BottomSiders Cockpit Cushions

[Case]

Anyone have experience with BottomSiders? The website is here... http://www.bottomsiders.com/

Comments? Please do have something to say! I am looking for new cockpit cushions myself. If you know of another company that makes cockpit cushions, please tell me.

No suggestions for me to make my own, please. I have ZERO sewing skills and would rather sand than to sew. It's my thing, I guess.

Fair Breezes - Case

[dasein668]

No experience with them, but I would suggest that you also check on your local sail/canvas lofts if you have any good ones in the neighborhood. Though BottomSiders says they have over a thousand templates for production boats, I personally would feel better having someone actually on my boat making templates. Also, if a local loft comes and makes the templates and then there is an issue with fit or quality its usually easier to hold them accountable.

[Ric in Richmond]

Boat I looked at buying had them on board.

Looked nice.

Felt good initially.

I didn't use them along time, but they had a very shiny finish on stiff foam and I felt like they might get sticky and clammy on a hot day.

They had the consistency of some of the key chain floats you see that are foam but very glossy on the outside...that is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head to explain it.

I would pick a nice set of vinyl over them any day and the vinyl would likely be less.

Ric

[Tim]

Cockpit cushions are nice to have. I'm not too big on the pre-made stuff like Bottom Siders. Knowing that they're like those key chain floats makes me want to say that they wouldn't hold up over time, would be sticky and gross in the heat, and would allow the hard fiberglass to transfer through easily, negating the benefit of the cushion.

Even worse are those rock-hard closed cell foam things that you can find. You might as well sit on the fiberglass.

It's expensive to have a nice custom set made, so one thing you might consider in lieu of the Bottom Siders is Sport-a-Seats. I love these things, and they are very comfortable. Just something to consider.

[Figment]

It's not a consideration for everyone, but those keychain-foam cushions are easily punctured by dog claws. Then water gets in the foam.....

[Figment]

And then there's the "Freebag". It's a sack of beans, so there's a learning curve for truly comfortable use, but they're very versatile. Cockpit, foredeck, settee, vberth, etc.

Often it's just the thing for wedging the cooler into place when it's sliding across the cabin sole in sloppy seas. :)

[Rachel]

I have ZERO sewing skills and would rather sand than to sew. It's my thing, I guess.

Case,

I'll be getting back to you when I'm all geared up for my next BIG sanding project ;-)

As far as cushions go, I never seem to end up sailing on boats that have them, but I spent part of a day visiting on a boat that had the most comfortable "upper" cushions (the ones you stuff behind you to lean back on, etc.) Might as well mention them is this thread.

At any rate, they were made of regular sunbrella and were discs of about 24" in diameter with 4"-or-so built up sides (like the candy Life Savers but without a center hole). The folks who had them had originally had bean bag chairs aboard, and when they wore out, used the white foam beads from them to stuff these pillows (which they had someone sew for them).

Wow, were they comfortable! Pretty sharp looking with piped edges, too, and small enough to not get in the way.

--- R.

[Case]

"Like those key chain floats." That is the general feeling I get from everybody so far in this forum. Ughh. I don't really like that kind of cushions myself. Good thing I asked. The old cushions I have is made of very nice leather - lookalike vinyl material that's off white colored (intentionally, not aged that way). But its zippers are shot... corroded. Plus it's kinda waterlogged. Sigh. Perhaps I will have to look around locally and have ones similar to what Glissando has be made for me. I suspect I probably will just eke out one more season with my old ones.

Perhaps I will just bite the bullet and bring my old ones as templates (they fit perfectly) and have ones professionally made. We'll see...

Thanks for the comments. Very helpful. - Case

[Tim]

We have been very pleased with our cushions. The combination of the denser Ensolite on the bottom with the open-cell Dry-fast foam on top is very comfortable for long periods. The cushions live in the cockpit all season, and never come below--rain, shine, what have you. They no longer look new, but are still in good shape.

The Dry-Fast foam, being open-cell, does get compressed over time if there's a high traffic area. For example, in our boat we board from the starboard side, and just aft of the dodger on that side is a pretty flat spot in the foam, where we step into the cockpit. (4 seasons' use) So this foam will require replacement every so often; it needs replacement now.

The Sunbrella is a great surface, I think. I don't like vinyl much myself because it's sticky, hot, or cold--or some combination of the three. The Sunbrella is comfortable just about all the time (even if wet), and also breathes to prevent nastiness problems inside.

[Ric in Richmond]

Buy new zippers...

Or carefully disassemble the old cushions and make some patterns then make new ones.

You can get all the stuff online and a regular HH machine will work in most cases.

We are redoing our salon cushions this way now.



Ric