Getting good at this seat (re)covering thing!

[bgaidan]

Both of my Genesis seats were shot - one was all torn up and the other was completely sun rotten. Time to recover!

I scored a 2.5 yard piece of silver marine vinyl on ebay for about $15 shipped. (Killer deal!) I also ordered a 1 yard piece each of black and hunter green for the rear seat sections....totaled about $30 shipped for everything.

While I was at it, I ordered a nice little pneumatic upholstery stapler...about $95 shipped including 10,000 3/8" crown x 1/4" staples....don't know how I ever lived without that thing!

A trick I developed while doing this one that I had done on my previous seats was to use a bunch of cheap spring clamps to secure the vinyl while I moved and stretched it. On the first cover I ever did on the Hurricane, I ended up with a few extra staple pin holes where I had to remove staples and reposition after stretching. This new ways allows me to get everything in place and stretched and then start stapling. With the curves of the Genesis seat, it took several sessions of stretching an repositioning to get all of the wrinkles and creases out.

Here it is clamped and then partially stapled:


Came back in the morning and finished stapling and attached the corner protectors:

[bgaidan]

Time for a test fit. Looks good, but something's missing:


A few minutes with the plotter and I have a couple of vinyl stencils:


Add a some masking and a little vinyl paint:


That looks a little better!


Looks better than original!

[Mr. GP1800]

Would you make some of these stencils available for others that might want to do that to their seats? That looks awesome!!!!

[beerdart]

Looks great I like the clamp idea I always stretch and staple in the "extra area" to temporary hold it.

[bgaidan]

Would you make some of these stencils available for others that might want to do that to their seats? That looks awesome!!!!

Sure. I've had a post in classified for a year and nobody's wanted anything. I can do stuff like that for a a few pennies more than the price of postage.

Looks great I like the clamp idea I always stretch and staple in the "extra area" to temporary hold it.

That was my old approach, but it has backfired on me.

Also, on this one, I had a complete 2.5 yard piece and wanted to salvage as much as possible to hopefully get another seat of out the leftovers...so i didn't want to have and stray staple holes that I don't need. I still leave about 2" of extra material and tack that first and then pull it tight and do the final staples along the original line.

[casey67]

That looks great.
I need to do a Hurricane seat soon and not sure where to start.
Did you start at the curve,where the seat kicks up at the front ?

Does your Hurricane cover sit flat at that huge curve?

Do you apply heat and where ?

[bgaidan]

That looks great.
I need to do a Hurricane seat soon and not sure where to start.
Did you start at the curve,where the seat kicks up at the front ?

Does your Hurricane cover sit flat at that huge curve?

Do you apply heat and where ?

The 'cane was the first one I did and it gave me hell, but it came out pretty good. Knowing what I know now I would recommend pulling it tight and clamping on the bottom side of the front curve first (look where the lanyard is hanging down in my pic...put a clamp right about there on both sides). Then move up toward the front and pull and clamp. You'll start to get the feel for where and how to pull it.

On the Genesis cover I didn't use much heat at all. I used a lot on the 'cane but I think it could be done without. I actually think it makes it a little too soft and thin and the staples can pull out. Although it may "pre-stretch"...we'll see how the Genesis holds up once it sits on the sun on a hot day.

If you're going with original yellow on the 'cane I think I still have 2 or 3 yards left over from when I did my SL1050.

[casey67]

I agree,that did come out good. Thanks for the advise and pics.I really thought I would need some glue to hold it down at the curve.

Thankyou for the material offer,I have the '96 model, with the red hood and sides-white bottom,I'm going with red I got on e-bay. I think you have a '97 cane.
I'm gonna give you a PM about that stencil and some Reg #'s. Maybe a big Polaris for the sides,the e-bay guys don't have the "star burst" in the O .

LOL,when I got my 'cane ,that left rear moulding/bumper was missing,bought one from PartsPitStop for $15 late last year

[K447]

... If you're going with original yellow on the 'cane I think I still have 2 or 3 yards left over from when I did my SL1050...

I may be interested in that material

[xlint89]

You are getting good. Looks really nice.

Did you get get the "long nose" stapler? Got a pic or link to the one you got?

I've been using a regular HD stapler and pushing it into the tight spots.

Casey, you heat/warm (you don't want to damage the vinyl with too much heat) the area that you're working. You will eventually be heating all of the material throughout the course of the recover.