Caravan, campervan and boat cushions: fabric and filling for small damp spaces

Caravan and campervan

Seat and bed cushions in a van are foam blocks in a cover. The foam is usually fine; the cover is the problem: cheap, non-removable and impossible to wash. Replacing the covers in a removable, washable, water-repellent fabric transforms the van. Sunbrella® is a good choice for van upholstery: it breathes (important for condensation under a mattress), it is abrasion-resistant, and spilled coffee wipes off. Measure each foam block (length, width, thickness) and note which edges are visible; send a photo of the layout. See made to measure.

Boat cockpit and deck

Here it depends on where the cushion lives.

• Cockpit seats, deck scatters, cabin cushions: Sunbrella® over reticulated foam or hollow fibre. It is the standard fabric for boat canvas for good reason: salt and UV do not touch it, and it drains and dries.
• Seats that sit in standing water (open fishing boats, RIBs): welded marine vinyl over closed-cell foam. Not comfortable, not breathable, but it does not absorb anything.

Salt, sun cream and mildew

Rinse boat cushions with fresh water at the end of the season; salt crystals abrade fibres. Sun cream comes out with a degreasing soap. Mildew in a closed cabin over winter comes out of Sunbrella® with a 1:9 bleach solution, which is the single best reason to use it in a boat. Methods in mould on garden cushions and stains by type.

Templating odd shapes

Boat cushions are rarely rectangular. Lay the old cushion or the seat base on brown paper and trace it; mark the front edge and any cut-outs. Photograph the template next to a tape measure and send it. We cut to the template.

Scatter cushions for vans and boats

45×45 is on the big side for a van; 40×40 and 40×60 lumbar sizes are made to order. For a boat cockpit, 45×45 stock cushions work and are easy to stow. Colours that hide salt marks: heathered greys and taupes from the grey and beige ranges.