How to Make a Snap-On Boat Cushion
Details
Details
Relax on your boat with a comfortable, well-made bow cushion. Today's DIY tutorial is a box cushion — with a twist! We've designed a marine box cushion for the bow of your vessel — or wherever you want to install it. What's the twist? In our design, the zipper is installed on the underside of the cushion so it's not visible when the cushion is installed. Plus, we've added snap fasteners to the underside of the cushion so it can snap into place on your boat and now blow away or get knocked overboard. Let's get started on this must-make marine cushion!
Cushions are the ideal project for beginner sewers to learn and practice their skills. You'll learn how to pattern and cut fabric to size, sew a cushion boxing strip, install zippers, and more. And even if you're a seasoned pro, you'll still find plenty to learn and refresh your sewing skills while making this marine cushion.
The two most important materials in this project are fabric and foam. We chose EverSoft™ channeling fabric for the top plate and EverSoft upholstery for the bottom plate and boxing. We chose CushionRite® Dry Fast Antimicrobial Foam for the cushion. Because Dry Fast is a water-draining foam, we needed to add a small square of mesh fabric to our boxing strip to promote water drainage and airflow.
Are you ready to get started on this marine box cushion DIY? Watch the video below to learn how to make your own boat bow cushion. Below the video is the full materials and tools list for this project. Everything you need is available at Sailrite!
We hope you enjoyed our tutorial for a bow cushion with snap attachments that securely fasten to your boat's fiberglass. If you're looking for more marine DIYs, be sure to check out the "Learn" tab on our website. You'll find hundreds of free DIY tutorials on boat upholstery, flooring installation, enclosures, sailmaking and more.
Video Chapters:
- Intro - 0:00 min.
- Patterning for Cushion - 0:28 min.
- Cutting Foam & Fabric to Size - 1:09 min.
- Sewing Boxing Strips - 7:49 min.
- Installing Zipper in Cushion Bottom - 12:06 min.
- Creating Snap Flanges - 19:10 min.
- Installing Snaps in Flanges - 25:42 min.
- Sewing Plates to Boxing - 30:53 min.
- Stuffing Foam into Cushion Cover - 50:52 min.
- Installing Cushions on Boat - 56:10 min.
- Materials & Tools list - 58:55 min.
Materials List:
- CushionRite® Dry Fast Antimicrobial Foam (Firm) - SKU: 124204-3-4880
- Headliner Adhesive 13 oz. - SKU: 123288
- EverSoft™ Indoor/Outdoor Silver 54" Vinyl Fabric - SKU: 122210
- EverSoft™ Silver 54" Vinyl Channeling Fabric - SKU: 122403
- Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape for Canvas & Upholstery (36 yds.) - SKU: 122065
- Polyester Carpet Binding Beige 1-1/4" - SKU: 120236
- Tex 90 Silver UV Bonded Polyester Thread 4 oz. (1,350 yds.) - SKU: 106387
- Sample of Phifertex® Mesh Grey 54" Fabric - SKU: 391111S
- Lenzip® #5 White Continuous Molded Tooth Zipper Chain - SKU: 124254
- Lenzip® #5 White Single Non-Locking Zipper Pull (Molded Tooth Chain) - SKU: 124284
- Sailrite® Woven Sew In Tags (2 pack) - SKU: 121627
- DOT® Pull-The-DOT® One Way Socket (Nickel-Plated Brass) - SKU: 555050
- DOT® Pull-The-DOT® One Way Button 11/64" (Nickel-Plated Brass) - SKU: 555777
- Trimmable Butyl Tape 1" (30 Feet) - SKU: 103689
- Cushion Wrap Silk Film 54" - SKU: 103933
Tools List:
- Sailrite® Blade Foam Saw V2 with Carrying Case (110V) - SKU: 121244
- Professional Stainless Steel 10" Scissors - SKU: 123615
- Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" - SKU: 102400
- Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine (100-230V) - SKU: 300600
- Magnetic Sewing Guide - SKU: 102983
- Sailrite® Ultrafeed® Industrial Sewing Table - SKU: 120934
- Scribe-All® Black Marking Pencil for Vinyl - SKU: 121977
- Basic Thread Snips - SKU: 123222
- Fabric Edge Pattern Notching Tool - SKU: 124326
- Seam Ripper Deluxe - SKU: 18104
- Pres-N-Snap Installation Tool - SKU: 109011
- Easy Snap Fastener Installation Kit - SKU: 122185
- Permanent Marker, Electric Kitchen Knife, Pencil, Calculator, Vacuum