Low priority project, but I got to thinking that it would be nice to restore my bottomsiders vinyl coated closed foam cockpit cushions rather than replace them for about a boat unit. Has anyone attempted this? I called Bottomsiders and spoke to Laurie, who was very helpful. Laurie suggested that I just try cleaning the daylights out of them using straight simple green and a nylon brush. She said that they often receive sets for re-coating, which is half the price of new, and it turns out that they respond to just a good cleaning. Recoating for my 9.2A would be $323 vs $627 for a new set. Sounds reasonable, but unfortunately S&H from MA to WA she thought would be about $70 each way. So $463 for recoating vs. $700 for new makes recoating sounds less attractive. We talked about things that would mean they weren't candidates for recoating and she said that any significant damage (cuts) which had weathered to the point where the foam had hardened or evidence of bubbling or delamination of the original vinyl coating would preclude recoating.
I then asked about repair, as the only significant damage I could find on mine was an x-shaped cut about 1/2 inch that appeared like an easy fix. She said they have repair kits available for $5 plus $2 S&H so I ordered one up. The caveat, she said, is that the material sent must be used within a week or it cures. Still, that is a bargain for a repair kit in my opinion (white to match the white cushions). So I will attempt to clean the daylights out of them and perform the necessary repair before I take any further action.
It looks like a top coat, like they sell for inflatables for $30/quart, might be a viable option as well. I thought about trying that on the underside of one cushion, if the cleaning doesn't work out.
Any thoughts or experience to share out there?
Thanks,
Bob
I then asked about repair, as the only significant damage I could find on mine was an x-shaped cut about 1/2 inch that appeared like an easy fix. She said they have repair kits available for $5 plus $2 S&H so I ordered one up. The caveat, she said, is that the material sent must be used within a week or it cures. Still, that is a bargain for a repair kit in my opinion (white to match the white cushions). So I will attempt to clean the daylights out of them and perform the necessary repair before I take any further action.
It looks like a top coat, like they sell for inflatables for $30/quart, might be a viable option as well. I thought about trying that on the underside of one cushion, if the cleaning doesn't work out.
Any thoughts or experience to share out there?
Thanks,
Bob
