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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Cabin Seat Cusion

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adamb
1st Mate

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USA
39 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/03/2004 : 22:23:43

My boat has no cusions.

i use it as a day sailer - so really only need the cabin seat cusions for dining area -

My Catalina 25 is the standard (non dinet version).

Any tips on making or buying cusions?

Norwegian Blue
Jacksonville, FL
1984 Standard Rig, Fixed Keel, Traditional Layout

Edited by - on

Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 08:30:12

We make them regularly, its not rocket science. You cut the foam with an electric knife like the one you use for the turkey. The cloth panels can be laid out a number of ways depending on whether you want a hard edge with piping or a soft one. Get good quality materials.The last boat we did cost $ 270 for fabric, $160 for foam and glue, and took 16 hours to make 6 cushions. One set for the vee berth and 4 retangular ones for settees. Nothing fancy or difficult. Dave

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atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 09:11:47

I used the weekly 50% off coupons from Jo-annes fabric store to purchase the foam. It is good for one item and me and my wife would usually each get one each. I found the fabric on ebay and got 20+ yards for less than $100.

Good luck. Tom.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 15:35:10

I went to Joannes this morning and they never heard of Sunbrella! They said that they could order anything with a Joannes SKU but that they did not have a clue about boating products. I did sign up for their coupons mailing.

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gmcdent
1st Mate

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USA
41 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 16:57:18

Is It better to start fresh with new cushions or make slipcovers for the old ones? Anybody try the slipcover idea?

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1774 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 17:25:07

Is It better to start fresh with new cushions or make slipcovers for the old ones? Anybody try the slipcover idea? - George

Hi George,

If the foam from your old cushions is still OK, I see no reason to replace it. I reused the foam from my cushions, and I know that many others have as well. If the foam is dirty or smelly, it is a simple project to wash them with a mild detergent and then let them dry before recovering them.

I spent major boat units to have my salon cushions professionally recovered in that high-dollar Sunbrella indoor/outdoor fabric, including all the snaps, zippers, edge rolls, etc. I'm glad I did ... my sewing capabilities just aren't up to a project like that, and the cushions really made the interior look much nicer.

On the other hand, I've also seen excellent results from people who were brave enough to sew their own. If I'm not mistaken, Frank Hopper made his slip covers, and they look good ... check his website.

Whether or not you sew them yourself really breaks down to how well you can sew, and/or how much money you want to spend. In either case, the foam from your original cushions will likely be OK after a little cleaning.

'Hope that helps ... good luck!

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 17:39:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gmcdent
 Is It better to start fresh with new cushions or make slipcovers for the old ones? Anybody try the slipcover idea?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Our cushions--covers and foam--were permeated with mildew when we bought the boat, so we went new. In the process, we made the seat bottoms and berths an inch thicker and added a fiber layer on top--much nicer than the originals. We used a linen-finish Sunbrella upholstery fabric. 12 cushions (dinette model) for a little under 20 boat units. (Labor was essentially a flat rate per cushion, regardless of size.)

Others have been happy adding slip covers to the originals--that was not an option for the Admiral.

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atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 19:29:54

I decided to buy new foam for my cushions. I think the Jo-anns coupon price is around $20 per foam slab. I also bought the vinyl for the cushion bottoms at jo-anns. They have a marine grade that is pretty cheap. Factoring in the machine I bought on ebay, I did all the cushions for around $600. Ebay is the best place for the fabric. A book would help if not experienced. The cushion covers are essentialy big foam slip covers. I used velcro to close all of them. It has been 18 months and they still look great.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 19:40:47

These, are the nicest cushions I have seen. (My boat came with the striped cushions and I have seen them on one other boat.)

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2004 : 19:45:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I went to Joannes this morning and they never heard of Sunbrella! They said that they could order anything with a Joannes SKU but that they did not have a clue about boating products. I did sign up for their coupons mailing.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Frank - That's Joanne's Fabrics, not Joanne's Adult Bookstore and Exotic Massage Parlor.

Steve

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PZell
Admiral

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USA
548 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 09:47:43

When I first got Sparky the cushions were shot. Until we got around to fixing them up, I used
those blue sleeping bag mats that you can get at K-Mart, or probably Walmart or any camping store. They work just fine for day sailing and make a kinda soft place to sit. I found a use for
them under the cockpit sole after the cushions were redone by my wife. For a few bux it's a quick fix and looks better than a bare seat.

Edited by - on

John V.
Admiral

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USA
559 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 11:10:19

When I bought Nin Bimash,the cushions were tucked and stapled denim.
I went to Joann's and then to Wal mart and found a tough navy canvas. I bought about 20 yds and spent a few weeks cutting and sewing new covers. The foam was still good and the result looks great. Since I live aboard for 6 weeks or more during the summer I put a sheet on the vee berth cushions. One thing I wish I had done for the cushions that I sleep on, is to use a thin layer of dacron/polyester batting to give a litte loft and better ventilation.

I have said this in other posts and it is evidenced here in these responses. C25 sailors are a handy bunch and our choice of vessel truly accomodates our need for economy. After staggering away from the upholstery shop with a $1700 estimate in hand, I became familiar with the rudiments of cushion making and did it myself!!

visit the Midwest rendevous thread. Al and I are putting together a cruise of the Keewenaw Penninsula in Lake superior. Whether you can join us in person or not we will have real and virtual fun sailing this beautiful lake.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 12:25:20

The Catalina Factory quoted me $999 for the complete set of 12 cushions for #1205 (my old boat that Debbie Behling has now) about 6 years ago; I've heard that that price is now about $1200; and that's just for the upholstery covers. With new foam, it's probably close to $1700. The boat came to me with the cushions covered in a very rough and scratchy (not to mention downright ugly) brown tweed that felt more like burlap sacking material than anything you would want to use for upholstery. This fabric was starting to disintegrate on the two settee cushions, so one of the first projects after I bought the boat was reupholstering. I couldn't afford 10 BU's for the Catalina factory cushions at the time, so I decided to do it myself. The old foam was still okay, so I bought enough acylic velour and marine vinyl fabric at a local upholstery shop to re-cover all 12 cushions, for about $300 in materials. It took a long time though, about 12 weekends to do the whole job, but it looked real nice. The only part that I didn't get quite right was fabric tension. A professional upholsterer would have been able to get the fabric stretched tighter; my cushions had a wrinkle or three when I was done. But I was still happy enough with them, and had the satisfaction of having done it myself.

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fburged
Deckhand

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USA
10 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 14:05:20

This fall my wife and I bought new material from Hancock fabrics (they can order sunbrella) and recovered our cushins. The origional fabric was so old and bad it was stiff. Turns out the cushings were still in good shape we washed them with clean soapy water, dried them and sprayed them with Fabreze. We did buy new zippers and used the UV thread. Velcrow is easier but always puckers up. The piping was really easy and the results are something we are really proud of. The project from start to finish took us about a week working a few hours each night.

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dbehling
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 12/10/2004 : 02:46:04

Larry's right, he did do a great job on the cushions. Before we bought #1205 we had a capri 22. Also a Catalina boat. I had to uphoster those cushions myself. Hancocks is a great place. They have remant fabric in large amounts. Just plan on taking your time, it's worth the money you save.

Our next step with #1205 will be to replace the cushions. After visiting our friends Catalina 34 which they recently replaced the cushions we said, WOW! We need to do ours. Didn't realize what a difference cushions can make to your BUM!!!!

But, we're also planning on...new bottom job, dropping the keel to examine everything and update/clean/change if needed. AND...storage behind the seats. We've had some wonderful emails with great pictures for ideas.

What would we do, if we didn't have boats to play with!!??

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