How to Re-Cover a Horseshoe Buoy

X-HT-200569

An important piece of boat safety equipment is an easily tossed floatation device like a throw ring or horseshoe buoy in case of a man overboard situation. To keep these safety devices ready-to-go all the time, they often are sitting out exposed to the sun. If your horseshoe rescue buoy's vinyl covering is starting to look worn out, you can reuse the foam inside and sew up a new cover for it.

Video Chapters:

Patterning Fabric – 0:09 min.
Creating Zipper Plaque – 1:51 min.
Sewing Boxing – 5:10 min.
Installing Webbing & D-Ring – 08:52 min.
Sewing Zipper Plaque – 10:55 min.
Attaching Webbing Strap – 15:59 min.
Sewing Final Side of Cover – 16:46 min.
Fitting Foam in Cover – 19:20 min.
Materials List – 20:17 min.

Materials List:

Marine Fabric (water-resistant/waterproof and brightly colored)
YKK^® #10 White Continuous Coil Zipper Chain – #102214
YKK^® #10 White Style C Single Non-Locking Metal Zipper Pull (Coil Chain) – #102217
Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape for Canvas & Upholstery – #104167
Black Polyester Webbing – #PLLWBK
Flexible Curve 20" With Ruler – #123117
D-Ring Without Bar #0 - 1" (Stainless Steel) – #485
Fast Eye Snap Hook 1" (Stainless Steel) – #100532
Outdoor Thread

Tools List:

Sailrite Standard Fabricator Sewing Machine Package – #400500
Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide – #103597
Sailrite Edge Hotknife Package – #103800
Seam Ripper Deluxe – #18104
Pencil, Scissors, Tape Measure, Yardstick

Most safety buoys

Most safety buoys like this are covered in vinyl. We decided to also use a vinyl fabric for our horseshoe buoy cover, choosing a Naugahyde^® Universal fabric in yellow. You'll want to use a bright color, like yellow, orange or red, so your buoy will be easy to see in the water. You could also use another type of vinyl or even other water-repellent fabric like Sunbrella^® Marine Grade if you wanted.

Sewing this horseshoe buoy is very similar to sewing a box cushion, just with a few more curves. If you can sew a box cushion, you can sew a new cover for your horseshoe rescue buoy.

In this video you’ll learn how to pattern the fabric, create the zipper plaque, add the webbing and D-rings, and assemble the cushion cover.

How did your DIY turn out? We'd love to see your completed horseshoe buoys. Post a photo of your finished project on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #Sailrite so we can see it! If you have any questions while you are sewing your buoy, don't hesitate to call, email or online chat with us. We're always happy to help our customers tackle their DIYs!