Upholstery slip covers

[Bentwings]

I have an industrial sewing machine and did the upholstery in my streetrod.

Recently I looked at pictures of a 45 foot sport yacht. I can’t remember the make as I’ve looked at so many lately. This one had pictures of the interior that showed extensive mold and wear and tear on all the upholstery. There were even a couple broken and missing pieces. It looked like fight broke out. I guess that’s why I just forgot about it.

However it sparked a thought. Much of the wear was due to just weathering in the sun and salt water. I though about the possibility of making slip covers out of a washable material. Even cotton sheet material. Something I could just roll up and store when company comes aboard. I have a medium sized dog but she as a rule does not get on the couches. She has a blanket for this but much prefers her dog bed or just laying on the floor.

I know it’s a long tedious job to make this stuff. My machine doesn’t do real well on light weight fabrics either. A home sewing machine would be much better I think. The cost would be pretty small compared to redoing the upholstery in a 45 footbsport yaght. I could do it in my spare time. I will be a live aboard so there will be concerns about wear and tear.

I’ll probably add a personal favorite chair that I’ll use most of the time. Obviously I’ll be very concerned about mold after seeing this wreck.

Thoughts?

Byron

[Perfect Ride]

Covers can help with the wear problem and add to the mold problem. We use them on passage but are mindful of any moisture and attempt to keep them dry. Terry cloth is nice in cooler climates and linen/cotten sheet like fabric better in warmer climates. Have found ToughJob wipes and 409 best for getting grime off our faux leather covers. Would love to hear how yours turn out.

[JPA Cate]

Hello, Bentwings,

Use WeatherMax or Sunbrella. The Sunbrella fades less, but has less chafe resistance. It will also (especially in the royal blue color) do a great job of keeping UV off. Using cotton is not a great idea, as it will fail soon from the UV. It really depends on what you want. You could keep the slip covers on and not stick to the existing upholstery. Both WM and Sunbrella are machine washable, and dry quickly. The white color mildews easily, and the dark colors absorb more UV than the light. The WM dark red fades quickly.

Or, perhaps, you could consider a tarp to cover everything while you're not using the boat. You can make covers for the windscreen and port lights, too. Many options.

Learn to use the PTFE thread. It saves hours of re-stitching items where the fabric is still good, but the regular UV polyester thread in 92 weight is only good for about 4 yrs. in tropical areas.

Ann

[Perfect Ride]

Great points for outside materials Ann. I think Bentwings was asking about interior materials, but then went on to talk about sun damage. I do not like the feel of Sunbrella on my skin so have chosen softer materials for sitting on in the inside of the boat, out of the direct sun. Are you aware of softer UV materials that are comfortable and machine washable as interior upholstery covers?

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Perfect Ride

Great points for outside materials Ann. I think Bentwings was asking about interior materials, but then went on to talk about sun damage. I do not like the feel of Sunbrella on my skin so have chosen softer materials for sitting on in the inside of the boat, out of the direct sun. Are you aware of softer UV materials that are comfortable and machine washable as interior upholstery covers?

No, I'm not! Sorry. What I have done is try to limit the UV that gets below. To that end, I made a breezeway (a shadecloth) cover for our midhatch, with the breezeway for the top, and the sides out of Sunbrella, and it greatly reduces the UV, while still letting some light in. It also protects the acrylic hatch material from crazing.

For our forehatch, I made a Stamoid hatch dodger, which we use much of the time (maybe 80%), and it protects the forehatch, and keeps rain out, so we can leave the hatch open in the rain.

I would say that any fabric you like sitting on would be okay, if you cut down on the UV that gets below.

Another way to approach the problem, would be to go to a washable velour for the slip covers, or even a wide wale corduroy. It depends on what you like. The softer the cloth you select, the less chafe resistance it will have, and piping is always the first thing to go--I will never make a cushion with piping again! There's always terry cloth, too, and sometimes I tuck terry towels on top of our leather to avoid the sticking. i think it looks tacky, though.

Ann