Recovering Boat Seats On A Budget

The Wilsons
Jul 6, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 29

Neighbors of ours sold us their pontoon and we love using it throughout the summer.

Our Fishing Adventures

Obviously, fishing is something we love to do!

Fall and Winter Preparations

This past fall and winter, we thought we had everything covered very well. Unfortunately, we thought wrong!

Our Setup

We had:

A huge tarp
Cattle panel
Lots of bungee cords

The Outcome

Ultimately, our setup totally failed. It wasn't so much the snow or ice that caused the issue; rather, it was mostly the wind that took it down... literally.

This spring, when we removed the remaining tarp, the seats were in much worse condition than before.

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Fabric Staple Gun

Thus, the process starts.

First step: Choose a fabric. I opted for 100 percent polyester indoor/outdoor fabric. While marine fabric is an option, it was far beyond our budget. For all our seats, I used approximately 9 yards of fabric in total.

Second step: Ensure that your existing boat seats are dry. When they are cracked, as ours were, rainwater can take days to evaporate.

Third Step: We chose to enclose them in garbage bags. It might sound odd, but while the fabric resists moisture initially, it can eventually seep back into the padding, leading to a mildew odor. So, wrap them up. It only takes a few minutes. (Note: this is a temporary solution to improve appearance).

When you completely refurbish your boat seats, including replacing the foam insert, you won't want or need to wrap them in garbage bags.

Fourth Step: Spread the fabric out on a clean, flat surface.

Using our wood floor was beneficial because the floor's lines helped me ensure everything stayed straight.

Additionally, due to the size of the boat seats, a larger surface is definitely required. This would be a challenging project to undertake on a dining room table.

Fifth Step: Place the seat face down on the fabric. Use a staple gun to attach the garbage bag to the wooden surface on the back side, stapling it a few times to flatten it out.

Sixth Step: Measure an additional 8 inches on the sides and 10 inches on the top and bottom to ensure there is enough fabric to pull back and staple securely.

Seventh Step: Cut the fabric and staple it in place, tucking in pleats on any curves and any loose fabric.

Secure the fabric to the wood backing using a staple gun.

Eighth Step: Turn it over and ensure your lines are straight and the fabric lies flat to your satisfaction.

Ninth Step: Repeat steps three through eight for all the seat cushions.

Tenth Step: Install all your new boat seats on the boat and take some fantastic pictures to appreciate your work.

Below is a step-by-step video showing how we achieved this for around $70.00.

Remember, as mentioned earlier, this is a temporary solution for one season until you can afford to fully replace all the foam and possibly the wooden board base, depending on the current condition of the seat. Meanwhile, with the assistance of this blog and video, your cushions will look refreshed for the summer season.