How to Decide on Boat Upholstery

[CF32907]

Hi all, with owning "guess" I've owned 40 plus boats over my 75 years. Surveyed 1000's over 22 years. My preference is any good upholstery material for "interior" cushions, more comfortable than Sunbrella although Sunbrella is probably the toughest. Exterior cushions either Sunbella or a 600-800 Denier Dacron the Dacron is about as tough as Sunbrella and is stain resistant and does not rot, great for all cushion. All that time aboard vessels, keeping them clean is not that much of a problem. No matter what you use, if you have people in swim suits and compound that 10 fold, for those using sun tan lotion, these folks are made to sit / lean back on cushions, they need to be on towels for that purpose. Under no conditions would I use any of the vinyls / naugahyde, they are hot and sticky, when they get wet, they mold on the insides. Either of those I mentioned for exterior cushions breathe well and dry. I've used 650D Dacron on cockpit cushions, even 4-5 years old they still look great. Impervious to most staining, can literally blot out red wine stains (personal experience). I'm not telling anyone to use these products, but they have worked well for me. Oh, The 600D Dacrons run about 1/3 the cost of Sunbrella. They literally can save you hundreds of dollars on your upholster costs.
Hope this helped give some insight. Happy sailing all.
Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret. MS St.Petersburg, Fl.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...
If you're planning to make cushions for the cockpit...you HAVE TO HAVE closed cell foam and a fabric like sunbrella.

We used reticulated open cell foam from Sailrite. it's comfortable, doesn't get mildew or retain moisture. Water will pour right through it. After 6 years of use it's as good as new.

Only downsides are that it is expensive, and probably wouldn't float if the cushion went overboard, so I added a 5/8 inch closed cell foam layer underneath.

I used an open weave waterproof lining fabric on the bottom of the cushions and a knock-off Ultraleather on top and sides.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by CF32907

Hi all, with owning "guess" I've owned 40 plus boats over my 75 years. Surveyed 1000's over 22 years. My preference is any good upholstery material for "interior" cushions, more comfortable than Sunbrella although Sunbrella is probably the toughest. Exterior cushions either Sunbella or a 600-800 Denier Dacron the Dacron is about as tough as Sunbrella and is stain resistant and does not rot, great for all cushion. All that time aboard vessels, keeping them clean is not that much of a problem. No matter what you use, if you have people in swim suits and compound that 10 fold, for those using sun tan lotion, these folks are made to sit / lean back on cushions, they need to be on towels for that purpose. Under no conditions would I use any of the vinyls / naugahyde, they are hot and sticky, when they get wet, they mold on the insides. Either of those I mentioned for exterior cushions breathe well and dry. I've used 650D Dacron on cockpit cushions, even 4-5 years old they still look great. Impervious to most staining, can literally blot out red wine stains (personal experience). I'm not telling anyone to use these products, but they have worked well for me. Oh, The 600D Dacrons run about 1/3 the cost of Sunbrella. They literally can save you hundreds of dollars on your upholster costs.
Hope this helped give some insight. Happy sailing all.
Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret. MS St.Petersburg, Fl.

I agree, good advice. We upholstered our boat with hotel-style banquet chair upholstery fabric from Decorative Fabrics Direct in Georgia some years ago. It's held up really well.

Another good supplier in my experience is Rochford Supply. They often have seconds at a good discount with no apparent faults.

[MWhite]

In terms of fabric, consider using one called 'crypton' fabric. It can be very expensive, but there are a lot of really excellent deals on line. It is stain and water resistant. In addition, on our boat, all our cushions are double covered. The interior cover is made of PUL fabric, which is what diaper covers are made of. That way if for any reason water gets through the first layer, the foam won't get wet. I've bought a lot of fabric for our boat at fabricguru.com. I do not use 'marine' fabric on the interior of my boat. Another option to look at is upholstery fabric for cars. Widen the scope of what you will consider and I think you may be pleased with the outcome.

[Pleiades]

I chose an artificial suede finish sewn into loose fitting zippered covers so that they can by removed easily for laundering.
I think the fabric is called micro-suede. I chose a medium grey with piped edges.
The covers look like pillow cases.

By the way, if your alcohol stove is sooty, something is not right. Alcohol burns with a clean flame that is hard to see, which is why it’s so dangerous.

[PUDDLE JUMPER II]

Intrigued by this inner layer of material... What is this process called so I can google it and learn?

We are out shopping for fabrics and foam replacement of our some 25+ year old cushions.

Is there a marine grade of dense foam these days that doesn't grow mold?

[PUDDLE JUMPER II]

Originally Posted by MWhite

In terms of fabric, consider using one called 'crypton' fabric. It can be very expensive, but there are a lot of really excellent deals on line. It is stain and water resistant. In addition, on our boat, all our cushions are double covered. The interior cover is made of PUL fabric, which is what diaper covers are made of. That way if for any reason water gets through the first layer, the foam won't get wet. I've bought a lot of fabric for our boat at fabricguru.com. I do not use 'marine' fabric on the interior of my boat. Another option to look at is upholstery fabric for cars. Widen the scope of what you will consider and I think you may be pleased with the outcome.

Intrigued by this inner layer of material... What is this process called so I can google it and learn?

We are out shopping for fabrics and foam replacement of our some 25+ year old cushions.

Is there a marine grade of dense foam these days that doesn't grow mold?

[Rumrace]

We ( it all the wife) toss out mattresses and reupholster boats. We had some great ideas for one boat and met with the designer. He’s never been on that boat but looked at a few photos and picked something completely different from what we wanted. It was called wild rice. It has a “ wisebeck” rating of 200 as it’s a commercial grade fabric. His company also carry the most expensive hides as well as several factories.
The whole interior of the main cabin when to a shop to meet the new Wildrice. The Upholstery shop called me said they through out all the foam on a 6 year old boat.
He said they used cheap foam and it doesn’t winter well in a stored boat.
The wildrice as it turned out looks like wild rice. Long grain fluffy rice with dark roots. Blood proof, and tough but very soft.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by PUDDLE JUMPER II

Intrigued by this inner layer of material... What is this process called so I can google it and learn?
We are out shopping for fabrics and foam replacement of our some 25+ year old cushions.
Is there a marine grade of dense foam these days that doesn't grow mold?

Sailrite and Rochford sell treated foam. It's a bit more expensive, but you're only doing this once every 25 years!

I highly recommend Rochford's ultraleather knock-off vinyl. The kind used in car seats. Real Ultraleather is $75 per yard!

[SuW]

I think both Sailrite and Rochford sell a sample box of foam so you can decide on the density and so on.

[sinnerman]

Originally Posted by SuW

I think both Sailrite and Rochford sell a sample box of foam so you can decide on the density and so on.

And these true anti-mold foams have the anti-mold chemicals actually built into the foam, not "sprayed on" like cheaper mfgrs.

[PaulCrawhorn]

Originally Posted by SuW

I highly recommend Rochford's ultraleather knock-off vinyl. The kind used in car seats

Is this it? https://rochfordsupply.com/shop/Auto...nyl/index.html

[SuW]

Originally Posted by PaulCrawhorn

Is this it? https://rochfordsupply.com/shop/Auto...nyl/index.html

It certainly looks like it. I bought some from them years ago as seconds.
It feels soft to the skin, sews brilliantly (although you have to watch the stretch).
It is moisture and red wine stain proof () and when you sit on it with bare skin it feels warm, not cold.

Some different techniques should be used compared to non-stretch materials, although for small projects like cockpit cushions the normal "zippered bag" is fine.

Their sample book is reasonably priced.

I do like this company, but they don't hold your hand as much as Sailrite.