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My husband owns a boat that has started to tear in two places. We've done uor own fixes to it over the last few years, but he's ready to spring for a full set.
I'm not even sure where to start shopping for this kind of thing. Through the manufacturer? Will a vehicle upholsterer do it? I'm looking them up in my area and will start calling around, but I thought I'd ask in case I'm wasting my time doing that.
has the BOAT torn in two places...or a seat, or the tops?
If its the boat...abandon ship.
If its the seat cover - Ovetrons (and others like taylor, aldon etc) made the marine vinyl, and if its the tops, you can also buy sunbrella and roll your own. If you can sew, a machine with a 90-100-110 needle will be needed using water proof nylon thread.
If a seat, while in there uprate the foam with high density and what are the bases made from - todays marine plywood is not yesterdays marine plywood, but cheaper brands used alaskan cedar (or worse) which unsealed after years does rot. All the stapes and screws should be stainless as well.
I just did one last season and everything I needed was an internet order away cuz....all the stores that sold this stuff (EB discount, west marine, ski limited etc) are GONE.
If they are standard cushions from a manufacturer on a common model you should be able to get replacements. Or the best bet may be to check the contractors list (list of approved contractors to do work in a marina) at a couple of the larger marinas in the area and get the number of who they allow in the marinas to do upholstery work.
Industrial sewing shop or marine upholstery is what you should look for in your area. Maybe a place that makes custom tarps...truck and equipment tarps. They may also handle marine upholstery.
It's not as simple as just buying fabric and sewing it yourself at home. You need to be able to sew without a pattern, use the right material/fabric, use the appropriate fabric and thread, etc. Probably cheaper to let a professional take care of it.
has the BOAT torn in two places...or a seat, or the tops?
If its the boat...abandon ship.
I wasn't specific, was I? LOL
It's the seats, of course. I've gotten the names of some local upholsterers, and he is going to measure the seats to see if we can get some skins temporarily and perhaps order new seats if any match "normal" sizes.
I'd forgotten about Overton's. We get their catalogs every year. I'll check their website.
I know how to sew but I won't be attempting something like this!
It's the seats, of course. I've gotten the names of some local upholsterers, and he is going to measure the seats to see if we can get some skins temporarily and perhaps order new seats if any match "normal" sizes.
I'd forgotten about Overton's. We get their catalogs every year. I'll check their website.
I know how to sew but I won't be attempting something like this!
Thanks y'all!
you dont say WHAT boat it is, and even if it was uber popular like an 80's bayliner 1950 or a fourwinns 190 from back THEN, the replacement seats the stores used to carry - wont. there are generic seats out there now but they lean like 90% towards docks, er I mean pontoons as that is the lions share joe consumer is buying (can you blame them? it would cost over $100K to replace 'Chris' today...) If you have a pedestal mount high back or bolstered seat, just look into a replacement from overtons. same if you have 'back to back' lounge convertibles.
getting the marine grade vinyl in a LOT of colors will be the easiest part. There actually is a website called 'marinevinyl.com' and its generally 10-15 bux per unit of measurement and takes about a week or less. Its where I got mine. You will pay MORE for the gas ;-)
When I needed some for my combination rear seat/sundeck, I was able to match AND the color I wanted was on a sale - its not as much as you might think. This is the right time of the year to pull the seat - it wont be hard - and look at the condition of the framing underneath. MOST upholsterers wont touch this.
I have sewn my own - its actually REAL easy if you have basic knowledge, the kicker is the machine robust enough to throw a stitch, especially if you use piping. The ACTUAL sewing wont be much generally - YMMV. Since I took my own seat pan out and separated and put it back together, my sewing bill last year was well under $50.
These are boats. EVERYTHING is possible if you can sign the check ;-)
I've bought marine quality fabrics from any number of suppliers for years ... and sewn my replacement or repaired covers on without any difficulty on several different sewing machines, ranging from Pfaff 130's to. Juki 300's (all home sewing machines of good quality) to Sailrite walking foot sewing machines. It's not terribly difficult work to do, just a bit tedious to take the old covers apart and then re-install.
But there's other ways to get the seats re-done ...
many upholstery shops can do this type of work and all of them certainly have access to marine quality fabrics. In recent experience, however ... I've found that their quotes typically are more expensive than buying new seats from numerous suppliers.
Everybody from Overton's to Bass Pro Shops to a whole bunch of sporting goods suppliers list NEW COMPLETE seats, ready to install. They have a wide range of quality levels and designs which fit any boat, with a wide range of colors. A 'net search will turn up many of these options.
If I were replacing seats on my boat now, I'd buy new seats on-line. I've done this for customer's boats last year and had excellent results in a couple of days at reasonable cost. Seat quality was even better than the original in the boat, customers were very pleased with the results and modest cost. OP, unless you've got some very fancy LOGO'ed seat upholstery in the boat, the aftermarket can supply excellent options for your boat.
If you have a pedestal mount high back or bolstered seat, just look into a replacement from overtons. same if you have 'back to back' lounge convertibles.
It's a 2011 Bayliner 197SD. It has four longer seats along the sides that curve around to the front. There are two more shorter lounges that meet in the middle to form a U, and also the long rear back three-seater. None of them are on posts or are back-to-back.
It's a 2011 Bayliner 197SD. It has four longer seats along the sides that curve around to the front. There are two more shorter lounges that meet in the middle to form a U, and also the long rear back three-seater. None of them are on posts or are back-to-back.
ok, a sundeck...those larger cushions are actually technically easier to do if you can maintain what looks like a curved line for the accent color. You dont HAVE to use the accent color. In fact you can change it to use violent purple and sickly green. The pics are not high enough resolution for me to see if that is indeed piping along the seam...if it is, then this has 3-4 layers of vinyl to penetrate so you need a pro to sew it. AND, oft when used, to hold the seat fabric down in a long run, there is a long tail underneath for the piping that is stapled to the base so you SHOULD duplicate that.
now lets talk modding the motor.....
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