NiceAft wrote:I had cushions made for me by a local upholsterer. I made templates of the seating in my M and took them to an upholsterer. He told me how much fabric would be needed. I wanted to use Sunbrela fabric because of its reputation to standing up to the elements. In order to keep the price down, I used a solid color (black). I also made templates of the backrest area over the seats.
I keep the cushions in place by extra wide Velcro along the backs of the seats. Using the backs of the seating for the Velcro placement allows me to reverse the seating. The back cushions are held in place by long strips of Sunbrela that are tied around the stanchions for the lifeline. The seats stay dry. The look is great, and the cushions stay in place when the boat heels.
Ray
Same deal..was not crazy about the stock mac cushions..so we had them made at a local marine/auto shop. Also made a template of the seat (out of roofing felt/tarpaper). It is also marine sunbrella with red piping. They also put a zipper in. Out standing..other than the sunbrella not being the most soft and fluffy material..we usually sit on blankets. But they are holding up well..would do it again!
To keep them in place..we thought about velcro or snaps..we decided on non-skid undercarpet material (rubbery nub stuff). Works great.
Home Depot sells a knock off of those dri-deck squares (black), I bought a box and cut them to fit my cockpit. they were only used one season, now they sit under my tool box in the garage, I had the same problem as Frank, they slip on the gel-coat badly, one time they slipped as the Admiral came out the companinway and she landed her back against the traveller seat, ouch! As someone else pointed out they are as usefull as winchers and they collect a lot of dirt underneath. The Admiral wants a set of those Bottomsiders though, I think they are pricey, but she usually gets what she wants.
Frank C wrote:
I bought a rubber barmat at Costco and cut it to fit around the pedestal. They don't have it at Costco any more, but they do have 3 sq.ft. "fatigue mat" that might work .... maybe two of them.
Bought my barmat at Home Depot and cut to fit. Believe still available. Ends have lego like nubs and holes for connecting pieces. Have cut custom fit around the pedestle, glue the pedestle side pieces to helm area piece with "Gloop" marine version. Front cockpit piece was connected to the pedestle side pieces using the nub and hole connectors, so could remove for cleaning. Surprised at how much dirt accumulates under the mat. Mat necessary as I could see cockpit gelcoat deck starting to wear on my 96'
This and the purchase of BBQ cover for the pedestle are best buy. Had marine version of pedestle cove of vinyl which lasted only two years in Nevada sun. BBQ cover (black) still covering. Given up on vinyl covers here in the desert. Vinyl RV wheel covers for the trailer dried and cracked including spare tire on the trailer tongue area, and need replacing as well. Replace with thin wheel cover on the spare which seem to be holding up better, dispite being black in color
noncovered, 52 x 12 3/4 x 1 1/4 closed cell EVA, nonabsorbing, firm, foam pads. Sit on 'em and they stay put on the cockpit seat nonskid. Float. Possible use as an emergency fender. Soap and water clean. Compact to store below. Cheap @ $31 each plus shipping from Boaters World. I think West had 'em too, I can't find in the present West catalog.
The same pads were on the Watkins 25 I chartered Apr 1-15.
I dug up this old thread after a search because I'm thinking about installing Drideck. Anyone use it more recently? OTOH - Anyone ever use marine carpet in the cockpit? It's popular in powerboats. Just curious.
I had the waterproof nylon felt marine carpet with the rubber back in the cockpit and down below.
dont waste your time.
The black rubber disintigrates if it moves at all. Things slide around, a mess to clean.
I am going to go back to big woven carpets that can be cleaned and dont slide around..........after I paint some more indestructably fast white 2 part urethane to cover all the chips nicks and gouges.
I have a lengthy magazine review of Dri-Deck if anybody is interested.
It includes color pictures showing installation into a boat cockpit. If anyone would like a copy, just PM me with your email address and I will send it back as an attachment. It is in Microsoft Word format.
I put Dri Deck (bought from Defender) in the cockpit of my - it stays put. It is fantastic for keeping sand out from below when you are on the beach. It also keeps the dirt level down. A few times a week, you just sluice the entire cockpit with seawater to rinse out all the dropped food, bugs, seaweed, leftover bits of mother-in-law overboard.
Kelly Hanson East wrote:I put Dri Deck (bought from Defender) in the cockpit of my - it stays put. It is fantastic for keeping sand out from below when you are on the beach. It also keeps the dirt level down. A few times a week, you just sluice the entire cockpit with seawater to rinse out all the dropped food, bugs, seaweed, leftover bits of mother-in-law overboard.
Sounds as though Dri-Dek is a superior product for the cockpit sole ... I put a "cheaper knock-off" material called "Bigfoot" under the cushions of Beija-Flor (my old Mac 19), and also used it to replace the cabin carpet. It slipped around like the stuff Terry got at Home Depot, so it wasn't suitable for a walkway; but it did keep things dry under the cushions, which was more important.
I want to replace the cabin carpets in Bossa Nova with something more practical. Was thinking of Lonseal "faux teak" but I may just get Kendall Dri-Dek and trim it to an exact fit. Thanks, KHE.
Yep, Dri-Dek rules. It fits nicely on the 26X cockpit sole. Slight adjustments where the steering column goes. You will need a sturdy pair of scissors, but it cuts pretty easily.
Since the squares got a little grimey, what with the grease dripping from the savory dishes, I made the mystake of powerwashing it in the past, having removed it from the cockpit and lain it on the grass. The little feet underneath the tiles broke off--not right away, but over a period of two years. Last summer I found it worth investing into a new set (around 60 bucks, if I remember correctly) and I will henceforth use a toothbrush--my boss's, perhaps?
