New Seat COvers on PWC

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Jneechie

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Jan 8, 2021
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Hey fellow skiers - has anyone done a seat cover purchase with iboats, order, stiching, installation? Thoughts?

Are these covers molded as per the seat or is there heat gun/stretching involved?

TIA.
Jneechie
 

alldodge

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First time for everything, but never even thought about seat covers for a PWC. They would mean the seat and the cover would be wet. Then cover needs to be removed and dried so mold won't grow
 

GA_Boater

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Hey fellow skiers - has anyone done a seat cover purchase with iboats, order, stiching, installation? Thoughts?

Are these covers molded as per the seat or is there heat gun/stretching involved?

TIA.
Jneechie
Show us where these are on iBoats. With all the products, it's hard to be familiar with everything. Knowing where the covers are will allow directing your question.
 

Jneechie

Recruit
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Jan 8, 2021
Messages
2
First time for everything, but never even thought about seat covers for a PWC. They would mean the seat and the cover would be wet. Then cover needs to be removed and dried so mold won't grow
I’m looking for more feedback if anyone purchased from iboats - could be for a boat seat covers as well. Need to know if their product is complicated?
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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49,038
I’m looking for more feedback if anyone purchased from iboats - could be for a boat seat covers as well. Need to know if their product is complicated?
Yes, I have. Piece of cake.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,992
When you put "seat covers" on a car they go over the existing seat. Then, when you sell the car you pull them off and the interior looks like new.

For a PWC its not an add-on, its the seat itself, so to speak.

You remove the existing fabric and then install the new parts with a staple gun and SS staples.

IBoats is one of the best mail order marine stores. The "cover" you buy should be equal to OEM.
 

dlogvine

Master Chief Petty Officer
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May 4, 2015
Messages
832
You can try to do the seat cover replacement on your own. Most of the older jetskies with one peace cover require only few simple steps:
1. Remove the old cover, you have to get a staple remover or struggle with a screwdriver or other tool that would do the job. Staple remover is definitely a must if you plan on doing more than one replacement and it is pretty cheap $3-15 on ebay.
2. Spray the old cover and try to stretch it on the flat surface. Heat gun or an iron(not very hot) would be useful. Heat up from the inside, since vinyl surface tend to melt from heat.
3. Once the cover is stretched, copy a pattern either on the thick paper, plastic or straight on the new piece of vinyl. Make sure that you are using marine vinyl and not the cheaper automotive or home furniture type. Marine will last you from 5 to 15 years depending on how well you take care of it.
4. Cut out a new vinyl along the pattern.
5. Lay down the new vinyl on the seat.
a) If the foam on the seat is in a good shape, just go to next step.
b) otherwise if the vinyl is cracked with some smaller holes, use a sheet of thin foam 1/2 to 1/4" thick and cut an approximate shape of the seat and using foam adhesive, glue it on the top.
When buying foam, try to find all weather foam that will last you a lot longer and is harder, so it will better cover your seat foam imperfections.
c) if the seat foam is completely deteriorated or missing, try to get the best approximation of the shape and foam stores usually would be able to cut the foam in that shape. Glue that new seat foam and continue to next step.
6. After laying down the foam, make sure it lies as well covering the seat from the sides and front/back, staple it with a couple staples on the front (dont put too many since you would be most likely removing them later to adjust), then stretch it to the back, use heat gun to warm it up for better flexibility and stretching and fix it with another couple staples.
Repeat the same with the middle left and middle right. Watch for the compression in your stapler, if you using a compressor. If staples punch through vinyl, reduce compression. Then starting from the back start stretching vinyl from the back, 3-5 staples on the left, 3-5 staples on the right. And make sure you are stretching well for each staple. Place staples and 2-3" distance.
When you get to the middle, you might remove original staples if they are creating kinks and continue all the way to the front until it is all done.
 

seanable

Cadet
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
12
You can try to do the seat cover replacement on your own. Most of the older jetskies with one peace cover require only few simple steps:
1. Remove the old cover, you have to get a staple remover or struggle with a screwdriver or other tool that would do the job. Staple remover is definitely a must if you plan on doing more than one replacement and it is pretty cheap $3-15 on ebay.
2. Spray the old cover and try to stretch it on the flat surface. Heat gun or an iron(not very hot) would be useful. Heat up from the inside, since vinyl surface tend to melt from heat.
3. Once the cover is stretched, copy a pattern either on the thick paper, plastic or straight on the new piece of vinyl. Make sure that you are using marine vinyl and not the cheaper automotive or home furniture type. Marine will last you from 5 to 15 years depending on how well you take care of it.
4. Cut out a new vinyl along the pattern.
5. Lay down the new vinyl on the seat.
a) If the foam on the seat is in a good shape, just go to next step.
b) otherwise if the vinyl is cracked with some smaller holes, use a sheet of thin foam 1/2 to 1/4" thick and cut an approximate shape of the seat and using foam adhesive, glue it on the top.
When buying foam, try to find all weather foam that will last you a lot longer and is harder, so it will better cover your seat foam imperfections.
c) if the seat foam is completely deteriorated or missing, try to get the best approximation of the shape and foam stores usually would be able to cut the foam in that shape. Glue that new seat foam and continue to next step.
6. After laying down the foam, make sure it lies as well covering the seat from the sides and front/back, staple it with a couple staples on the front (dont put too many since you would be most likely removing them later to adjust), then stretch it to the back, use heat gun to warm it up for better flexibility and stretching and fix it with another couple staples.
Repeat the same with the middle left and middle right. Watch for the compression in your stapler, if you using a compressor. If staples punch through vinyl, reduce compression. Then starting from the back start stretching vinyl from the back, 3-5 staples on the left, 3-5 staples on the right. And make sure you are stretching well for each staple. Place staples and 2-3" distance.
When you get to the middle, you might remove original staples if they are creating kinks and continue all the way to the front until it is all done.
Awesome. Well written and easy to follow. This should be added to the tech tips or whatever. Thank You!!
 
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