New seat cover

[CCW 1,293]

Well the process is complete.  The original seat cover of my 312-8 was seriously compromised and repairing it has been on my to do list all winter.  After putting on a temporary seat I was able to tackle the project beginning by ordering a yard of vinyl from Walmart (Marine Vinyl Upholstery Fabric Black 54" Wide By the Yard Boat Auto $20.46) and some adhesive (3M Super 77 CA Multipurpose Spray Adhesive, Low VOC, $28.00).  The can of adhesive was much more than I needed, but can be used for other projects.  Reading the instructions on the adhesive it is some nasty stuff so all my work was done outside with a mild breeze.  I also used some rubber cement which will be mentioned later.  So let's look at some photos and the steps I took.

 

1 - Original seat

 

2 - Disassembly process - See following photos - Remove the metal clip from edging and peal the edging off.  Save the edging for reinstallation.

   

 

3 - Remove foam and clean up seat pan.  Seat pan was in fairly good condition, using sandpaper and steel wool I cleaned it up and wiped down with mineral spirits.

 

4 - Original idea was to replace seat foam with some foam from an old sleeper couch.  Not a good idea as it was too thick.

 

5 - Searched youtube for videos of seat repairs where I learned about the 3m 77 adhesive and also how to repair the orginal seat foam.  Taking a piece of couch cushion I glued it into place using rubber cement.

Using a hacksaw blade (for want of a better tool) the patch was cut to rough shape and then sanded.  Sanding did not come out as well as I would have liked, but it worked. 

The original foam was then glued to the seat pan using the 34 77.  Be careful with this step for once the glued surfaces mate they are attached.

 

 

 

 

6 - Vinyl installation.

This was the difficult part.  After spending some time laying the fabric on the seat and thinking through the process I decided to start by adhering the vinyl to the seat top first.  The 3m 77 works great, but also works fast.  

After the seat the back was then glued into place. Now all the edges were adhered.  After the vinyl was fully glued down the edging was put back on.  The ends of the edging did not meet and I believe the new vinyl covering is thicker than the original material.

 

Final thoughts.  

Am I happy with the results? Yes and no.  When gluing the sides of the seat and back into place the new vinyl developed a pleat near the base of the back.  This I am sure it due to my inexperience.

Would I do it again?  Yes but I might take some cheap fabric and try to make a template to solve the pleat problem

 

If upon my reviewing this post I discover anything I left out I will edit it or if anyone has a question that clarifies what I did I may add that.

 

Final photo - 

 

Edited April 17 by CCW

[ebinmaine 67,413]

Nice work. 

 

This is a similar - but much better - repair to an attempt Trina and I made when we restored my 1974 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse. 

 

I like that you used the seat foam from your original.  

That was my mistake.  

I bought a good cover but used a foam that isn't dense enough. 

 

Mine is ... OK... but definitely could be more comfortable.  

 

 

[leabassett@sbcglobal.net 149]

Is it great no But it is way better than it was. That is what matters.

[ebinmaine 67,413]

@CCW

 

Here's mine. Same creases. 

 

 

 

[Treepep 562]

On 4/16/2024 at 8:31 PM, ebinmaine said:

@CCW

 

Here's mine. Same creases. 

 

 

 

 

Both look great and most importantly... better than before I think.  Love everything about that Cinnamon Horsey! 

[ebinmaine 67,413]

2 minutes ago, Treepep said:

Love everything about that Cinnamon Horsey! 

Thanks! 

I appreciate that! 

 

 

[Retired Wrencher 5,450]

16 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Thanks! 

I appreciate that! 

 

 

Eric it  this not an easy task. I tried a few times with not much success’s If black gorilla tape does not work I just ask Matt to make a new one.

Edited May 15 by Retired Wrencher

[ebinmaine 67,413]

13 hours ago, Retired Wrencher said:

Eric it  this not an easy task. I tried a few times with not much success’s If black gorilla tape does not work I just ask Matt to make a new one.

 

The one we did came out decent.. but the foam I had is too soft, especially for me Bear. 

It was an interesting part of the restoration process.