The first 2 sailing seasons we didn’t have any cushions as the original cushions were dry rotted when we got the boat and we tossed them out.
A new set of cushions just isn’t in the budget, so I have been looking into various options. In the spring of 2013 I saw 4” patio chaise lounge cushions at the local Home Depot that were the right size for the settee, a good color and weren’t too expensive at $44.00 each. Each settee includes the cushion bottom and a back.
I did not move forward though with the patio chaise lounge cushions in the spring/summer, but in October Home Depot was having a patio close-out sale and the same cushions were on sale for $10 each. So, I bought 6. 3 for the Settees and three for the v-berth cushions.
The foam in the cushions is not high density foam, but more like polyester batting. So I decided to add 2” high density foam on top of the 4” polyester.
I had read that the best and least expensive way to cut HD foam is to use an electric carving knife. So I bought one at the local resale shop for $5.00. I made a jig to attach it to a folding table we have so I could set the cut width. It worked perfectly.
Foam Cutting System
Polyester batting onto of 2″ HD foam
Original patio cushion sitting on top of new boat cushion
New boat cushion
The back cushion is 8” wide, so I had to cut one of the Home Depot patio cushions in half, length wise. My electrical knife setup worked great. I cut the whole thing foam and fabric in one cut.
I “hired” my oldest daughter to sew the two halves into the cushion backs and to sew Velcro on the bottom of each cushion.
New cushions in place on the boat.