Bottomsider cushions

[By Invitation]

Anyone have any of these for their cockpit? Do you like them, dislike them, hate them, love them? Inquiring minds you know.

[Jentine]

We had them on our last boat, but decided against them for the new vessel. They were hot when left in the sun (light grey), slippery when wet, slid off the seats when dry and too hard. Aside from that, we had no problem with them.
Jim

[Euro Cruiser]

BI, we've carried a full set with us for 7 years now. Eventually, the cushions will break down and crack where there is heavy foot traffic, but for us this was after 6 years continuous use, all of that in Caribbean conditions (intense U/V & heat) or N European weather (cold, wet). We've now flipped the cushions over, hoping to get another few years out of them; they still look presentable and are very functional.

I thought we'd be unhappy with them at sea; the 'slipping off' thing worried me, as did the possibility of them being slippery to stand on/work from. Neither has proven to be the case. First, a good fit helps; you are sent patterns designed to fit your cockpit, which you verify or alter (even slight changes can make a fit difference) before they are constructed. In hot climates and sun, they will swell ('inflate') a small amount, which also tends to give a good fit. (In winter, you'll see little gaps between them appear). I don't find them slippery to stand on because, when doing so, one depresses the cushion, forming little trenches.

The real issue for me is whether the cushion slips on the cockpit seat. This can happen under certain conditions but we find that, when WHOOSH is heeling substantially and moving around a bit (what's needed to 'unseat' a cushion), it's not uncommon for a bit of salt water to end up in the cockpit, perhaps just a tiny trickle from a splash on the coaming. Once the underside of a cushion becomes wet, they stay put. We had a heck of a Biscay crossing this past season and got pounded for 3 days, with lots of abrupt hits by square waves. Not once did a cushion slide. If you wished, you could just toss a bit of water under the ones lining the port and starboard sides of the cockpit.

There are two vendors who make these and their products appeared to us to be identical in features and price. Which one exhibits at your nearest boat show, offering boat show pricing, may be your better choice.

Jack

[Pblais]

I have basically the same foam except 2 inches thick and covered with Sunbrella fabric. The Bottomsider cushions are half as thick.
I think it is the right idea for foam but only half as thick as you would want to use to sit on day after day. Closed cell high density foam is the best but thick is a lot more than thin.

The foam material is the expensive part so be prepared to spend the money if you want the really good stuff.

[Euro Cruiser]

There's also a blossuming thread on the SSCA Discussion board on this same topic:

http://ssca.org/sscabb/index.php

Jack

[By Invitation]

Jack,

Thanks