Your Cockpit Cushions ?

[Christian Van H]

Hi all! When not following the thread about goats circumnavigating, I have been thinking about new cockpit cushions. Any thoughts? I really like those closed cell foam cushions with the coating on them, but how do they hold up? Thanks, Chris

[s/v Jedi]

Hi Chris,

We went the other direction and used 4" open cell instead (dry-fast as sold by SailRite). We love it. The covers are Textilene.

cheers,
Nick.

[moonrsn]

It is really hard to beat 'BottomSiders'.

[drewke07]

we have been very disapointed with c cushons. after a few months in the sun they all went flat

[Minggat]

We originally went with conventional foam cushions. I had them made with a hinge in the middle to make them easier to store. (picture the internally framed folding cushions at West Marine-not yet on the market when I had my idea).

They were getting left in storage when we took the boat out of the slip because they were just too bulky, getting dirty when stepped on and just not worth the trouble.

Then I bought some small vinyl bean bag chairs from Target. They didn't work too well until I removed a significant amount of the beans. Then I got the idea to remove the foam from my expensive custom cushions and replace them with the styrofoam beans.

Now they are very comfortable and versatile and popular. They stow easily and have been used to help protect other things aboard that need it. I still have the bean bag chairs as well. They all get used.

This post belongs in the "Favorite Things Aboard" thread.

[Christian Van H]

Here's something wierd...C Cusions and BottomSiders seem to be almost the same thing, and yet one owner loves them and one owners would never buy again! I wonder if cusjion color had anything to do with the failure?

[svHyLyte]

We purchased a set of C-Cushions in Oyster White with the optional roughened surface texture on the "up-side" in February of 2002 and they have proven to be an excellent investment, making the cockpit seats very comfortable for sitting (or sleeping!). In our case we only leave the cusions in the cockpit when we are aboard; and, in the summer, only leave them laying flat--exposed to the sun--when we're using them (otherwise they are stood up-right leaning against the combings like back-rests).

As with everything, maintenance is important. We give our cushions a good scrub with soapy water to remove sun-screen lotions and body oils and use a little Soft-Scrub one a spong to remove the odd scuff-marks from boat shoes and then stand them sideways to air dry. After 7 years of hard use (including use as surf rafts by my daughter and her pals) ours still look nearly new.

For the sake of comparison, we also have closed cell foam cushions covered with "Sunbrella" (shown on the foredeck in the snap below) which the girls use for sunbathing on deck. During the summer months here these are somewhat more comfortable in use than the C-Cushions because of the extreme heat, particularly when they are exposed to the direct sunlight, but one could easily have inexpensive Sunbrella or Terry-cloth covers made for the C-Cushions for sumer use if that proved necessary.

FWIW...

[Jetexas]

This is probably a dumb question, but I need to redo both my cabin and cockpit cushions. I've looked at C Cushions as they offer a set for the Starwind 27, but I'm not sure that's the way I want to go. When it comes to open-cell foam, is boat cushion foam the same as mattress topper foam?

The quotes I've gotten from upholstery shops have been ridiculous. I've started thinking my best option is to buy 4" foam king size mattress toppers from Overstock.com and cut my own cushions. Good idea or bad idea?

[Sailmonkey]

I've got a set of homebrew foam cushions for the cockpit........if they get wet they take days and days to dry out. Open cell foam would be the way to go I think. I've sat for many hours on c cushions, and stuck to them like the seat of ford pinto.

[forsailbyowner]

I built my cushions out of a heavy weave strand polyester foam. The foam came from spankos that they use in nursing homes. The spankos are cushions they set alongside beds to lessen injury in case the patient falls out of bed. Have a weave similiar to phifertex covering. Will go with drain dry when I replace them. I like a cushion that drains. With closed cell or vinyl cover you end up sitting in a puddle when it rains. Get wet butt even with foulies.

[s/v Jedi]

The open cell foam I used was first developed for in-wing fuel tanks for aircraft. Much like baffles in our tanks. When you hold it under running water, the water will run straight through. It is a little firmer than conventional upholstery foam but much softer than the closed cell foam. During the manufacturing process, they pump an explosive gas in the foam and ignite it. Now that's fun! ;-)

This is the item at SailRite: Dry Fast Foam Open Cell 2" Thick 48" x 72"

There's only one negative and that's it's price.

cheers,
Nick.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

There's only one negative and that's it's price.

Hell, you think that's expensive, check out the 3 and 4 inch stuff!

http://www.sailrite.com/Foam-Dry-Fas...=2&category=36

[s/v Jedi]

Yes Chris, I know, we bought the 4" and it was a lot of money. As you can see on a photo I posted earlier in this thread, we cut the 4" down to 3" ourselves, and used that 1" piece to create 5" sections like the lower-back sections in the pilot house.

Even with those prices, we beat the quotes so much that we earned back the SailRite sewing machine we bought plus put $1k back in our pockets. When we are at anchor we sleep in the pilothouse on the cushions we made and it's perfect. I'd rather sleep on rock & pebble than on those wafer-thin hard closed cell foam and plastic wrapped ready-to-use cushions. They are horrible.

ciao!
Nick.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

As you can see on a photo I posted earlier in this thread, we cut the 4" down to 3" ourselves, and used that 1" piece to create 5" sections like the lower-back sections in the pilot house.

And then you returned your bread knife to the galley!

[rodney_k]

We did away with cockpit cushions completely after having both Bottom Siders & C-Cushions. We went with a matched set of 4 Sporta-Seats. The Sporta-Seats have genuine Sunbrella covers that match our canvas. Our boat also has those "cheap seats" or stern rail seats built into the stern pulpit. On those seats we have closed cell foam covered with Textilene. The Sporta-Seats can be taken forward for lounging on deck too and are easily stored flat. Don't confuse the Sporta-Seat with the cheap Chinese knock-offs West Marine sells.

Don't miss the Bottom-Siders or C-Cushions one bit.

Sporta-Seat - Sport a seat - Cockpit cushions, cockpit seats, folding seats, portable seats, sailboat cushions, helm seats.

No affiliation, just a satified customer.