Sailboat Interior Cushion Covers (Replacement)

Nov 13, 2016
1
Hunter 31 Deale, Maryland
Hey everyone,

I have a 1981 Hunter, 31'. I need to get the interior cushion covers replaced. I heard that there is a company located in Florida who might have bought the rights to all of the original Hunter cushion cover patterns... where you can get your cushion covers replaced for a significantly smaller cost than having them custom made.

Does anyone know about this company, who they are... OR have any recommendations on where I can find replacement cushion covers for less expense??

Thanks so much!!
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Best deal I've gotten was by taking the cushions to an auto upholstery about 150 miles from the ocean in the desert where they asked "What are these for?" A boat, says I. He kind of shrugged and quoted a price too low, I gave him some extra when I picked them up. Had plush blue auto fabric on top and white vinyl on bottom, button tuck, they looked great. I think it was about $1600 for 13 pieces of varied size.
 
  • Like
Likes: KD3PC
Apr 8, 2010
1,942
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
You did not mention the condition of the foam. OEM foam specs are quite low, and your cushions flattened out when sat on about 8 to 10 years after they were new. Put in new foam this time, and do not go cheap like the old stuff; it was probably about 1.8 density. You need 2.6 density. Any upholstery shop will have this stuff.
The advice about custom auto upholstery shops is right on. Much like a boat interior, nothing is "square" in a vehicle and building for shapes and curves is routine for those guys. Ya might want to draw the line at "tuck and roll" however! :)
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
How handy are you (or the first mate) with sewing machine? I replaced all the salon cushions, 3 stateroom mattresses, and nav station cushion for around $1100. That is all new high density foam and covers, new zippers...... the whole 9 yards. If your foam is OK then the cover material was only about $300. I found that sailrite had EXCELLENT videos on how to do it and it is not all that hard. Construction tip, use lots of pins instead of the basting tape. basting tape gummed up the sewing machine needle. We used the sailrite scrum to pattern the cushions as we wanted to break up the cushions into smaller blocks. The OEM cushions where huge and could not be stored anywhere except in the location they where made for. Also incorporated a cushion for the table that actually works. The OEM solution had many large cracks that lead to less than optimal sleeping.
 
Oct 6, 2007
1,023
Hunter H30 1982 Chicago IL
Best deal I've gotten was by taking the cushions to an auto upholstery about 150 miles from the ocean in the desert where they asked "What are these for?" A boat, says I. He kind of shrugged and quoted a price too low, I gave him some extra when I picked them up. Had plush blue auto fabric on top and white vinyl on bottom,
Hey everyone,

I have a 1981 Hunter, 31'. I need to get the interior cushion covers replaced. I heard that there is a company located in Florida who might have bought the rights to all of the original Hunter cushion cover patterns... where you can get your cushion covers replaced for a significantly smaller cost than having them custom made.

Does anyone know about this company, who they are... OR have any recommendations on where I can find replacement cushion covers for less expense??

Thanks so much!!

I have not heard of the outfit in Florida you are looking for. Patterns for cushions on a 35 year old boat are likely long gone and they shouldn't really need them anyway.
I used a neighborhood Auto & Marine Upholstery shop three blocks from home that has since also done a leather repair in my car and re-canvassed a sling chair in my living room. They picked up the old cushions at the boat, took measurements for some additional work, and delivered the recovered cushions to the boat.
My car is too small to hold most of the cushions on my boat, but if you have a larger vehicle available, Calif.Ted's suggestion to go to an Auto Upholstery shop 150 miles inland is an interesting idea. If travel time and fuel cost don't negate the savings, just make sure they use materials appropriate to a marine environment.
 
Dec 29, 2012
148
Hunter 37 Jacksonville
I did find the place you mention. I can see if I still have it if you are interested. However their prices were not that impressive. I had our cushions done for approx. 700 dollars reusing our foam. My sail loft gave me the person's name and they did a great job.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,885
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I used US Yacht Cushions in St. Pete Fl.. Not cheap but the work was first class.. I found some Ultrasuede at a great price and they were happy to make the cushions with new foam and a mesh back.. They made a lot of the OE Hunter cushions and probably have the patterns for your boat. Something to check is whether your cushions are original or not so there won't be a surprise if they build an OE looking cushion and yours are not..? The auto upholstery shop a long way from the coast is a great idea also..
 
Nov 14, 2016
1
Hunter 30 30' Middle River
Marybeth I have a complete set of brand new hunter 30 cushions. Never been used will be glad to sell them to you cheaper then you could buy them. Removed old cushions had local upolsterer measure and replace using same frames where needed. Brand new never been in boat. Long long story!
 
Aug 15, 2013
24
Hunter 31 Baltimore
Marybeth I have a complete set of brand new hunter 30 cushions. Never been used will be glad to sell them to you cheaper then you could buy them. Removed old cushions had local upolsterer measure and replace using same frames where needed. Brand new never been in boat. Long long story!
 
Aug 15, 2013
24
Hunter 31 Baltimore
I have a 1985 Hunter 31. When new cushions were needed about 10 years ago, I used US Yacht Cushions in Florida.
YES, they DO have the patterns for older Hunter sailboats. At the time, they did not have a website (you may wish to check) but were happy to mail me small sample swatches of available fabrics, along with an "letter size" template confirming the number and shape of the cushions. Workmanship was First Class. Everything fits perfectly, and the new cushions are alive and well after 10 years of use.
 
Feb 6, 2013
437
Hunter 31 Deale, MD
MB, are you sure your Hunter is a 1981? I have an '84, is it the same design?

We're getting ready to make new covers for the cushions in our salon. We're going to re-use the original foam. The geometry is pretty simple, so not pattern required. We've removed the covers to allow the foam to resume its full dimensions. Then we're going to make the covers 1/4" in each dimension to keep the taut.

BTW, your boat is near mine, I'd like to see the results when you're done. Thanks.
 
Apr 8, 2010
1,942
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
MB, are you sure your Hunter is a 1981? I have an '84, is it the same design?

We're getting ready to make new covers for the cushions in our salon. We're going to re-use the original foam. The geometry is pretty simple, so not pattern required. We've removed the covers to allow the foam to resume its full dimensions. Then we're going to make the covers 1/4" in each dimension to keep the taut.

BTW, your boat is near mine, I'd like to see the results when you're done. Thanks.
To reiterate again, as the saying goes, Do NOT use the old foam. It has broken down - both age and use will degrade it. Use it for a pattern, and get an electric carving knife and make up some some new cushion blanks out of 2.6 density foam.
A ton of skilled labor goes into making new covers... do not wasted this time and $$ on old foam.
 

HMT2

.
Mar 20, 2014
899
Hunter 31 828 Shoreacres, TX
MB, are you sure your Hunter is a 1981? I have an '84, is it the same design?

We're getting ready to make new covers for the cushions in our salon. We're going to re-use the original foam. The geometry is pretty simple, so not pattern required. We've removed the covers to allow the foam to resume its full dimensions. Then we're going to make the covers 1/4" in each dimension to keep the taut.

BTW, your boat is near mine, I'd like to see the results when you're done. Thanks.
The Hunter 31 changed some in 1983 and were the same design through 1987. On this site when you look up model years you will see Hunter 31 (83-87).
 
Dec 7, 2016
66
Beneteau Oceanis 45 Annapolis
Last winter I performed a full cushion re-cover on my 76 Catalina using Sailrite as a resource for education, tools and materials. Awesome site! If you have the time, space and aptitude for doing this type of work it can save you lots of money and be very rewarding. I'm about to take on a full re-cover for the 85 Hunter 34 we just purchased. On the Catalina I reused the original 40 year old foam and added some poly batting to the top to help firm the cushions up a bit. It worked but I agree with Fast Olson that replacing is old foam is ideal.....if you can afford to swallow the cost of the foam. It can be very expensive! The Hunter is missing all of the cushions for the main cabin so I have no choice but to replace the foam. I'm considering using multi layered high density/memory foam mattress toppers available through Amazon and cutting to size. Curious if anyone else has considered going this route?

Marybethhunter31,
If you aren't up to the task of taking it on the job yourself, I can recommend Bay County Custom Van & Upholstery in Annapolis. I've used them for several auto projects with great result. Their prices seem fair.
 

Attachments

Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
I did every single cushion below on mine myself. reused the foam. Wasn't all that hard. Used a cheap home machine, wish I had a better one.

I made new exterior cushions with new foam. Piping and everything. That was much tougher, but still doable for a non-experienced sewer.