Here's some info:
Airex foam. Available from Bob's Foam Factory (www.bobsfoam.com) About $250
for enough foam for 1 v berth. Thickest available is 2.5 inches. Same stuff
as high-tech gymnasium pads. The sales staff there said that their EPS foam
would be too hard to be comfy. I wonder if Airex might also be too hard for
comfort; would ou want to sleep on a gym mat? This place is about a 45 minute
drive from me, so I might go check it out when my schedule permits (or if I
dont buy the factory cushions from IM)
DryFast Foam. Available from Sailrite (www.sailrite.com). Not closed cell,
but a non-absorbant, flow-thru foam. Also about $250 for enough for 1 v-berth
cushion. 4" thichness. Sailrite sent me a sample. Got a note from someone
on the web who said it too was a little too firm to be really comfy.
Sunbrella fabric - available from Sailrite. Not cheap. Also available at a
surplus store near me even cheaper but only in butt-ugly colors.
Sewing machine. - my home sewing machine had a hard time with a simple sail
bag I made for a friend earlier this year. I broke a pile of needles.
Sailrite sells a walking-foot machine for $400 that would probably do the job.
I used to sew professionally in leather and canvas twenty years ago and I used
an industrial walking foot with a 1/2 horsepower motor that cost me $1500
back then. I would NOT want to try to sew sunbrella covers with my home
machine.
Local Boat Upholsterers: Range from $250-300 per large cushion with medium
(not cheap) quality open cell foam and sunbrella covers. Over $1200 per
complete set. I didn't shop around alot, so maybe I could do better. There
are alot of boat uphosterers in San Francisco.
MY CONCLUSION: It's too expensive to make my own closed cell cushions. IM
sells the complete set in cloth for $475 plus $85 for the v-berth fill-in with
board. I'll just take the cushions home with us and keep them in the garage,
not on the boat. I could buy three sets from IM for the same cost as making
my own.
A local cleaner right across from the Marina steam cleans and sanitizes
cushions. He quotes about $100 for a set of Potter cushions.
Judy Blumhorst
P-19 #266 "Redwing"
Danville, CA 94526
In a message dated 11/24/98 4:47:25 PM Pacific Standard Time, kim-
di@nwlink.com writes:
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> My suggestion on obtaining foam is to call a local packaging
> manufacturer, like a corrugated box plant that also deals with cushion
> packaging. I would talk directly to their design department and ask if
> they will sell you a 2" plank(48x96) of 1.2# PolyEthylene (or
> Polyplank). Or get the name of their local supplier if they have one,
> and get it from them if possible. They would probably only sell to you
> if you were able to come pick it up.
>