Fixing the Boat

My mom bought my dad a 22-foot Bayliner Trophy cuddy cabin when he turned 40, about ten years ago. Boat Quest shows a few quality pictures of the same boat which includes the inside panels, which I will discuss soon. We took this boat for strolls down the river, in the inter coastal, and sometimes off the coast of Daytona. However, in nature of any material thing, it continues to live through the wear and tear process. Many times, the salt from the water slowly eats away at parts of the boat, especially the trailer, but the damage that Dad asked me to fix involved vinyl damage. The wood on the panels next to the driver and passenger seats rotted and the vinyl started tearing apart. They provide cushion for people in those seats to lean on and include mesh pockets to place small items in.

Dad is a master with wood work so he cut and sanded two replicas of the original panels. Next, he ordered thick foam sheets from Joann Fabrics made by Poly-Fil. This material, called NU-Foam, matched perfectly with our project because as the package confirms, it will not disinegrate or grow mildew, which makes it perfect for an outdoor product. He also bought dark blue vinyl to match the boat. The NU-Foam goes in between the vinyl and wood to add support. He needed me to sew on a half inch lip over the mesh, so we cut two inch wide strips, and I used a leather strength needle to stitch the vinyl and mesh face to face. Next, I needed medium binder clips. Staples sells these clips, and as you probably understand, their uses aren't limited to paper. (As a matter of fact, I use the large ones while pinning my quilts.) Anyhow, I folded the vinyl over and clipped it down at every 4-6 inch interval, and this process took two people, my boyfriend and me. He stretched the piece tight while I placed the clips onto it. I first started in the middle and worked my way to the edges to ensure the final product would look flat rather than pulled and rippled. When I began sewing, I made sure to sew over the front side by the bottom edge to guarantee a longer lasting piece. Each clip came off within an inch of going under the needle. The picture to the left shows a close up of the final result after sewing both sides. Take note of the back side of the vinyl showing through the mesh. We killed it...

*

This view of the back side shows the excess vinyl that met its death by scissors-easy as cutting wrapping paper.
*

*

*

*

*

*

Once we finished sewing the vinyl to the mesh, it came time to staple the vinyl to the wood. My job here ended, for my dad needed to take over. Caution: staple guns and me do not mix well; the noise from the gun releasing pressure to shoot the staple makes me jump. Hell, opening a Pillsbury dinner rolls container spazzes me out because the freaking cardboard pops apart! I look away every time. Needless to say, I stayed inside while Dad stapled the panel together in the garage, but I went out to see the finished panel.

The mesh pocket lays nice and smooth against the vinyl, and provides just enough room to fit the essentials for boating--sunblock, sunglasses, and of course cell phones. Unfortunately, I live a couple hours away from my parents, so I missed the opportunity to take pictures of these after Dad attached them in their proper places.