I am amazed at the cost of replacing interior cushions on our 1989 Hunter 30. We have a total of 2 v berth, 2 aft berth, and 2 salon and settee seats plush back cushions. The current cushions are OEM, and aside from some minor tears are in relativley good shape. However, the upolstery looks dated and we are thinging about replacing them. Initial quotes from boat upholster companies have been around $3000-$4000. That is roughly 10% of the boats value! I have heard that non-marine upholster businesses might offer a better deal. Anyone have any experience with this and could you offer some sage advice as to how to reduce the cost of this effort. Do it your self perhaps. Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks and happy sailing. Dave Swanson S/V Getaway
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Dave, the main salon on our H34 was about
$880 with tax. We supplied the fake suede. Scored a good deal on the cloth. The seat backs were good and the bottoms are new foam and included in the first cost. You are being quoted a huge amount of cash. It sounds like tradesmen are looking at you and seeing a cash cow. The solution? It's an old story. Look and ask around. Others have had this done. Take names and numbers. Craft-men are out there, but I found that they are busy. The poor economy hasn't filtered down to boaters, it seems.
$880 with tax. We supplied the fake suede. Scored a good deal on the cloth. The seat backs were good and the bottoms are new foam and included in the first cost. You are being quoted a huge amount of cash. It sounds like tradesmen are looking at you and seeing a cash cow. The solution? It's an old story. Look and ask around. Others have had this done. Take names and numbers. Craft-men are out there, but I found that they are busy. The poor economy hasn't filtered down to boaters, it seems.
Cushion recovering
I had an automotive/home upholstry shop recover my interior cushions on my 1981 Hunter 30 in the spring of 2001. They did the whole boat (forward cabin, salon, quarter berth) for about $1600. I have not had any issues with mold or smell, etc. as of yet. The previous covers were the originals and were very 70's so they needed an update.
I had an automotive/home upholstry shop recover my interior cushions on my 1981 Hunter 30 in the spring of 2001. They did the whole boat (forward cabin, salon, quarter berth) for about $1600. I have not had any issues with mold or smell, etc. as of yet. The previous covers were the originals and were very 70's so they needed an update.
I agree with both Freds
Get Quotes from local non marine upholstry folks, same or better quality work, without the "marine" added cost. Ask others, or look in the yellow pages. My main cabin re do cost $1,100 done with all new foam.
Get Quotes from local non marine upholstry folks, same or better quality work, without the "marine" added cost. Ask others, or look in the yellow pages. My main cabin re do cost $1,100 done with all new foam.
local fabric shop
We had our salon cushions, aft master queen and V berth queen done... all cushions and fabric replaced. We hired a local furniture upolster shop to do the work,,they do fabrics mostly but also do cushions....we had the bunks and the seate' benches done in 5" foam with a double wrap, and the backs of the seate' done in 3" with a single wrap....then cover the salon with flag blue fabric with white pipeing..the bunks are done in white. total coast was about $2,500.........HOWEVER!...make sure you get a fabric that wont RUN when wet......we developed a leak in out starboard port and the water ran the blue into the white....and when our daughter sat on one cushion with her wet swim suit when she got up she had a blue bum....we ended up replacing the salon cushion fabric...again.........But I think you will save$$$ if you go alternate from marine suppliers....PS we gave them our original cushions for templets. good luck.......its probably a great time to get this done now .
We had our salon cushions, aft master queen and V berth queen done... all cushions and fabric replaced. We hired a local furniture upolster shop to do the work,,they do fabrics mostly but also do cushions....we had the bunks and the seate' benches done in 5" foam with a double wrap, and the backs of the seate' done in 3" with a single wrap....then cover the salon with flag blue fabric with white pipeing..the bunks are done in white. total coast was about $2,500.........HOWEVER!...make sure you get a fabric that wont RUN when wet......we developed a leak in out starboard port and the water ran the blue into the white....and when our daughter sat on one cushion with her wet swim suit when she got up she had a blue bum....we ended up replacing the salon cushion fabric...again.........But I think you will save$$$ if you go alternate from marine suppliers....PS we gave them our original cushions for templets. good luck.......its probably a great time to get this done now .
Number of rubs!
I have friend in the rag trade who gave me advice regarding material and things you should look for, these are: Water and milew resistant. Scotch guarding. Number of rubs. The first two are pretty self explanetory and most marine fabrics come protected this way. The third item relates to the wear factor. The higher the number the longer the fabric will last before wearing out. You will find this number on a label stuck to the back of the fabric in most sample books.
I have friend in the rag trade who gave me advice regarding material and things you should look for, these are: Water and milew resistant. Scotch guarding. Number of rubs. The first two are pretty self explanetory and most marine fabrics come protected this way. The third item relates to the wear factor. The higher the number the longer the fabric will last before wearing out. You will find this number on a label stuck to the back of the fabric in most sample books.
cushions
I had the v berth, 3 setee seats and seat backs and two aft cabin cushions (approximately a queen size berth) redone on my Beneteau OC 281 this summer. The foam was in good shape and did not need replacement. I bought fabric that Ford uses in cars, there is really a pretty good selection and it is reasonably priced. If you think about it, car seats face a lot of the same challenges as interior boat cushions. On the backs and bottoms, I used matching marine vinyl. It doesn't show, it is less expensive than fabrick, and it provides a good surface for self-adhesive velcro to keep things in place when you bury the rail. I had a local upholsterer do the measuring so I knew how much fabric to get and then had her do the work. Total cost was ±$1000
I had the v berth, 3 setee seats and seat backs and two aft cabin cushions (approximately a queen size berth) redone on my Beneteau OC 281 this summer. The foam was in good shape and did not need replacement. I bought fabric that Ford uses in cars, there is really a pretty good selection and it is reasonably priced. If you think about it, car seats face a lot of the same challenges as interior boat cushions. On the backs and bottoms, I used matching marine vinyl. It doesn't show, it is less expensive than fabrick, and it provides a good surface for self-adhesive velcro to keep things in place when you bury the rail. I had a local upholsterer do the measuring so I knew how much fabric to get and then had her do the work. Total cost was ±$1000
DIY.
DIY! Buy Don Casey book & home sewing machine. 2 weekends and you are done (OK may be 3). It's not that complicated. I am finishing 9th cushion next weekend. Never did it before. Was quoted $2,500 - just work. Now it comes to $1,000 - fabric, thread and sewing machine, no foam though. Good luck.
DIY! Buy Don Casey book & home sewing machine. 2 weekends and you are done (OK may be 3). It's not that complicated. I am finishing 9th cushion next weekend. Never did it before. Was quoted $2,500 - just work. Now it comes to $1,000 - fabric, thread and sewing machine, no foam though. Good luck.
DIY replacement
Dave, we are in the middle of recovering our Hunter 43 saloon cushions and so far have spent about $700 on fabric, stuffing and new foam. As has been pointed out, it's not rocket science and you really just need to unpick what you have to use as a template. Good luck
Dave, we are in the middle of recovering our Hunter 43 saloon cushions and so far have spent about $700 on fabric, stuffing and new foam. As has been pointed out, it's not rocket science and you really just need to unpick what you have to use as a template. Good luck
DIY also
I did my whole interior last off season using Sunbrella furniture fabric and reusing the old foam in all but one moldy cushion. Cost after buying materials on ebay was about $300. I just finished making custom cockpit cushions out of the standard Sunbrella fabric and 2" foam. This will probably be free because I bought a role of Sunbrella large enough that I can probably sell for at least what I paid after removing a few yards. Lots of good fabric bargains on ebay because people buy whole rolls to do large projects and sell the leftovers for much less than retail. Tim R
I did my whole interior last off season using Sunbrella furniture fabric and reusing the old foam in all but one moldy cushion. Cost after buying materials on ebay was about $300. I just finished making custom cockpit cushions out of the standard Sunbrella fabric and 2" foam. This will probably be free because I bought a role of Sunbrella large enough that I can probably sell for at least what I paid after removing a few yards. Lots of good fabric bargains on ebay because people buy whole rolls to do large projects and sell the leftovers for much less than retail. Tim R
Thanks All - I'm Empowered
Thanks everyone. I am feeling empowered to do it myself. However, first I am going to create layout sketches of each cushion, take some digital pictures of the existing cushions, and get at least three legitamate quotes from upholster's to see what the "turn key" cost will be. If the quotes are still "way out," like greater than $1500, I am going to buy new foam, buy the fabric and make them myself. That way I will know how much money I am saving when I am making them myself on the evenings and weekends. Heck, I might even buy a new sewing machine! Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I love these forums. Dave S/V Getaway Dave
Thanks everyone. I am feeling empowered to do it myself. However, first I am going to create layout sketches of each cushion, take some digital pictures of the existing cushions, and get at least three legitamate quotes from upholster's to see what the "turn key" cost will be. If the quotes are still "way out," like greater than $1500, I am going to buy new foam, buy the fabric and make them myself. That way I will know how much money I am saving when I am making them myself on the evenings and weekends. Heck, I might even buy a new sewing machine! Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I love these forums. Dave S/V Getaway Dave
US Yacht Cushions
Dave: You may want to check out these guys. They are in FL. and have the pattern for your boat too. They use top quality materials and know the marine environment. I do not have their number, but you may be able to find it in the archives. Think you can get a new interior made from commerical grade fabric for under $1000 for your boat (including shipping).
Dave: You may want to check out these guys. They are in FL. and have the pattern for your boat too. They use top quality materials and know the marine environment. I do not have their number, but you may be able to find it in the archives. Think you can get a new interior made from commerical grade fabric for under $1000 for your boat (including shipping).
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