Boat Project: Saloon Cushions

[rdugger]

1. Our 1978 424’s saloon cushion arrangement is a single bottom cushion and 7 back cushions that form a U on each side. Each of these 7 back cushions have a plywood back. I have attached a picture.
2. We replaced the cushions 13 years ago when we bought the boat. We plan to update these cushions over the winter.
3. I’m interested in hearing from other 424 owners as to different configurations of the back cushions.
4. We are thinking about removing the 4 back cushions that make up the ends and the corners and extend the width of the 3 middle back cushions to cover the entire back.
5. Has anyone else done this?
a. If yes, are the 3 middle back cushions the same width or is the middle cushion the same size but the forward and aft cushions are wider?
6. Currently each of the plywood backed cushions attach to the boat via 2 vertical strips of industrial strength Velcro on either side of the storage hole.
7. What other ways are these cushions kept stable in the seating area? No attachment? Velcro across the top of the back? Some type of hook system?
8. Has anyone made a separate thin, rigid but removable cover for the storage areas and made the cushions without a plywood backer?
9. Our current bottom cushion does NOT have a knee roll. We do not use the saloon seating as a sleeping area. We are contemplating adding a knee roll during this makeover. Who else has a knee roll and do you find it functional / comfortable?
10. Is there anything else you have learned and would like to share related to saloon cushions?
Thanks
Rick Dugger
Eclipse#73

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[RichCarter]

Interesting idea. I’m not sure it would work for me because I use the forward end cushions a lot. I have a flat-screen TV mounted in on the back of a galley cabinet that is over the refrigerator. I prop myself up in the opposite end to watch TV. I suppose I could just use a throw-pillow there. As it is, if we have extra guests, the main cabin settee is too short for sleeping unless you remove the end cushions. Then where do you put them at night? It’s also a bit snug for dinner if you have more than two guests. I might give it some thought after I see your photos. Replacing my main cabin cushions, for the third-time, is on my list.

As for the velcro attachment. That’s the way the boat was built. It never really worked for me. The cushions would always end up on the cabin sole when underway. I replaced them with snaps, attached to cloth tabs on the top of the cushions. Photos can be found here in interior mods under BlackSheep. The photo linked below is decades old but shows the snaps.
https://www.pearson424.org/photo-gallery/wppaspec/oc1/lnen/cv0/ab32/pt183

If you decide to continue with a velcro type attachment, consider using a more robust type. The tape used to attach EZ-Pass transponders is much better. It can be purchased online. Google for Toll Tape. You’d have to experiment with how much to apply. The stuff sticks together very well.

I’m sure you know that you could make cupboard doors to fill the behind cushion holes. You’d probably have to square-off the hole corners but it sounds simple enough. A piano hinge across the top would work.

[Tom Walters]

It is hysterical that you submitted this post today. We also spent most of our day removing our old cushions from our boat. We have a 1981 424 that looks incredibly like yours. Our cushions were the originals we think. We took a thousand measurements and formulated a plan to tackle the same project that you are. The pictures below are from today’s start of the project. We just got tired of how uncomfortable our salon area is. The back cushions extend too far from the wall limiting the space you have to sit. Regardless of where you sit, you are forced to sit straight up. While this is good for my posture, it is terrible for relaxing. We have concluded that it is almost impossible to lie down on these without falling off even in calm seas. They were not constructed for comfort. The way you were describing your cushions was like you were looking at ours.
So our plan is to scrap all back cushions and recover the bottom seat cushions. We are going to cut and install wood planks to cover the holes to the storage lockers behind the back cushions. we are going to do this by inserting wooden stops on the inside flange of the holes. we plan on using metal plates and magnets to hold the covers in. We are going to drill a single 1″ hole in each cover to allow easy removal for access to the storage lockers. Once all the covers are in place, we are planning to purchase thinner back cushions from Foamorder.com or another cushion site. We want to get thinner cushions for the back and then add throw pillows to accent. This will increase our space between the back cushions and table considerably. We do not plan to reinstall end cushions. This gives us almost a foot of sofa on each sofa for more guests. Because of the limited storage, we are using our V-Berth for storage. With that in mind, we would like to use our salon for guest sleeping area. I am not sure if this was original or a later add on, but we have rails that we assume were used as a rail for a pull out board that extended the seat cushion out far enough to make a decent sleeping area. These were removed for reasons we are not aware of. To fix this we are going a little different path. I am going to install a 13 1/2″wide x 78″long x 3/4″ thick board on the face of the sofa seat face using piano hinges the full 78″s. This board will extent up 180 degrees from the face of the sofa seat. Fully vertical, it will become an at sea bed that will prevent falling out. When extended 90 degrees, it will allow the seat cushion to be pulled out to make a larger sleeping area for guests. I will make some drawings as soon as I can. I will post them along with the pictures as we go along. We will also be posting all our projects on our website sailingbeyondalaska.com.

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[Anonymous]

I too have the original cushion layout on my 1980. I have a larger family and will need the saloon to be berths and so my thinking is to replace the back cushions (3 middle & 2 ends) with a single cushion with plywood backing that could be lifted up into a bunk bed arrangement. The support system needed when in the up position will be tricky however. Anyway, food for thought.

[typhoontye]

I am also thinking about redoing our cabin cushions. I’m not unhappy with the layout for us but the fabric is faded and I have never really liked it. Any suggestions on good quality fabric? I’m very familiar with the Sunbrella line but wondered if there was any experience with other fabrics.
Our 2 settees are pullman berths so we can have a wider spot to sleep than just the cushions. So far only our kids have slept in them and they do wilderness camping so not a problem with piling the end cushions up in front of the hanging locker. Our cushions attach with the same velcro arrangement and they work well even in rough seas.
If you really want a bunkbed arrangement, check out Rockler for lowering/raising hardware. I built a Murphy bed years ago for the house and they had quite a bit. Maybe something along the line of what they use to raise beds in RVs or modern boats.
Happy New Year
Pat Tye
Blue Moon #189

[Windward Star]

I redid our cushions two years ago. I kept the same arrangement that the PO had made as it works well for us. We have 3 back cushions(4” foam), the middle being shorter than the two outside cushions. They have a snap/strap attachment. Each cushion has a strap & stainless D-ring sewn to each end, on the face of the cubbies there is a webbing strap with snap attached which holds the cushions in place. There is a little gap between the cushions to allow attaching them. They are double sided so they can be turned around if one gets stained! I’ve never felt the cushion sink into the opening of the cubbies.
I did go with Sunbrella fabric. I chose the silica silver as I have done several boat interiors with this color and really like that it has some thread pattern so it’s not a homogenous color and it’s bulletproof for cleaning. Just yesterday I removed the covers, put them in a bucket with some bleach and dish detergent, agitated them for a bit, then layed them out on the dock and scrubbed with a deck brush! I don’t think there’s another fabric that will take that abuse. I took the photo’s below after the cleaning/drying and re-stuffing.
I went with new 5” foam for the bottoms which just fit snuggly under the cubbies and the table swings by with a little effort. I considered knee rises but thought that I might not like the look & feel when done with sunbrella, I feel like that’s better accomplished with vinyl.
Hope this gives you some ideas!

James Beaulieu
Windward Star
#220

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