Rotten Wood, Wet Foam & Cracked Vinyl?
Consider Boat Seat Replacement.
Boat seats take a beating in the harsh marine environment and damaged upholstery can make a classic beauty look shabby. Upholstery replacement is the best way to refresh your boat’s profile. From cabin to cockpit, deck to v-bunk, Dockside Canvas Company combines top quality marine grade goods with time honored craftsmanship to outfit your vessel in style.
The upholstery craftsmen at Dockside Canvas Company are among the best in the business. Generations of experience in the time honored tradition of upholstery is exacted on every job and detail. By merging old world convention with contemporary design and materials, it’s no surprise that our work is on view in museums as well as dockside. Whether it’s custom channeling on “Miss Pepsi,” the seat of a priceless 1916 Packard, or the helm seat of your Whaler, the same pride and tradition guides every job we do.
Services
- Boat Seat Repair
- Boat Seat Upholstery
- Channeling
- Coamings
- Cockpit & Deck Seating
- Cooler Cushions
- Custom Logo Embroidery
- Galley & Saloon Seating
- Headliners
- Helm Seat- Captain’s Chair
- Side Panels
- Sun Deck Pads
- V-Bunk Cushions
- Wood Replacement
Marine Upholstery Fabric
- Allegro
- Heidisoft
- Islander
- Lighthouse
- Navigator
- Pegasus
- Seabreeze
- Sunbrella
- Tradewings
- Windson
Foam
- Dryfast: med, firm, xfirm
- Q31 – soft
- Q41 – med
- Q51 – med/firm
- Q61 – Firm
Hardware & Trim
- Welt Cord
- Buttons
- Channeling
- Binding
- Stainless Steel Staples
- Starboard – Waterproof replacement for plywood seat base
- Proper venting & drainage
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: The wood on the bottom of my seat is rotten. Can you replace it?
A: Yes. Our woodshop has the tools and staff to replicate simple plywood shapes or even complex bench frame structures.
However, we strongly recommend replacing the plywood with StarBoard, a plastic waterproof board material. Boats get wet. Wood rots. StarBoard is waterproof.
Q: There is a tear in my seat. Can you fill it or patch it?
A: The only way to repair a tear or hole in vinyl or leather properly is to replace the whole panel. It may be patched, however – the stitching, patch or tear will be clearly visible. This will prevent the tear from growing larger and is recommended to stabilize and seal the fabric until proper repairs can be made. Replacing a panel is often a big job; all staples and fasteners must be removed as well as the seat cover. The panel must be carefully removed, a new one patterned and sewn back into the seat cover while taking extreme care to stitch through the previous needle holes so they don’t show up in the finished work. The cover then must be re-installed and re-stapled back onto the board or frame.
Q: Will the fabric of the new panel match?
A: No. All fabric rolls have slight variations in color – Dye Lot. Old vinyl has been exposed to the sun-faded. There’s no way to match the color perfectly. We try our best to get real close and in most cases, the color difference is not very noticeable. But be aware, it will not match exactly.
If you’re weighing the options of repairing a tear you may want to consider re-upholstery for the whole seat or even your whole cockpit. How old is it? What’s the nature of the tear? Cracked due to UV breakdown or was it cut. If it’s cracked from wear and weather the rest of your seating will soon follow. Perhaps it’s time to invest in all new upholstery, that way everything will match perfectly.
Q: Re-Upholstery is not cheap. How can I make my upholstery look new for the long haul?
A: Check out the care and cleaning link on this site. There are many products that you may buy right now that will add years to the life of your upholstery – 303 Aerospace Protectant, a spray-on UV inhibitor.
Q: Do I need new foam?
A: You’ll know your foam has broken down if it does not spring back into shape quickly when pressure is released, the edges become rounded or if it’s simply uncomfortable. Perhaps not: Often the foam still has life and can be re-used. Some people like to change the foam density and replace the med foam in the seats with x-firm. For boats you should always choose DryFast foam. Water drains through it instantly unlike standard upholstery foam which holds moisture like a sponge. Check out this video of a glass of water being dumped onto DryFast and regular foam.
