Choosing the Best Fabric for Cockpit Pads (Marine Cushions)

Posted by Graphic Design Jakarta on August 24th, 2021

You spend a lot of time in your boat\'s cockpit, so you naturally want the most comfort and function out of your marine cushions.

Consider Your Foam Choice

For the best-performing cushions, the choice of which foam and fabric to use should influence each other. Let\'s start by taking a look at the foam. There are two types of foam we recommend for cockpit cushions: closed cell and open cell Dry Fast foam.

A common priority in cockpit cushions is floatation capabilities. In this case, you\'ll want to use closed-cell foam. Closed-cell foam can be wrapped in just about any type of marine material because the foam itself won\'t soak up any water or moisture. 

We recommend closed cell foam for liveaboards or frequent boaters. Dry Fast foam is a very breathable foam and allows water to run through the cushion. Dry Fast foam is suitable for occasional boaters. We recommend using a breathable fabric like Sunbrella® or mesh fabric to accommodate this main feature of the foam.

To learn more about these different foam options to pick the one that\'s best for your needs and tastes, check out the second part of our Foam Series, \"Comparing Types of Cushion Foam\"

Fabrics & Their Advantages

There are three main types of fabric that we recommend for cockpit cushions (vinyl, woven and mesh) and each has its pros and cons. Let\'s break down each choice and discuss them.

Vinyl

The pros of vinyl are that it is waterproof, very durable, relatively inexpensive, and it\'s the easiest of all three options to clean. We really like Morbern® Seabrook vinyl and Naugahyde® Universal and All American vinyl for cockpit cushions. 

The Naugahyde brands cost a little bit more, but they feature a protective Advanced BeautyGard® finish that adds to their durability and is a big plus. We also like Sunbrella® Horizon and EverSoft™ vinyl for these applications. The cons to vinyl are that it can be very hot to sit on and can have more of a synthetic look than a woven fabric.

Woven

Woven fabrics offer a beautiful appearance with a true fabric look and are the softest to sit on. Woven fabrics are breathable, and you\'ll want to select one with water resistance for the demands of the application. 

Sunbrella is our favorite brand for a woven cockpit cushion fabric as it\'s breathable, durable, water and UV resistant, and easy to clean. The drawbacks here are that woven fabrics are not as durable over time as vinyl or mesh and are not quite as easy to clean.

Mesh

By mesh we mean fabrics like Phifertex® and Phifertex® Plus which are sturdy, vinyl mesh. This fabric is very low maintenance and will last a long time. When used with the right foam, you can leave the net cushion in the rain without worry. Since the net will not block water from reaching the foam, this fabric should only be used with Quick Dry foam. 

The open weave of this fabric can also allow contaminants to reach the foam, which can shorten the life of the foam. The net can be a little uncomfortable to sit on at times and can be more difficult to clean than the other options because you have to remove the foam before cleaning it.

The Hybrid Approach

You can always create cushions that use a combination of two fabrics, like using Sunbrella on the top of the cushions and then Phifertex Mesh on the bottom with Dry Fast foam. This gives you a comfy seat but allows great drainage for the Dry Fast. We like this approach, but it does eliminate your ability to flip the cushions if this is something you do frequently.

As you can see, there are several factors to consider before building new cockpit cushions and the right pairing of foam and fabric really depends on your preferences and how you like to use the cushions. We hope that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision on what is best for you and your boat.