We looked at several materials for our
small boat. We ended up with a nice blue fabric designed for garden furniture
cushions. It is fabric, scotch-guarded but not quite sunbrella - we opted for this because we regularly have
kids aboard and we are reularly wet below decks.
For the foam we opted for a higher density
single layer foam of 2 inches - it is basically
water proof stuff, black and looks to be made from a "rubberized" foam rather than the stuff you see sponges made from. Given the choice to do it again we would have opted for 3 inches as it's not as "giving" as we'd like for sleeping comfort.
The previous cushions were a nicer fabric type material and had zippers sewn in to remove the covers for
cleaning. The reason we have new cushions is because we removed said covers for
washing and they shrank - LOL
We opted for no zips on our new cushions. So far (6 months) they are wearing well and look like new. I have slept on them many times but not near as often as the
kids who tend to sleep at some point during every sail. Throw down a sleeping bag and the thinner foam is not an issue.
We had them made by a cushion guy as there is the curve of the
hull as well as the angle the
hull makes on the vertical and we didn't want to have to mess with it.
The guy was a pro and made templates for the 3-piece v-berth cushions, one 6 foot 2-piece port berth, one 12 foot 3-piece starboard set that extends back through the quarter berth.
So all up 5-berths were done at a cost of around US$800