How to Make a Powerboat Lounge Cushion
Details
Details
Our Powerboat Makeover project, a 1982 Regal 245 XL Ambassador, has a lounge bench seat built right into the fiberglass. It originally was covered with 3 cushions to cover the curved shape of the bench. As part of our re-fit of this boat, we reupholstered all of the cockpit seating. When it came to this lounge cushion we decided to create one, long, curved cushion that would both look and function better than the original design. If you have a similar cushion on your boat, this video will show you how to carefully pattern and sew a cushion with shape.
Brian, a manager at Sailrite and the owner of the boat, chose a classic color palette for his cockpit that consisted of three colors of Morbern® Seabrook Vinyl; a Lite Glacier channeling fabric, and Stinger Bisque and Midnight colored vinyl. He envisioned all three of these colors being used together on the cushions with a decorative design. For this lounge cushion, we patterned a section of each of the three fabrics and seamed them together with a decorative top stitch called a French Seam for a professional finish. We carried this design across all the seating in the cockpit, which you can see in the companion videos in this series.
To create the shape of the cushion we carefully patterned the fabric and the foam on the boat. The cushion cover was made to mimic the shape of the boat’s bench. The foam inside is actually three pieces with angular edges glued together to create a smooth curve.
In this video you will learn how to pattern for a curved lounge seat, create a multi-fabric cushion, sew a French seam, add snap straps, and pattern curved foam.