How to Reupholster the Seat for a Pontoon Bench
X-HT-300449
- Removing Old Vinyl Fabric – 1:03 min.
- Cutting & Shaping New Foam – 4:33 min.
- Patterning Four-Way Stretch Vinyl – 20:56 min.
- Making Piping – 28:01 min.
- Sewing Front Bolster Vinyl – 33:48 min.
- Sewing Back Seating Vinyl – 45:15 min.
- Adding a Fabric Pull – 52:41 min.
- Joining Panels – 56:27 min.
- Stapling Fabric Pull – 1:05:51 min.
- Stapling Vinyl Fabric to Backerboard – 1:09:44 min.
- Adding Cushion Underlining – 1:18:26 min.
- Materials List – 1:20:10 min.
- CushionRite® Standard Antimicrobial Foam (Medium) - (#124231)
- Foam Lock Spray Adhesive 12oz - (#120464)
- Dura Skrim® Patterning Material 74"- (#122463)
- Fabric Backed Sew Foam 58" - (#124306)
- EverSoft™ Indoor/Outdoor Off White 54" Vinyl Fabric - (#122211)
- Foam Piping/Welting Cord 5/32" (50') - (#105599)
- Thread Tex 90 Natural Polyester UV 4oz - (#106386)
- Top Notch® 9 60” Fabric - (#120451)
- 21 Gauge 3/8" (10mm) Staples 10,000/Box (Stainless Steel) - (#8010SS)
- Cushion Underlining Beige 54" Fabric - (#103934)
- Tack & Staple Remover - (#104319)
- Staple Lifter - (#120037)
- Sailrite® Blade Foam Saw V2 with Carrying Case - (#121244)
- Tape Measure 120 Inch - (#102986)
- Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" - (#102400)
- Gingher® Scissors Right Hand Lightweight 8" - (#101017)
- Sailrite® Fabricator® Sewing Machine, Table & Workhorse™ Servo Motor - (#400500)
- Cording Foot Set 1/4" for Fabricator - (#400414)
- Sailrite® Short Nose Upholstery Staple Gun - (#121410)
- Cushion Wrap Silk Film 54" - (#103933)
A lot of pontoon boats have bench seats like the one we’ll be revamping in our video. After years of use, those bench seats made with inferior products tend to fail miserably. That’s why we’ll be completely replacing the vinyl and foam on our bench seat using only the highest-quality products from Sailrite®.
In this tutorial, you have the option of keeping your old foam from the original bench seat if it’s in good condition. But if that isn’t the case, we’ll walk you through the process of cutting new foam and shaping it to match the original bench seat.
With so many superior foam products to choose from at Sailrite, it can difficult to know which you should pick. That’s why we’ve created several resources to help you decide — simply search "foam" on Sailrite.com and click on the Selection Guides tab to find them! You can also order our Foam Sample Box (#124215), which includes all of our various foam products plus a helpful chart so you can determine which foam product will suit your application.
To cut our foam we'll be using the dual-blade Sailrite® Blade Foam Saw (#121244), which is a must-have tool for anyone working with cumbersome foam. This tool creates clean, even cuts and makes short work of thick foam.
For our vinyl upholstery, we’ve chosen to use the extremely soft, supple EverSoft™ Pebble indoor/outdoor vinyl. This waterproof fabric has a grain that closely resembles real leather and provides extensive protection against abrasion, fading, mold and mildew. It contours exquisitely around corners without sagging or puddling, so you’ll get a professional-looking application every time.
How did your pontoon seat turn out? Let us know in the comments below. Do you have other seats to reupholster on your pontoon? We have several pontoon upholstery tutorials waiting for you. Navigate to the top of any web page and click the "Learn" category. Select "DIY Projects," then "Marine Projects." Under the "Marine Projects" filter, select the "Upholstery" facet to view all of our available marine upholstery tutorials.