So lets talk cabin cushions...
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Many cushions I have seen, including the cushions in my boat, have a much more open fabric on the bottom panel, (mine looks like burlap mesh) to facilitate moisture transfer and evaporation. Sail Rite's how to videos say the same. Vinyl would not be a good choice for bottom material IMO. And I would not like to sit on vinyl as a top fabric, either. Cold and clammy, except in the summer when it's hot and sticky. Ick.
Ya might try poking around Hancock Fabrics out on Gause Blvd. They sometimes have sale parts or scraps..
http://hancockfabrics.com/outdoor-more-fabrics
My original cushions from 1986 timeframe had vinyl bottoms.. New cushions I had made last year have mesh backing for better breathing. I like the mesh better..
http://hancockfabrics.com/outdoor-more-fabrics
My original cushions from 1986 timeframe had vinyl bottoms.. New cushions I had made last year have mesh backing for better breathing. I like the mesh better..
Read a little about foam. I'd choose latex foam for this application. It's a natural material, hypoallergenic & anti-fungal. It's more durable but has a firmer feel. This is straight from the advertising, but based on comparison with memory foam. I'd be concerned about the chemicals and out-gassing of memory foam. The downside is cost, but I contend that when the boat is for full-time living, it makes more sense to put a premium on health and cleanliness.
We bought all of our interior foam and exterior foam first from the above but then from their other site....
http://www.foamdistributing.com/
... with even better pricing but you have to buy whole sheets. Still really worth it and a cheap electric carving knife cuts this stuff like butter. Still either of their sites has great prices, free shipping, large selection of foam types and densities.
Hard to recommend foam for others as we all have different tastes in softness/firmness. We like firm and using their Lux High Quality Foam that is firm/dense we could use 3 inch thick for the berth and cabin cushions which gave us another 1 inch of headroom in the V-berth and...
.... cabin which is nice on a small boat. Even on your knees you don't go through. We liked it so much we use the same foam on both boats, the teardrop trailer and even used it for a couple years at home before buying an air-bed. That way we slept on the same mattress no mater where we were.
For the cockpit cushions we were tired of wet cushions and trying to dry them so went with...
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/outdoorfoam/outdoorfoam.html
... their Dry Fast foam. Not as stiff as closed cell foam which was important to us as our butts were on this stuff day after day, but still firm.
To also add in the quick drying we used Sailrite's Phifertex Plus Poolside Fabric....
http://www.sailrite.com/Phifertex-Plus-Mesh-Dupioni-Poolside-L37-54
... with this combination you can have cushions that were just rained on and lay a towel on top of and sit on them and they dry very quickly. We made them for both boats and you can find the info on the interior and exterior foam and material here...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-canvas/canvas-index.html
Sailrite has some good videos on covering cushions and you don't need a heavy duty machine to do it and there are lots of pictures on doing it on the link just above.
Good luck,
Sumner
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A couple of years ago I found foam at Home Depot 3"x30"x80" for $20. Haven't looked lately hoping it is still there will need some soon.
I have found that the 3" works well wrapped in 1" thick batten. Batten is extremely cheap but gives the cushions a nice feel and plumps out the corners for a professional look. I you have a garment district in your nearest big city take a look there for it.
I have found that the 3" works well wrapped in 1" thick batten. Batten is extremely cheap but gives the cushions a nice feel and plumps out the corners for a professional look. I you have a garment district in your nearest big city take a look there for it.
.... also the life expectancy, how much use will it get and is the firmness what you want. The foam factory has a pretty good review of different foam types...
http://www.foamdistributing.com/polyurethane-foam-sheets.html
... and for the Poly foam they recommend...
They have it in a number of sizes and thicknesses. For say a poly 3" X 54" X 80" it is $49.60 or $24.80 for a piece a little large than the Home Depot foam above that is $24.97, so about a wash price wise.
http://www.foamdistributing.com/P_2/poly-foam-mattress.html
The nice thing is they have many types of foam so you can easily get different thickness and move up in quality. They give expected life spans on their other site.................
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/seatcushion/foamtypes.html
.... but the wholesale site....
http://www.foamdistributing.com/products.html
...has better pricing if you cut it yourself and need more than a piece or two.
We ordered from both and were totally satisfied and the nice thing is the free deliver and the fact we could get foam delivered living in a remote location. The Home Depot foam might work for a number of people just fine but if you think you need something else check this company out and no I don't work for them
,Sumner
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Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
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Let us know what you decided and what you did, as that is always appreciated by us. Good Luck! Chief
I have a blog I keep meaning to set up to take me through the stages. Not really for others but mostly for me because my memory is so bad. I like to look back and remember what I went through to get to where I'm at now. Whenever I get it working I'll put a link in my signature for whoever wants to peek in on me
Neptune 24 is a good-looking boat and descriptions indicate the interior is pretty well finished and roomy for a small boat. Good luck with the renovation!