Show Me Your Cushions

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Yes, my current cushions are filled with it. About 4 years old now and doing well. Only one compressed spot and its a point where everyone naturally steps when transiting the cockpit (Ive yet to use any foam in that spot that did not compress...I think I will just cut a separate replaceable piece of foam just for that spot).

Good product, but not cheap.

Thanks! A first hand recommendation is always good.

[SarahBWander]

I made my own cushions as well. More time consuming than challenging. I used a local NW company Duck fabrics admiral blue fabric. It was pretty easy to work with and has held up well so far.

If you're interested in a tutorial. Sailright's YouTube video on making box cushions was excellent. Included how to start from scratch for patterning.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Thanks! A first hand recommendation is always good.

[emoji106]

[SuW]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

There is also open cell foam which allows water to pass thru due to its very open structurd. Ive used both open & closed. The down side to closed is that eventually the outter closed layer develops failure points and admits water, which is then trapped. This does take some time of course depending on how much it is abused. Open cell lets the water flow thru and dries quickly. Eventually it like all foams will compress and need to be replaced, but if not abused badly this will take years.

Good outdoor use foams, both closed and open cell, are expensive.

I used open cell foam (from Sailrite) for cockpit cushions and covered the cushions with a seconds of faux leather from Rochford textiles. The cushion bottoms are a cushion underlining material that helps the open cell foam drain.

I made five cushions: a helm seat, and two for each port and starboard bench seat, allowing the lockers to be opened with only one cushion moved.

Caution: the open cell foam will sink fairly fast if you drop it overboard! I added a half inch black closed cell foam from Rochford as floatation. This is very resilient and will never absorb water, I also made a 9 inch high helm seat with a covered stack of this foam, sandwiched with layers of open cell foam..

The results are excellent. Faux leather is easy to sew, very tough, stain resistant and feels warm when you first sit on it. (It's used in car interiors). The full-price is expensive. This stuff isn't as UV resistant as Ultraleather, but it is about 20% of the price and is good enough. I put my cushions away when not using the boat.

Only you can decide on your color scheme. I used a butter-colored faux leather with contrasting green vinyl piping. Our boat is white with a dark green cove strip and waterline stripe.

[Captain Bill]

Our cushions have Sunbrella covers with a mesh bottom. We replaced the reticulated foam three years ago as it was starting to break down on the bottom cushons, the back cushions were fine. We went back with reticulated foam as water runs right through it. We were living aboard for almost 8 years and the covers are now 17.5 years old and show no deterioration. Before we moved on board full time we were weekenders and did put the cushions inside when we were away from the boat. Waterproofing is a bit overrated IMO as with the reticulated foam the water runs right through. Usually the cushion is dry enough to sit on in less than an hour. I use a pressure washer to clean the cushions. It's amazing how much dirt the accumulate when your aboard full time. I just put them on the dock and spray them with water. They come out looking like new and are dry in no time assuming one does not let them sit on a non-porous surface that doesn't drain well. Our cushions are gray and light tan striped. I have known a number of people that had darker colors but they tended to fade after a few years. I have Capri colored sail covers and they fade noticeably after just a couple of years. If you plan on using the boat full time I recommend the lighter colors as they won't fade so fast. If you plan on being a weekender choose whatever color floats your boat so to speak and bring them in when you leave the boat. My last recommendation is that you use thick foam, especially if you plan on spending a lot of time on board. Thin 2" cushions crush to almost nothing after you've spent some time on them. Ours are five inches with an ILD of 45 which can be a bit firm. You'll want an ILD of at least 35. Some foam is rated in IFD but the scale is the same. Good luck with your project.

[JPA Cate]

I recommend the lighter colors as they won't fade so fast.

This is good advice, imo. For example, our dark red, for sail covers, Weather Max, has faded to a grey with a maroon tinge, it's awful. Our medium gray set of WM chaps for the dinghy, has faded, to a lighter gray, and looks okay. Sunbrella doesn't fade as fast as the WM, and is preferable, but any fading will be less apparent if the color is softer to start with.

Ann