How to Reupholster a Boat Seat

How to Reupholster a Boat Seat
There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors, and there are few better ways to take advantage of a local river or lake than by boat. However, the wear and tear from water, weather, and use almost guarantees that at some point you will have to reupholster your boat seats. The more you use your boat, the more certain this is. While you can spend the money to have a professional do it, with a little bit of knowledge and some handyman ability most people find they are more than capable of reupholstering their own boat seats.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:
  • Small screwdriver Square-point knife Replacement fabric Scissors Needle and thread Staple gun
  • Small screwdriver
  • Square-point knife
  • Replacement fabric
  • Scissors
  • Needle and thread
  • Staple gun
Step 1
Carefully remove the seats from the boat. Use the screwdriver to unfasten the seats and carefully remove the staples from the fabric. Save these screws for when you reattach the seats.
Step 2
Strip out the stitches, using your knife. Remove the stitching to the point where you can lay the removed fabric out flat.
Step 3
Measure the old fabric so you know how much new fabric you must buy for the reupholstering. Measure width, length, and thickness. If in doubt, add an extra inch to make sure you have enough fabric to cover the entire seat, especially when you must sew together two pieces of fabric.
Step 4
Trace the design on the new fabric with a marker or pencil. This should match the old, since that will help ensure that when you place the new fabric on the boat seat, the newly reupholstered fabric will fit on the boat seats. Make the cuts as necessary to cut the new pieces out for stitching.
Step 5
Sew the new fabric over the seat. The fabric should be reupholstered tightly, and any excess fabric can be folded underneath the seat and then stapled into place with the staple gun.
Step 6
Reattach the reupholstered seat.

Article Written By Monty Dayton

Monty Dayton is a professional freelance writer who has worked for the ACLU, Touchstone Publishing LLC, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and many other employers. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Alaska and loves writing about travel, the outdoors and health topics.

Write for Trails.com
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