Seat Covers

[allentownsend]

I purchased a new Bennington 20sxs last year. We purchased the pillowtop diamond pressed Upholstery Upgrade (SX). With all the warnings and discussion of ruining the vinyl I want to take good care of it.

We keep the boat on a lake in Maine and use it daily, weather permitting, for about 9 weeks in the summer. I have the full cover that came with the boat, and I use it if we are away for a couple of days. Otherwise, the boat is stored on a lift with the Bimini up or down if there is a storm. Most mornings, I wipe the seats down to dry the dew and remove tree debris that seems to collect on the boat. I washed the seats mid-season with dawn detergent and before it was picked up for indoor seasonal storage. I am considering getting separate seat covers to protect the seats while on the lift and in winter storage. So far, I did not use 303 protectant on the seats, but I would like to if it is safe for the Vinyl which seems to have a slight nap to it.

Many times, my wife and I go out on the lake by ourselves and I would like to be able to remove covers from the helm, helm seat, and one of the benches, and leave the others in place.

Puffin makes custom covers for my boat. However, theirs has three covers for the bench seats and helm and three covers for the helm and fishing seats. So it really does not provide the pieces that I would like.

Are there other suppliers of seat covers?

I have made covers for my sailboat in the past and can do some work to make or modify covers.

In your opinion are seat covers worth the cost and the bother in a situation like mine?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and comments.

Allen

 

[Vikingstaff]

IMHO, seats (and ideally flooring) should be covered all the time unless when being used. I cringed when reading how much your seats were exposed this past season. Sun and weather will do a number on them over time.

I would recommend 100% use the mooring cover when it’s put into storage, and when not in use for awhile. Are there any local canvas shops that can make you some custom seat covers for your regular usage in between those situations? Hopefully others have ideas on other manufacturers as well. Another option maybe for your situation, can you add a canopy to your lift? That way at least the sun and weather is directly beating down on your uncovered boat? You’ll still deal with dust, and what not, but better than being fully exposed.

As for us, we live lakeside in the summer and use the tritoon regularly as a result. We put the mooring cover on when done, so it never sits overnight without it, let alone in bad weather. Once you get a routine down, it can be done pretty quickly, and with time, is easier as the cover stretches and loosens a little bit over time with use.

 

[sunedog]

I have always covered my boats with their mooring covers when not using them. I bought my current boat used and it came with custom made individual seat covers. They were made locally here in central SC. I love them and will likely add them to any future boat. If there is much of a boating presence in your area, there is probably someone who can custom make covers for you.