Bow Seat Cushions

Hello. I'm renovating a 1969 16' Scatcraft (no longer in business) tri-hull. When I bought the boat, there were no seats/cushions in the bow section. I would like to either make some cushions myself or get them made by an upholsterer. Perhaps I could build the backings and cut the foam and then have the upholsterer sew the vinyl covers since I don't have access to a decent sewing machine.

Since the cushions were never there, I don't know how they were originally designed. Therefore I'll have to make something from scratch without having the original pieces to work from.

Can somebody send me some pics of their bow cushions so that I can get an idea of how they look? Any ideas of how I can go about this would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Bow Seat Cushions

Do a search on here for seat cushions. There are a couple good threads where guys have done amazing work, all at home. I learned a lot, and the threads gave me the b*lls to try a redo of my own cushions, even to the point where I learned how to sew vinyl with an old Singer sewing machine (Google is your friend, and there are some decent videos on Youtube on how to operate a machine). One caution - expense. Most cushions are simply plywood, foam glued to the plywood, plastic wrapping the foam (not to waterproof, but to protect it from being abraded by the backing on the vinyl) and the plastic and vinyl stapled to the plywood. If you don't have a power staple gun, get one -they are cheap and make the job way easier. Anyway, back to the expense part - vinyl and foam at retail stores is surprisingly expensive. You can get good deals online, but know what you are getting - I had one order of vinyl that was much lower quality (and price) than another. Not heavy enough, didn't have a nice finish. Foam is pretty pricey, especially the dense stuff that you want for a seat cushion.
Good Luck - you can make darn nice stuff yourself. No it won't be professional quality, but if you have an older boat like mine, you have a hard time justifying the expense of professional work.

Re: Bow Seat Cushions

I have been an upholsterer for 18 years now and I'm going give away some secrets of the trade, just to help out a few of the fellows in your neighborhood.

1) Get the professional help. You can do it yourself, but compared to a correctly done job, it will look homemade. If you're OK with that, then go for it. You can get the majority of the job done for the same cost as doing it yourself (not all of it, but most). You're going to pay the higher cost for wood, vinyl, foam, plus the staple gun and SS staples whereas they will have the majority of this onhand.

2) Get their ideas on the best way to lay out the bow cushions. If you look to redo exactly what was on the boat earlier, it is a simple design. But if they have done 50 boats in the last 2 years, my bet is they can come up with a better design.

3) Foam is expensive. It's actually cheaper by the sheet than by the cut piece. Buy the sheet of foam through the shop and see if they will either return the unused portion to you or donate it back to them for a little off of the price.

4) Go through the color samples from various suppliers. Pay attention to the shade of the color as well as the grain and the backing.

5) Multi colors are only slightly more than a single color. the material is the same price, you're only paying for a little extra stitching. Multi colors really jazz an older boat up.

6) Insist on medium/firm foam for the seats (3" minimum) and medium for the backs. Trust me.

7) Make sure they put 2" holes in the seat bottoms or vents in the vinyl or it will balloon up when you sit on them. Make sure they use "slip-eeze" over the foam and wood. This keep any water intrusion from soaking into the foam and the wood. It will add years to the seats. Make sure they use SS staples.

8) Some of the things that you are paying for (which are included in the price) is the stuff you can't do at home. The addition of welting to the backs of the cushions to close off the gaps between the cushion and the gelcoat. The addition of "Hide 'Em" to finish off the staple lines. These are part of the difference between homemade and professional.

9) Consider going away from welt and ask about french seams or top stitching. Much stronger seams and a newer look. Insist on UVR thread. You can't get that for a home machine.

10) Here's the killer...ask for a better price. Every single person that has said to me that they couldn't afford *whatever* at this time got a better price. I would much rather take a little less profit and assure a return customer than lose the job altogether as well as repeat business.

Check some of the pics for the differences in a professional job. I'm not trying to rag on anyones homemade work, but like everything else, you have to decide on how well you want the finished product to look.

Re: Bow Seat Cushions

^^^^ Excellent post.

I have done some of the upholstery work in my boat but I already knew how to sew and have a commercial machine. That being said, when it comes time to do my seats, I will have a professional do it. I can make cushions easily but haven't done seats yet.

Re: Bow Seat Cushions

Please refer to rule #12, 1008. You have hijacked an old post.

Thanks for future cooperation.