Its not the age but how well it was taken care of.
My 1984 Stingray's upholstery has been treated with a protectant* twice a year for 31 years. The boat is covered and garage kept when not in use. The seats are soft and supple and look brand new. My fishing boat has the original seat cushions that came out of the 1968 runabout that I sold in 1972. If you turn them over you can see that the tops are sightly faded, but the material has not a single defect.
OTOH, I know of a 1971 Runabout that was well maintained, garage kept and covered up by the original owner until 2 years ago. I saw the boat when it was sold, and even considered buying it myself. The upholstery was pristine. The second owner kept it outside and uncovered. After a year he decided to sell it. The seats were all cracked and completely trashed. Seeing that pristine classic in that condition would make you sick!
* 15 years of lemon pledge, 10 years of Armorall, and 6 years of 3M Mcguires auto vinyl protectant.
