How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

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dccordell

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

I'll mention something on thread... I put together a seat yesterday and had some issues with my machine and had to take it to the shop today. Turns out it was a timing issue and broken part on the bobbin shuttle and tension issues, but the guy also said that he couldn't get the machine to sew hardly at all with the thread I had bought from ebay. He said it kept bunching up at the needle, just like it had been doing to me earlier. He tried a different thread of the same weight and it worked great. So you gotta be careful on the thread you use!

The thread I was using is called Dabond UVR Polyester V69 thread. I assumed it was a good quality stuff, but now I just don't know! It can be seen here. Maybe it's just my machine... wonder if anyone else has used it with success?

Something to keep in mind...

Another thing, I don't remember if it was mentioned in this thread or not, but I did see it somewhere... it's probably a good idea to use a router to round-over the bottom edge of the seat base so the edge won't cut the vinyl as you pull it under to staple.
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

with the heavier thread, the bobbin tension spring may not have enough adjustment in it, to where it has the bottom thread too loose (to where it bunches up) or too strong.
my machine already had a heavy duty bobbin spool in it. some of the entry level sewing machines dont come with a very good bobbin, and you can usually buy a better bobbin spool for most of the major brands.
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

here is a couple seam layouts that do not use welting.....
the red line represents the appearance side of the vinyl
i do not know the proper names of these types of seams.

this first one is a single overlap.
start with the appearance side facing each other and sew a straight stitch about 1/2" from the edge.
then fold one side back onto itself and run another stitch about 1/4" back from the fold.

overlap.jpg


this next one is a double fold (similar to the seams on a pair of jeans)
start with the appearance side facing the same direction, overlapping the edges by 1/2"
run a straight stitch down the middle of the overlap.
then folder both pieces over each other, and run 2 stitches along the seam equally spaced.

overlap2.jpg


***TIP***
when folding the vinyl, it really helps to press the vinyl to help keep it's shape prior to folding.
to press the vinyl, i use a metal rolling pin (like used in cooking) to press the seam down. Put the rolling pin in your freezer for about an hour or more...the coldness of the rolling pin will help set the seam when you press it
 
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dccordell

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

Good stuff on the seams... I actually used the first one on the skirting seam on the seat I just made. I put that seam on the back of the seat near the welting "tunnel" where ya can't see either of them when installed in the boat.

Well after some machine issues and thread issues, here's what I was able to put together today. I had already cut this piece of foam before yall told us to cut it 1/2" bigger all around, so it's not as "full" as it could be... this is a seat back rest, so it was built with 2" foam. Seats will be 3"... it is wrapped with plastic, stapled on the back.. the welting is supposed to be white but looks gray?? Oh well.. it will be ok. If I can make the rest look this decent, I'll be satisfied.

114545e0.jpg


Btw, when I sit on it, after about 1 second, I feel a big drop as the air in the foam is squeezed out through the edges in the plastic, and then when I get up, it takes about 2-3 seconds to suck back in the air. What can we do to stop that from happening? I was thinking maybe drill a couple holes in the wood base to let the air in and out... thoughts?
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

yes, drill some air escape/inflate holes....when you put pressure on the cushions, the air has to go somewhere.
if the cushions 'deflate' too much for your liking, you can use a more dense foam (kinda sucks if you already bought all you foam and cut them up)

when i make my captain's chair, i'll be using the double overlap seam...i dont want to use the welting on it
 
Big Gee

Big Gee

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

I just discovered this awesome thread today. Thanks for providing the much-needed (in my case) information.

BTW? What did you use for staples to attach to the plywood backing?
 
springer59

springer59

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

Hello MRDJFlores, Just a little info on "air belching" upholstery, most suppliers carry these neat things to prevent that problem.They are called brass vents, and they fit in a 3/4" hole in the back or un-seen side of cusions,very similar to a brass grommet in the way they attatch to the material.If I had better computor skills i'd supply a link .But I don't so, one such place is.... Perfect Fit Upholstery. you can Google it,and I belive the proper term is "brass ventilators" check & see what you think.I have dabbled with this before and used similar ones with great success.And thank you for a wealth of how to info, dang it, my wife just saw this thread & now I'm going to have to "DABBLE" with mine now! LOL! thanks again.
 
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jones01m

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

I have always said there is one thing I don't want to know is how to sew, because if I did, my list of things to do will grow tremendously.
My have to rethink my position after seeing this thread.

Nice work.
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

one additional thing about putting in vent holes in the bottom of the cushions (through the plywood)...even if you feel you have dense enough foam to not need these vent holes....they also serve an extra purpose.....they help drain out any water that may soak into your seats (either through a tear or along the seams)
 
oops!

oops!

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

jones01m said:
one thing I don't want to know is how to sew, because if I did, my list of things to do will grow tremendously.


Nice work.
Click to expand...

your skill set jumps tremendously......after a full restore and making your own interior......there aint nuthin you cant do to a boat !
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

one you start...you cant stop....

i've already started my next build...sorta...i've been designing a 20' open bow runabout on my computer (between using Pro-E and SolidWorks)....i've already build 3 smaller boats for practice(14' plywood/glass john boat, 16' glass canoe & a 18' pontoon using 55 gallon steel drums)
 
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Cal195

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

man that looks great...wish i could do that....i should re-do all my seats.
 
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mherndon

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

Sorry if I missed it... But, how do you attach the seats to the boat? My original seats had buttons that popped off to reveal a screw that was thru the cusion to the hull. I dont like that way... lol! I like the clean look, so how do yall do it?
 
Woodonglass

Woodonglass

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JDA1975

JDA1975

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

if your building them from scratch put a T-nut in the wood prior to covering then you can bolt them in is also an option
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

my seat backs have t-nuts and get bolted on....the seat bases are a different story, i'm mounting them to folding legs so they can be folded out of the way when not needed
 
mrdjflores

mrdjflores

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Re: How I made my boat seats.....(guide)

okay..here's a question for ya....my dinette back cushions snap into place on the seat backs, so they are removable to be used as bedding cushions when you lower the table down to form a bed...these back cushions are soft on all sides, no wood, and have a zipper in the bottom for installing the foam (kinda like some house couch cushions)

my original plan is to use a full stainless steel zipper (clasp, teeth and all)...but now i'm wondering about the comfort level you'll get when laying on these cushions when used as a bed....so i've started thinking about plastic zippers....

your thoughts??? keep in mind, these are in the area covered by the hard top, and while they are shielded from the sun, they are exposed to the other elements
 
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