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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Closed cell Foam

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mrapkins
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/31/2010 : 05:45:20

During our last week-long cruise, we had quite a bit of rain and the cockpit cushions have suffered. (They are regular foam with a PVC cover) Bottom siders are $700+ but this stuff http://www.foambymail.com/Minicel.html is $103 for a 4 x 6 sheet. Has anyone any experience with closed-cell foam. My thought is it could be cut to fit inside the PVC cover, or just used by itself.

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glen
Captain

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359 Posts

Response Posted - 08/31/2010 : 07:04:06

We have used closed cell a number of times. If it gets wet you can just shake it a couple of times and it's dry. Expect it to be a little harder on your bottom then an open cell type of foam. I have copied something I sent in to the form a while back about a good choice in fabric covering for them.

we use Phifertex fabric when we fabricate closed cell cockpit cushions. This is a mesh fabric like Dave was referring to. It is made of a polyester mesh that has been coated in vinyl. You can get it in any color, and it wears extremely well. It will actually outwear Sunbrella, which is a great product, but susceptible to abraishion. One of the sources that sell Phifertex is www.sailrite.com Check out the information about the product at there web site. I believe they sell it for about $12.00 per yard, you might find a better price some ware on the net.

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 08/31/2010 : 08:45:23

No experience, but thanks for the link.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5397 Posts

Response Posted - 08/31/2010 : 09:51:10

They're not perfect, but I came up with a serviceable solution for cockpit cushions - Igloo coolers make a cushion that attaches to the tops of their larger coolers, and it snaps into place. They are made of white "pleather". I got two larger ones (39") and two smaller ones (31") and put them side by side using the snaps (I had to change the gender on one set), and the combo covers the cockpit seats completely. I got mine when Boaters World went out of business, but they are available West Marine and widely on the Internet.

Here's a sample:
http://www.huntingfishinginc.com/marcoolcus.html

I've never left them in the rain intentionally, but in wet conditions, they haven't absorbed any water.

I don't like sitting on bare pleather in shorts, so I purchased four outdoor chair pads at the home and garden shop that I place on top of the cushions. These are made of fabric with a thin waterproof foam pad inside.

The combination is ideal for us, but others may wish to make or buy custom-made cushions.

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.