The Best Boat Seat Base Material
Jared 00:07
Alright, really good question here. My boat seat base broke what material would I use to be able to re-staple the cushion material to it?
Matt 00:16
That is a good one. So Starboard is probably a good option for that. My first go to material if I were replacing a seat base would be Starboard. Okay
Andrew 00:27
Yeah you know Starboard works well. I mean if the question is about you accepting staples you could staple and start work really well for sure. We do some upholstery substrate though out of some less expensive material like pro-board which is an expanded PVC you know, that would certainly be less expensive than Starboard.
Jared 00:46
Starlight as well right?
Andrew 00:47
Yes, Starlight is, you know, it's the same materials King Starboard with a blowing agent, it's a little bit lighter, less material, less expensive, less weight…
Matt 00:57
But you have really good options when what you're doing is non-structural. Right it is not load bearing.
Andrew 01:02
That's what I'm saying. You know, I'd be I'd be scared to say okay, maybe this was a plywood substrate and you go in with expanded PVC that's a little bit lighter, less rigid and maybe now.
Matt 01:15
And it will break.
Andrew 01:17
It will yeah. So maybe now you have some structural considerations. Maybe it's not the best. But you have Starboard is a great option if you just want to be sure that something won't break. Yeah, and totally accept staples as well.
Matt 01:30
Accept stables great. The only caveat to that is you really want to use a pneumatic staple gun. Right? If you're using just you know, your standard spring loaded staple gun. A lot of times those don't have enough power to one punch through the upholstery that you have but to fully seat into the star board.
Jared 01:49
And stainless steel staples, right?
Matt 01:50
Stainless steel staples, for sure.
Andrew 01:51
Is that, would that be the same with expanded PVC or would you use a hand stapler for you know…?
Matt 01:55
No, you could probably get away with a hand stapler with PVC. But I mean, I would urge whoever's doing this, you know, on their own to test it before they work on the final project.
Jared 02:04
And you can dial up the strength and for sure and as well make sure you're not shooting it too far through the material etc.
Andrew 02:10
So would you say your go to for a seat base it without knowing if it's non-structural, just to make sure you're good would be to replace it in Starboard?
Matt 02:17
Well, I would I'm going, to I'm going to hold you up right there because anytime I hear someone say seat base, it's structural. Right you know, and maybe the only case that I could think that you would, it'd be sitting on a fully flat surface, right, you've got a piece of Starboard that's sitting on a piece of fiberglass.
You know, at that point, it's fully supported doesn't necessarily have to be structural, because the fiberglass is what it's getting the structure from. But I'm struggling to think of an application.
Jared 02:45
A lot of those cases, those cushions like bow cushions, like the cushion has no substrate, right? They usually slide into those traction; the substrate is going to be the fiberglass in that case.
Andrew 02:53
So would you recommend in that case, we send some photos in to be able to give much better advice? Probably the best bet.
Matt 02:59
But if you're sitting on something, and you have a substrate that's in the upholstery, Starboard my go to.
Andrew 03:05
Is that always the case that you don't think there's any substrate inside the cushions that just mount to like a leaning post?
Matt 03:12
No, I think they just use denser foam. Yeah. In fact, I've got a cushion. I've got two cushions in my garage right now that have just denser foam at the bottom of them.
Andrew 03:21
I'm trying to think a lot of times like, You are on the seat base, yeah, the cushions do have a substrate but they're they slide and they cover like the lower access.
Matt 03:32
They cover over an open area. Right so the cushions I'm thinking of that don't have a substrate in them are snapping on over a fiberglass deck.
Andrew 03:41
Yeah. Would you do a structural rigidity concerns with something like that? Because it's not necessarily supported fully underneath, like you're saying right, so photos.
Matt 03:49
Photos for sure. That's the first place to start. So we can look at it if we can put eyes on it together. And now we're talking apples and apples. It makes a lot more sense. And it's a much easier conversation to have prior to that. Everything's hypothetical.