When my husband and I bought a 1998 Fisher sidepod for what we thought was theft, the first thing we had to do was replace the dry rotted vinyl on all the seats. The pontoon had been out in the sun for eight years and every seat had cracked and split vinyl with exposed foam padding, rotting and disintegrating every time it was touched. He did not provide for a comfortable seating arrangement; After all, the reason you buy a pontoon is so you can take all your friends with you on the river. When we visited the nearby marine upholstery store, we were shocked to find out that it was going to cost over $1200 to have our boat reupholstered by someone else. As a mediocre seamstress, I decided that I would look into doing the work myself.

Materials needed for this project: sharp heavy-duty scissors, marine vinyl, heavy-duty leather needles for your sewing machine, heavy-duty thread, sheets of foam rubber (1″ thick), foam adhesive, steel pins stainless steel, a durable seam ripper, staple gun, stainless steel staples, long-handled screwdriver, pliers, electric screwdriver, ziploc bags, a marker,

Step 1

I first visited my nearby fabric store to see what they had available. After searching the internet for marine vinyl, I was surprised to find a wide variety of colors at Hancock Fabrics and the cost was reasonable, better than online prices. If your fabric store doesn’t carry marine vinyl, ask them if they can order it for you. With that being said, let me remind you that dark colors attract and retain heat. They also fade quickly, so I suggest that for comfort and wear you choose a light color like cream or white. While there I also bought heavy duty leather needles for my Singer sewing machine. That’s right, I used my old sewing machine to do all the work, but I bought at least two packs of leather needles. I would also buy the longer pins the store has. Look for the foam rubber in the store. Purchase several 1″ thick sheets of flat foam that can be laid over worn and crumbling foam that has been exposed to the sun.

Step 2

Remove the seats from the boat and remove the seats, such as the seat cushion, seat backs and any other covered parts. Start by first removing all the hardware that attached each seat to the boat. Thank goodness for electric screwdrivers! Once you have removed the hardware from the seat, place it in one of the zip-top bags and label it for each seat. This way you won’t lose anything and it will be easier for you to reposition the seats and ensure a good fit.

Step 3

When the seats are removed, the next step is to remove the covers from the seat frame. Flip the seats over and remove the fabric by lifting the staples at the bottom. In my case, my frame was plastic, still in very good condition, and it was relatively easy to remove the staples. Using the pliers and screwdriver, remove the covers by inserting a long-handled screwdriver under the seam and simply prying the frame staples up.

Stage 4

The easiest way to reupholster a boat seat is to use the old fabric as a pattern for the new fabric. Using a seam ripper, carefully separate the cover into the pattern pieces. Lay the fabric on a large flat surface and place the old fabric face down on top. I then used a marker to trace an outline of the pattern onto the vinyl, but if you feel confident, go ahead and cut the new fabric by tracing around the edges of the pattern. I gave myself an extra ½ inch margin around the outside of each pattern piece. I also suggest you do each seat one at a time so you don’t mix up the pieces. Pin the pieces together as if they had been separated and sew them together. The first seat will be the most difficult and with each additional seat you will improve with experience. With that in mind, decide which of your seats you want to look the best and do it last.

step 5

Once you’ve completed the cover, it’s time to check the foam. If the underlying foam is in good condition, then you are ready to re-cover it. If not, cut out the rotten foam and, using foam adhesive, glue the old and new foam together trying to keep the original shape.

step 6

At this point you will need a partner to place the cover on top of the foam and firmly snap it back into position. Pull hard to remove wrinkles. Vinyl can take a lot of pulling. Once in position, staple with the stainless steel staples. Stainless steel staples are more expensive, but they won’t rust or ruin the vinyl once you’re back in the water. Place a staple at four equal points on the frame, then pull and staple the fabric around the seat.

step 7

Put the seats back in the boat. Take a step back and admire your handiwork. You just saved yourself a ton of money. In my case I was able to save approximately $950 doing it myself.

step 8

Now is the time to protect your almost new dock with the purchase of an inexpensive dock cover with a 4 or 5 year warranty. This should eliminate the extra cleaning needed due to the last flight of the pelican or the rapid deterioration and fading of vinyl that has been left out in the sun for long periods of time.