v-berth and quarter berth cushions needed

[palmetto32]

Holy cow! just got estimates for new cushions.... instead of blowing $1,600+ dollars, does anyone have an affordable option they've explored. I'm scouring my salvage yards in the area, not hopeful, but would love to find the v-berth and aft quarter berth for my 1977 Ericson 32-2.

quote of $1630 included new cushions and sunbrella fabric covered, ready to install. Is this a good price, or should I try to make them on my own (scary).

I'm in the Tampa Bay/ St. Petersburg, FL area.

Thanks for any help

 

[Loren Beach]

No Comfy Cushy for your Tushy

Done right, they are quite labor intensive. Done right, with high-density foam, that part is more expensive, too. (sigh)

I do know folks who have made some of their own pieces, at least one of them said that it was too tedious and they would defer to a professional the next time around.

Given that some shops do charge a lot, and that sometimes - not always - this is a problem with anything for "marine" applications.......
I would do some research into other upholstery sources.
For instance, some friends of ours saved some serious coin on their boat interior by going to an automotive upholsterer who did a lot of custom car interiors (No, they did not opt for tuck n roll!.)
He was already used to working with dimensions where absolutely nothing was square.

Cushions seem to be one of the common and unexpected places in any used boat where neck-injury sticker shock can occur. :0

This is also where a succession of prior owners will avoid spending any money and just grimace every time they sit or lay down on those flat old shot cushions with the mashed-down foam and stained or ripped covers....... and leave that maintenance for the next owner! It would help if pre-purchase surveyor would be more plain spoken in covering this in their write ups, too, IMHO.

Alas. No magic answer for you, but sympathy (and empathy) we can offer! :0

Regards,
Loren

 

[Guy Stevens]

That is really cheap

That is really a cheap quote.

Have you seen their work? Is it good? If so and includes new foam for that price I would be suspicious. Good foam around here costs more than the quote that you have been given. (yes foam is a giant rip off industry).

If you have seen their work, and verified that they use good foam and the foam is included in that price, then I would jump at that price.

The local qoutes for just the V-berth are coming in at about what you are being quoted here. (Removed unintelligible sentence fragment from this space.)

The v-berth foam is what is killing you on this quote if you want it cheaper than the quote you have, then you are going to have to source less good foam, which isn't going to last.

You could try calling these guys: http://www.comfortcustombedding.com/ but I think they are going to be out of your price range.

Thanks
Guy

 

[Christian Williams]

I thought the same thing about the price.

Having replaced some upholstery panels with my sewing machine, I can add that it is quite a job and requires experience to come out looking professional.

Sailrite has good video tutorials on do-it-yourself measuring, re-covering and foam cutting.

 

[Frank Langer]

We found a private guy who had retired, but was willing to replace all our cushions. It was about 5 years ago, and he did them all--v berth, quarterberth, settee and salon, all for $2,200 with good quality foam. They have lasted well and still look nice.
He no longer does this anymore, but maybe you could find someone like him, requesting fair compensation, but without the overhead and profit needs of a formal business.

Frank

 

[Don Smith]

I had a cushion made by a auto upholster in my area and it was good quality at a reasonable price, even better than the quotes I got from upholsters who make cushions for regular house couches and chairs. The guy apparently hadn't figured out that you're supposed to triple the price for anything to be used on a yacht!

Regards,
Captain Don
Gitana, E26

 

[Macgyro]

It may be worth my taking a trip to Tampa at that price

Holy cow! just got estimates for new cushions.... instead of blowing $1,600+ dollars, does anyone have an affordable option they've explored. I'm scouring my salvage yards in the area, not hopeful, but would love to find the v-berth and aft quarter berth for my 1977 Ericson 32-2.

quote of $1630 included new cushions and sunbrella fabric covered, ready to install. Is this a good price, or should I try to make them on my own (scary).

I'm in the Tampa Bay/ St. Petersburg, FL area.

Thanks for any help

I just looked into making my own, and the materials alone would have cost that much! Sunbrella is crazy expensive, and IMHO a little overkill for interior cushions, but if you're going through the expense of replacing them, why not make them last forever? I had a little 23' sailboat for a little while, and the P.O. said he got all the cushions replaced for $600. But there wasn't any piping on the edges, and the fabric was a little loose around the foam, so he probably didn't use the best shop. I'll ask the local guy and see what he says it should run.


I'm actually about to refinish the back rests for the settee which got wet last year, which is basically stapling new vinyl to 1/4" plywood. I'll put off new cushions for a bit.

Dean
1970 E-32-200

 

[Dave N]

I've been led to think that these guys do good work. And they are in Florida...

Jane Vanse
<big>JSI Cushions</big>
<big>727 415 8774 cell</big>

<big>Island Nautical dba JSI</big>
<big>2233 3rd Ave S</big>
<big>St Petersburg, Fl 33712</big>
<big>727 577 3220</big>
<big>1 800 652 4914</big>
<big>727 577 6816 Fax</big>
<big>www.newjsi.com</big>

 

[Shelman]

You might also find over time that some of the cushions in your boat are less than completely requisite for your needs. I don't need the cushion in the quarter birth for instance, or the backrest in the quarter birth... who can sit up back there anyway? what are you doing, reading a book sideways in a 22 inch wide space with no light? I ditched the backrest in the settees too. I actually find it more comfortable to lean back on the hard settee backs but have full length support under my legs. I took the cushion backs out for cleaning one day and never wanted them back. I also threw out the v-birth pad when I installed a real bed in the main cabin. Maybe I'm crazy but the way production sailboats are designed makes me laugh. 3 heads on a 40 foot boat??? sleeping for 6 on a 26 foot boat. yea right!
Your needs are likely altogether different from mine, but something to consider anyhow.

 

[davisr]

I ordered high density foam and sunbrella fabric from Foam Factory and Sailrite. Then I found an upholsterer who would use these materials to replicate the original cushions. In the end, I had high quality cushions for a dirt cheap price compared to normal boat cushion replacement prices.

http://www.thefoamfactory.com/

http://www.sailrite.com/

 

[palmetto32]

found one...

thank you to all for invaluable information, proud to own an Ericson.

I found a salvage yard in my area (don's salvage and boat yard) in Clearwater, FL to be exact. Anyway, I stopped by and was pretty bummed at first, as it was piles and piles of cushions to sort through, mostly exterior cushions with vinyl covering. After an hour, I approached the owner, and he led me back to the salvage yard where they had just pulled in a 40' sailboat. We climbed aboard and found the v-berth there, covered in mildew, but an almost exact match.

I think I got pretty lucky, and with only a bottle of disinfectant and some new upholstery, I think I'll be sleeping aboard at a fraction of the cost. He sold me the v-berth cushions for $200, I figure it'll be another $100 to have them reupholstered.

Still have to tackle the quarter berth, but as "Shelman" pointed out, I may not ever need to have 6 people sleep aboard!

Thanks again all!!!