What exterior upholstery fabric?

markc

markc

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I'm planning to get the flybridge seating recovered this winter but I'm not sure what fabric will work best. They are currently covered in a course towelling material (they are over -covers on vinyl). The toweling is great because it's non-sticky in the sun but it does not look that great. So, I think I want something that is non-sticky, cool, easy to clean up the muck that the kids will spill on it and have a decent wear rate.

Does such a fabric exist?!
 
I have a very old boat and recently redid the vinyls. The original was Naugahyde and they lasted 23 years in a sports boat cockpit. That's pretty good imo as the ones I have in now only have an expected lifespan of 5.

EDIT: The choice for me came down to available upholsterers willing to undertake a complex job (Seating cushioning looks more like a statement of what can be achieved with compound curves rather than practicality) and what materials they could supply.
 
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Silvertex is the oem fabric for most U.K. Boats and I have just had mine done by MJ who are the original fairline suppliers.

It is a fabric based vinyl you ( on the whole ) don't stick to
 
jrudge said:
Sunbrella picks up a lot of dirt and dust in my experience.
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Maybe, but its more comfortable to sit on. I've been very happy with mine for the last 8 years, and would choose it again. Silvertex looks nice, but it's still vinyl, with the same downsides. As i said it's down to priorities.
 
markc said:
Has anyone ever used this Sunbrella product? I was thinking it could be used to make removable (hence easily washable) covers? https://www.sunbrella.com/en-gb/textiles/upholstery/collections/sunbrella-terry
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In 2012 we had the cockpit cushions reupholstered in sunbrella. It has a more fabric feel to it which feels nice and comfortable on the bare skin, but cleaning spilled pasta sauce is more difficult than from vinyl. Stains we have are from spilled food. Each year we take them out for a wash in a washing machine, after which they look practically as good as new.

Next time I’ll put some on textile protector to aid in keeping them clean.

Very good material and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again in the cockpit. I have no experience on using it on the flybridge so can’t comment on how it fares being constantly exposed to the elements.
 
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I've got Silvertex in the cockpit and Sunbrella (not Terry) on the sunpads. This was all done three years ago and there's really no sign of any wear at all yet, with the sole exception of one tiny polish stain on one cushion, caused by a valeter last year.

The Terry overcover thing is not uncommon down here, but because they are overcovers they are never going to be a tight fit. I'd rather have fitted covers and just replace them very few years (my previous vinyl covers were 9 years old when I replaced them).
 
Silvertex is a good mid quality acrylic material for coated exterior marine covers. Polyester for where polyester rubbing protection is needed. Sunbrella is a brand name of many rather then one or two types which you do pay a name premium for. Fairline's original suppliers C&J Marine are a very good company to, with years of experience. whom offer most all ranges from their Chichester factory. Ask for Darren. Whatever you choose from a good marine company it is true they will last for years if you do not pressure wash and just keep clean with light detergents only. If your covers are looking tired send them off for an industrial clean. It could be a whole lot cheaper than new.
 
Promarine11 said:
Silvertex is a good mid quality acrylic material for coated exterior marine covers. Polyester for where polyester rubbing protection is needed. Sunbrella is a brand name of many rather then one or two types which you do pay a name premium for. Fairline's original suppliers C&J Marine are a very good company to, with years of experience. whom offer most all ranges from their Chichester factory. Ask for Darren. Whatever you choose from a good marine company it is true they will last for years if you do not pressure wash and just keep clean with light detergents only. If your covers are looking tired send them off for an industrial clean. It could be a whole lot cheaper than new.
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When were C&J Marine OE suppliers to Fairline? I thought the two OE suppliers were Tockfield and MJ.
 
I might be wrong but I understood most all new UK and EU craft went through the sole distributor Peters. When delivered down there and most were patterned there. I have ordered from them a number of times and they have almost all patterns from the factory craft from that time.
 
Promarine11 said:
I might be wrong but I understood most all new UK and EU craft went through the sole distributor Peters. When delivered down there and most were patterned there. I have ordered from them a number of times and they have almost all patterns from the factory craft from that time.
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I don't think you are correct. They may very well have templates, but I am certain that Tockfield and MJ covered the entire range between them as OE suppliers, not C&J. Peters stopped being the sole distributor in the early/mid noughties iirc.
 
At SIBS, I spotted a new fabric from Silvertex.
Much softer than their usual PCV range.
It is called "Hitch"
It has a much softer feel - less likely to stick to bare skin.

We will need to change all ours sometime.
We still have the old PVC (pre Movida which I believe is the Princess name for Silvertex).
Each year, we say that we must get new covers but at the end of the season, we clean them and feed the PVC and each season, we say that they will last another.

That said, we had some samples sent from a guy we met at SIBs (HMS Upholstry).
I smeared some sun lotion, olive oil on them and made a mark with a Biro pen.
After cleaning with soap and water, there was a slight distortion in the fabric but it has since flattened out.
The sun lotion and oil washed out.
The pen mark is mostly (85%) out but IMO, it would not have come out on Sunbrella.
With a lot of scrubbing, it would probably have come out on the old PVC.
This new "Hitch" fabric might be the ultimate fabric that we are looking for.
Something that is soft on the skin but washable.
They do a range of colours.
I think this is definitely worth a try sometime.

In the meantime, we will be sticking (literally) to our old PVC.
Well - for next season anyway.
 
markc said:
Do you have the Sunbrella 'Terry' (as per link) or just regular Sunbrella? I'm interested to understand how it holds up over time
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Sorry, no, not Terry but ’regular’ sunbrella. I didn’t follow your link as just assumed regular. First I’ve heard of Terry.
 
Hurricane said:
The pen mark is mostly (85%) out but IMO, it would not have come out on Sunbrella.
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You can get biro off Sunbrella (I have 2 young kids so ask me how I know :D) It's tough stuff, you can use bleach to clean it.

A few things to watch out for:

Whichever fabric you choose be sure that the upholsterer uses the right thread to sew them together. Our first batch of Sunbrella cushions fell apart along the seams because the thread deteriorated from exposure to the sun.

If you do choose a woven fabric like Sunbrella, make sure the excess material along the sew lines is cross stitched or melted to stop it fraying. MJ didn't do this on ours, and some of the seams have come apart as a result.

Thirdly, if you have conventional foam (that soaks up water) then go for a waterproof covering like Silvertex, or Sunbrella plus which has a waterproof backing.
 
jrudge said:
Sunbrella picks up a lot of dirt and dust in my experience.
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My experience too. I reupholstered the exterior cushions on my previous boat in a sunbrella fabric and after just one season it looked grimy. Worse than that it wasnt nearly as resistant to stains like wine spills as I'd been given to understand. I do agree it was more comfortable to sit on than vinyl but I wouldnt use it again. In fact I will be replacing my exterior upholstery this winter and I certainly wont be using sunbrella
 
Hurricane said:
At SIBS, I spotted a new fabric from Silvertex.
Much softer than their usual PCV range.
It is called "Hitch"
It has a much softer feel - less likely to stick to bare skin.
.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Good tip
 
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