fabrics. I used the old fabric as a pattern and sewed up the new stuff myself, inside out, on my wife's machine. I'm no seamstress but they turned out a hell of a lot better than the old ones.
Good local source
Cate: There's a real good local source you ought to check out -- Calico Corners, on Rte. 34 in Matawan. (See web link below.) They have a whole lot of amazing fabrics, including every imaginable Sunbrella color and pattern. Probably cushion foam too, as I recall. You can probably scoot there on a lunch hour. Pete Boat-that's-currently-nameless (ODay 322) Little Silver, NJ
Cate: There's a real good local source you ought to check out -- Calico Corners, on Rte. 34 in Matawan. (See web link below.) They have a whole lot of amazing fabrics, including every imaginable Sunbrella color and pattern. Probably cushion foam too, as I recall. You can probably scoot there on a lunch hour. Pete Boat-that's-currently-nameless (ODay 322) Little Silver, NJ
Source for foam.
My wife does interior design and frequently makes covered window seat cushions. Best source she has found is foamorder.com The selection is much better than local sources. We just bought our son in college a foam mattress cover to add to his dorm bed. One hint: If you need to cut foam an electric carving knife works great. Definetly replace the foam. Russell
My wife does interior design and frequently makes covered window seat cushions. Best source she has found is foamorder.com The selection is much better than local sources. We just bought our son in college a foam mattress cover to add to his dorm bed. One hint: If you need to cut foam an electric carving knife works great. Definetly replace the foam. Russell
US Yacht Cushions
Cate: Contact US Yacht Cushions. They did a great job. They will also customize anything you do not like if they have the original patterns. They are located in St. Peteersburg, FL. You can see a sample of their work in the Hunter Photo Forum. The cost is directly related to the amount of materials and labor. The larger the boat, the more expensive. I would think that your size boat would be very reasonable.
Cate: Contact US Yacht Cushions. They did a great job. They will also customize anything you do not like if they have the original patterns. They are located in St. Peteersburg, FL. You can see a sample of their work in the Hunter Photo Forum. The cost is directly related to the amount of materials and labor. The larger the boat, the more expensive. I would think that your size boat would be very reasonable.
Do It Yourself
My husband and I (who had no experience in this sort of thing) made new cabin cushions for our 1985 Hunter 34. We took apart the old cushions (carefully) and then used the pieces to cut new pattern pieces from paper, which we then used to cut new pieces from the new fabric. My opinion is that the big savings doing it yourself is not what you save in material but what you save in labor. Doing it took some time but heck, here in Minnesota what else can you do in the winter? If you have any questions, please email me. POTL
My husband and I (who had no experience in this sort of thing) made new cabin cushions for our 1985 Hunter 34. We took apart the old cushions (carefully) and then used the pieces to cut new pattern pieces from paper, which we then used to cut new pieces from the new fabric. My opinion is that the big savings doing it yourself is not what you save in material but what you save in labor. Doing it took some time but heck, here in Minnesota what else can you do in the winter? If you have any questions, please email me. POTL
Free Sunbrella on ebay
We also did our own interior cushions by using the old ones as templates. Only replaced 2 foams. The rest were ok. We also made custom cockpit cushions. We did this all with free Sunbrella we got off of ebay. Here is how we did it. We bought a single large quantity of Sunbrella on ebay. About 50 yards or so. We cut off what we needed(12-15 yds) and resold it on ebay at the same price we paid. Tim
We also did our own interior cushions by using the old ones as templates. Only replaced 2 foams. The rest were ok. We also made custom cockpit cushions. We did this all with free Sunbrella we got off of ebay. Here is how we did it. We bought a single large quantity of Sunbrella on ebay. About 50 yards or so. We cut off what we needed(12-15 yds) and resold it on ebay at the same price we paid. Tim
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