Added 03/09/2004

Hello does anyone know of a good place to have vinyl cockpit cushions done? I don't mind traveling a bit so any info is helpful. I called Sailnet but they don't do them any longer. Thanks, Louie

Lou,

I bought bottom siders for my 8.7. HYPERLINK
"http://www.bottomsiders.com"www.bottomsiders.com They were pricey but I
have not regretted the choice. They are easy to clean and won't absorb
moisture. You can send them patterns if they don't already have patterns
for your boat.

Mark and Kathi Banks
1977 8.7 # 168
Semiramis
Stockton Sailing Club
Stockton, Ca.

Louie, I´m convinced any awnings maker could make them. A tip; get them to use 2" closed cell foam with 1/2" open cell foam glued on top of it. Many cruisers I spoke to in the Meditertranean complained that closed-foam cushions were too hard on the bun, so that was my solution to the problem and its quite comfortable; besides, the amount of water that can enter the open-cell foam is quite minimal and evaporates quickly
john
pampero iv

Thanks for your advise Mark. At a boat show I tried to sit on one of them and I found them a bit hard on the bottom. Do you find that also? That's why I was thinking about going with a softer foam inside. What do you think?, Lou

Lou,

I like them. The only time I have found them too hard is about 3am when
I have fallen asleep in the cockpit during the summer nights in the
Delta when the cabin was too hot for sleeping. I guess long trips they
might be too stiff.

Mark Banks
1977 8.7 # 168
Semiramis
Stockton Sailing Club
Stockton, Ca.

Caspar, how do you keep these squares from flying away in a gale ? Pampero´s cushions (I callthe mattresses=) have a little canvas tab at both ends with an eye that goes over these "turnbuttons" to hold them in place. The´ve nbow been through 2 galesa and a severe gale and havençt keft the boat....
john

Nothin' wrong with that !

I also have a couple of the Worst Marine folding back chairs, mainly for
use by the Admiral on the foredeck to assist in her in her quest for
early epidermal melanoma. I take those when I'm going sailing with
somebody without cockpit cushions and they work well. The quarter berth
is the storage area for those. I would be curious how many people have
ever used a quarter berth for sleeping in lieu of storage. I'm betting
not many...

Mark and Kathi Banks
1977 8.7 # 168
Semiramis
Stockton Sailing Club
Stockton, Ca.

Flying cushions can be a problem. We have a large dodger, which
protects most of them most of the time, but we still tend to lose one
or two a year- which has also taught us how very nearly impossible it
is to find a floating object that has gone overboard, reinforcing my
resolve not to do so myself.

The self-inflating seat has nylon webbing straps that fasten with
squeeze couplings, and I attach it to the dodger frame with one of
these to keep it safe.

We talk about grommets and ties for the cushions, but have yet to do
anything about it.

Caspar Davis

This desn't really answer your question but...I am not a fan of
cockpit cushions myself either. I have 2 of those $80.00 (got 'em 2
for 1.5, even at that a bit pricey) They have been great as they
support weight easily and allow you to set up a backed seat anywhere.
They are also more comfortable than the lightweight folding seats
used for backpacking. We pull them out on slower days. On blustery
days I don't even notice the hard seats. I also spend too much time
with a foot up on the seats or jumping around on them to go forward
etc. and figure I would only tear them up. I flatten them up and lay
them against the outer bulkheads down in the cabin when they are not
in use. More flexibility, plenty of comfort when it's needed and less
money---