How to Upholster a Boat Engine Cover

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In today's installment of our Malibu Sport Boat Makeover Series, we're reupholstering the engine cover of this used Malibu wake boat. You'll learn a lot of useful upholstery techniques in this tutorial, including how to sew a French seam and how to upholster around tricky shapes and objects like cup holders. Let's get started on this boat engine cover upholstery project.

Video Chapters:

Intro – 0:00 min.
Removing Old Cover - 0:49 min.
Gluing New Sew Foam - 4:46 min.
Patterning for New Fabric - 11:59 min.
Cutting & Sewing Fabric Panels - 20:46 min.
Stapling New Fabric Cover - 31:36 min.
Patterning & Sewing Skirt - 41:34 min.
Stapling Boat Blanket Skirt - 51:19 min.
Upholstering Cup Holder - 58:47 min.
Creating Lift Strap - 1:11:26 min.
Materials & Tools List - 1:13:45 min.

Materials List:

Fabric Backed Sew Foam 58" #124306
3M™ General Trim Spray Adhesive 18.1 oz. #73211
3M™ Super 77™ Spray Adhesive Low VOC 18 oz. #636100
Dura-Skrim^® Patterning Material 74" #103134
EverSoft™ Indoor/Outdoor Teak 54" Vinyl Fabric #122218
EverSoft™ Indoor/Outdoor Black 54" Vinyl Fabric #122217
Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas (36 yds.) #122064
Polyester Carpet Binding Beige 1-1/4" #120236
Cushion Wrap Silk Film 54" #103933
21 Gauge 1/2" (12mm) Staples 10,000/Box (Stainless Steel) #8012SS
21 Gauge 3/8" (10mm) Staples 10,000/Box (Stainless Steel) #8010SS
Boat Blanket Black 72" Fabric #100113
Shelter-Rite^® Grey 61" Fabric #112015
McLube™ Sailkote 8 oz. #120679

Tools List:

Staple Lifter #120037
Tape Measure 120" #102986
Gingher^® Scissors Right Hand Lightweight 8" #101017
Sailrite^® Deluxe Fabricator^® Sewing Machine Package (110V) #400600
Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide - SKU: 103597
Left Edge Guide Foot Set 4mm for Sailrite^® Fabricator^® #400111
Sailrite^® Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun #121411
Professional Stainless Steel 10" Scissors #123615
Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" #102400
Grease Marking Pencil Yellow #111002
Chalk Pen White #123131
Sailrite^® Drill Hole Cutter Set #121825
Marker, Box Cutter, Electric Kitchen Knife, Tape Measure, Pliers, Notching Tool, Laser Level

The first step of reupholstering a boat engine cover is to remove the old vinyl to expose the foam and fiberglass underneath. Once the old vinyl is removed, you need to inspect your foam. If your foam looks like it’s in good shape you can reuse it, but if it looks compromised we recommend replacing it with new sew foam from Sailrite®.

We’re using EverSoft™ vinyl upholstery fabric for our project boat. We chose EverSoft for its high abrasion and UV resistance, mold/mildew resistance, and its unique four-way stretch properties. It’s very easy to contour and shape during upholstery work, stapling and tacking, which makes it a great choice for upholstery projects that have a lot of curves and shaping.

During this DIY boat upholstery tutorial, you’ll learn valuable DIY tips and techniques that you’ll be able to apply toward future upholstery projects, including:

How to sew a French seam.
How to replace the sew foam.
How to install a Boat Blanket skirt.
How to upholster the cup holders.
And more.

Don't miss the other how-to videos in our Malibu Sport Boat Makeover Series. We're redoing the interior of a used Malibu wake boat and making it look brand-new with fresh upholstery, hull liner material, flooring and more. Tune in for the entire DIY series for the incredible before-and-after transformation!

DIY Boat Engine Cover 3 — Check out all the video tutorials in our Malibu Sport Boat Makeover Series.

And if you have a project idea for us, be sure to drop a suggestion in the comments section below. We're always looking for new DIYs to share with our customers to help them achieve their DIY dreams!