Boat cushion/seats - whats inside?

I have 2012 Q5 with a handful of removable cushions (three up in bow, and large one on top of engine area).

Had some moisture in/on them from a dealer wash down - so thought i would keep the zippers open a little bit to allow for venting while stored in garage.

Noticed the pad was encased in clear plastic - almost like a shipping bag... is that normal? doesn't seem to crinkle or be annoying/loud.

Is this to keep foam dry - i can imagine it would also prevent it from drying very easily if the wrapping got a leak.

Good to keep zippers partially open? Or seam seal inside and keep zipper closed? Spray interior cushion with mildew preventer?

I guess i am just a little worried about the new boat - getting that musty-old boat problem some boats have.

I guess just by being aware of possible problems that will help prevent it? 'Problem boats' were mistreated/ignored?

Re: Boat cushion/seats - whats inside?

The Foam Padding in the cushions are wrapped in plastic to prevent the insde of the vinyl cover from sanding the pad into foam dust!
DO NOT remove the plastic wrap, or you will be replacing the the cushions soon!

Re: Boat cushion/seats - whats inside?

If they get really wet, I just take them out of the boat and lean them up somewhere - most seats don't have any zippers. You don't have to really do more than that to keep them nice and dry. Most problems are caused by folks who leave them outside uncovered or cover them up after the inside of the boat gets drenched.

Re: Boat cushion/seats - whats inside?

As an upholsterer, I can tell you that there are a few different reasons for the plastic.

1) Foam sticks like crazy to the back side of vinyl. The plastic makes it easy to fill the cushion with the foam insert.
2) The plastic, if sealed correctly, keeps the foam from absorbing any moisture. Any water that gets into the cushion runs off of the foam and drips out of the vent holes, the zipper, or the PfiferTex (expanded plastic) areas, if it's stitched in.

I have never heard or had an issue with the vinyl "sanding" the foam into dust. That is known as "cornmealing" and is usually a result of the foam degrading over the years. As far as most seats not having zippers, it depends on whether or not they are foam attached to a solid base, such as wood or starboard (then no zippers). If they are soft, removable cushion, then they almost always come with zippers, as there is no way to get the faom inside after the cushion has been made. There are some exceptions to this, mainly if the cushion is stuffed with foam and then sewn shut by hand or by machine.

Re: Boat cushion/seats - whats inside?

Thanks for the info guys.

These are the removable cushions that button into place. I will just keep an eye on the plastic wrap for any water/mold on the inside. Maybe at some point i'll try a little 3M mold preventer on the inside bottom surfaces where water might collect on long weekends. Same with the bottoms of my fixed cushions w/o zippers (livewell seat, cooler seat, capts chairs)

Just seemed like even after a day in the sun when we got back the bottoms of the cushions were still wet.... can imagine that could last quite some time if you didn't remove the cushions AND vent or put in sun