Boat Seat Allergy (SimTex)

[Chain Boater]

We have been boating with Bennington for many years. There seems to have been a big change with the vinyl used on the seats. My husband is highly allergic to whatever is used in the new vinyl. Our old boat (2010) did not irritate his skin. However, the 2017 Bennington seats cause painful welts. I’ve made a slipcover for the captain chair, but he can’t sit anywhere else.

My question is does anyone else have this issue with the new SimTex vinyl? Are there other options that won’t cause an allergic reaction? We assume that the allergy is either the mildew or UV protection on the vinyl. We do not treat the vinyl ourselves.

It’s a sad situation as we feel we can’t use the boat as his reactions are getting worse which is typical with allergies. We are willing to reupholster everything if there is a different product out there.

 

[BigD]

Wow. That's a first. Sorry to hear that.

 

[Vikingstaff]

First I have heard of something like this too. So sorry. That’d be a crushing discovery! A couple of our kids often have a similar sounding reaction to the spongy floaty material some lake and pool floats are made out of (the Lilly pad type stuff). We tried to avoid that stuff when they were younger.

To pinpoint cause (but sort of like a doctors allergy test), you could have your husband sit briefly on one in a showroom. See if it is purely the Simtex vinyl, or if it is mildew as you speculated above. However, kind of does sound like the seats themselves. Bummer since its such a nicer material otherwise.

It would stink to spend $ to re-upholster for this reason, but you could have the seats redone in a different marine vinyl by a good shop. However, given the cause, certainly test out the product options first. Sorry to hear he is having this reaction.

 

[Jack M]

If you are willing to recover ,you can find out what material Bennington used previously then find a local shop to reupholster.
You can contact Bennington with the link below ,or call (888) 906-2628

Submit an Inquiry | Bennington

Use the form on this page to submit an inquiry to the team at Bennington about models, boats, dealerships and more.

www.benningtonmarine.com

 

[Bill N]

Ask local dealers if they have customers with similar layouts in pre-symtex furniture and offer to trade furniture with them. Might be a long shot, but most would jump on that offer if they had the chance.

Perhaps someone reading this forum might even fall into that category?

 

[Marcesue]

I am having the same issue. I do believe I’m allergic to the simtex vinyl. No matter where I sit , within a few minutes, I have huge red welts that burn and itch. It feels hot to the touch and the only relief is benadryl. It only affects the skin in contact with the vinly, I have covered my seats with towels, but now it burns me through the towels. Seems to get worse everytime I use the boat. Other than reupholstering, have you found anything else that works?

 

[Julianna]

So both of you must be allergic to latex? It’s probably a question a Dr would ask you before surgery. Just curious to know. I’ve never heard of this before and what a bummer that would be.