Chrysler C-26 cushions or cushion patterns?

KeyWest · Post by **KeyWest** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:48 pm

I am looking for some patterns for the C26 cushions, or a place we can buy cushions for the cabin. We recently bought a C26 (fixed keel) in the Keys and it has no cushions. This is my first boat and I don't know where to start. I don't sew (except by hand) and have no sewing machine. I don't know how to even begin to replace these. Currently the V berth has nothing. I borrowed a friend's cushions for the v-berth for a while but they were a bit too small (differnt boat type) and he needed them back. My plan is to just cut up a 4 inch foam mattress topper I bought and use a bedsheet over it for the v-berth for the short term. The cushions in the main salon are apparently from some assorted lawn furniture and are very uncomfortable.

I'd like to order proper cushions or at least cushion covers, but all of the places that make these want a pattern. I'd be willing to pay something for the time and effort to trace these out from the top and bottom panels of your existing cushions, and of course, shipping.

Any advice would also be greatly appreciated.

I checked out Bottomsiders but they only seem to make cockpit cushions. If there's a service like Bottomsiders which already has interior cushion templates available, that would be ideal.

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:12 pm

EE also has no vberth cushions, her's were stripped of the covers and the foam was shot, but I "may" still have my paper templates. Will look tomorrow afternoon..

KeyWest · Post by **KeyWest** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:02 pm

Wow, thanks. What do you use for the seating in the main part of the cabin? (What do you call that area)?

ronc98 · Post by **ronc98** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:32 am

message me your email. I measured all of mine and I have them on a PDF. I can send that do you if you want.

Jmckamey · Post by **Jmckamey** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:58 am

My 22 had missing cushions. I purchased foam rubber from a discount furnture store for a very good price. They were sold as beds and came in single or double size and were three inches thick, same as the ones I did have. INMHO the best approach is to make templets of what you need on your boat using cardboard, then cut the foam using an electric carving knife. Even if you can't sew you can still use a fabric of your choice and use the slip cover method. Just cover, fold, and saftey pin the fabric over the cushions, while not a permanent fix it will certainly get you by for now.

Btw, just got back from the Keys, first time for me, I loved it. Got to get my boat down there sometime.

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:53 pm

Ok Key West.. timing may work out for you....

I have ALL the OEM C-26 full keel cushions ( Salon, V-berth, Pilot berth etc) sitting right now at the ulphosterer in NJ to be used as a template for replacements...

so, if you want I can talk to him to see if he would be willing to make up TWO sets at the same time.... I am doing mine in navy sunbrella, with white piping and memory foam in the v-berth...

If others are in the same boat ( w/o cushions ) let me know if I should ask him about more quatities...

He has been doing this for 13 years, I have been shiopping around for a good reasonable reliable uphosterer for years and he just did a masterful job on redoing our sleep couch and I though .. there is no way , even with a sewing machine that I will be able to do a good job.myself.. others that I have talked at lenght with that have done their cushions as a DIYer said they would NEVER do it again and sorry they did it in the first place and said.. that ulphostery and redoing cushions cost that much for a reason..-

My two cents..
I concluded that if I really am going to enjoy the boat , as I want to , with freinds and family... I needed a certain level of quality and standard that in some projects I could do myself, and in other projects I could not master it ..and failing to do so would bring down the overall fit and finish of the boat I was trying to fix - up... in doing it this way ( picking a standard of quality for all work done onthe boat) my boat haas gone from a real heap, a truly vile floating hunk of dirty, smelly heavy old fiberglass, to one of the freshest looking boats in the marina with admirers and purchase offers ! It took me a long time and more money than I wanted to put in but it was worth it to do it right and it looks like I could actually get the money spent out of it...'cause I tried hard to keep the quaility up , esp. where it counts..

KeyWest · Post by **KeyWest** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:48 pm

Wow! That's great. How expensive? I'm interested, although I don't think I can afford the whole set, maybe I can get a few now and a few later. Is he going to discard the cushions or send them back to you? If I can't afford the whole new set can I buy your old ones to save for future reference?

What's the Pilot Berth?

lecker68 · Post by **lecker68** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:10 pm

I can agree I worked as a mechanic in a school bus company and when they found I knew how to sew they got a machine and material and had me making and repairing bus seats and even when you know what you are doing that heavy material makes hemmoroids look like a cake walk and no I will not do it unless the last resort.

mcrandall · Post by **mcrandall** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:34 pm

NYCSAILOR- I agree with you about doing things right. My C-22 cushions are being re-done by an Amish canvasworker here in Michigan. Even so, expensive work, but from all the word of mouth about this guy, it'll be well worth it.

lecker68 · Post by **lecker68** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:36 pm

The Amish will be worth it they do things right.

Jmckamey · Post by **Jmckamey** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:37 am

True words for sure, I'm happy with the way mine turned out but, it took a lot of time to do. Luckly I did'nt really have much else to do at the time.

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:59 am

I will check in with him....

I have shopped around here in the NYC area and 1) the sunbrella is crazy expensive 2) the memory foam is expensive ( I am only doing the v berth) 3) the labor is very time consuming and expensive 4) ther are a lot of cushions ( I counted something like 12 ) 5) the shapes are ALL different and weird..

I will speak to him and see what he thinks and if he has time to do "multiple quantities" and if it would be any savings at all.

I will also see if he thinks he could just also make patterns that I could share or just cut foam that could be covered by a DIY with theri own fabric and labor.... I will see if I can help in any way... I think he does rip-apart and use the OEM covers that I gave him as patterns so they might not be usable afterwards... I will try and check with him to see if I can help others in anyway...

BTW: I also have the OEM factory loose "lumbar" pillow ( a round "log-like" throw pillow that came with the boat..from the factory..

For the longest time I was trying tokeep the boar OEM - factory... I gave that up and letting go of that was liberating... I chopped up and disposed of the OEM factory wooden shipping cradle (the boatyard was always astonsihed at how damn solid and strong it was after all this time) -- now the cushions, I redid the sole, redid the windows , will redo the cabin "ceiling" and will likely redo the galley and rip-out the curtains...

pics to come early this spring...

KeyWest · Post by **KeyWest** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:06 pm

Thanks for the help. Does anyone have a photo of the original cabin cushion configuration? How were the cushions on the seat backs attached? How many cushions are in the V-berth? How many in the main salon?

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:29 am

the main salon had the seat back cushions mounted to marine plywood and they were straight vertical to the "hull" attached with aluminum angle irons and screws. there were two large seatbacks, two large seat cushions and then one small seat back and one small seat cushion...

I have been tryiong to come up with a better configuration, maybe with angled seat backs, for comfort, split seat cushions for better access to the storage, etc. but it raised teh cost, complexity and turning it into a scince project ( I do this too often) was causing a big delay and I want these for the start of teh season... so OEM I am going... it works, it is cheap and EZ to just tell the sewer... "copy these for me..."

KeyWest · Post by **KeyWest** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:47 pm

What are aluminum angle irons and screws? I have no idea what this is or how it works.

Windward · Post by **Windward** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:38 am

L-shaped piece of aluminum, screwed to the seat back with one leg facing up and the other facing out. You then set the backrest against the top of the settee, screwing down through the the flat surface of the aluminum sitting into the top of the settee back.

Honestly, these look like a better idea than they are, providing no lumbar support at all and interfering with rolling over and side sleeping on the settees. If your back against the rests amidships, your head is jammed forward as it wedges against the cabin trunk.

I think a better arrangement would be to add a wooden lip at the top of the settees to keep things on the resulting shelf, then make some taller wedge-shaped cushions to use as back rests wherever you need them. If you need to sleep on the settees, just remove them. You could use them as backrests if you were lounging in the cockpit, too.

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:44 am

Jeff,

great timing.. as I am about to make all new cushions and gave up and was just going to follow the OEM path...

lots of smaller loose cushions was a thought but al ot more money and also they might fly all over the place..

Interesting idea you have... I am trying to come up with a slightly better salon set-up with reasonable cost and really professional up-to-date styling.

So.. your idea of loose pillow backs is good, I might do some velcro or figure out some snaps to the shelf lip you mentioned. This would keep them in place. They get pricey though, as they are big cushions, but Ilike the lumbar support idea.

I have always thought of maybe a fold down table / armrest with drink holder in the center of the SB settee , but not sure what hardware I could use to make a nice fold-down / fold-up armrest... might also make it even bigger for a kind of chart table.

Still trying to come up with a nice servicable cozy nav station...

Windward · Post by **Windward** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:41 am

You could laminate several layers of foam to get the size/shape you need.

While you're doing major reconstruction, how about moving the galley to starboard and enlarging it a bit, building a large, well-sealed cockpit locker in the space behind the new galley location, then making the port settee into a pull-out double?

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:26 am

hmmm...

I was thinking of making a slide out or flip down shelf from the SB cockpit bulkhead for a chart table / nav station ( with radio and electrical to the SB ceiling behind the rearmost SB portlight, above the settee ack.. But I would like to figure out how to set-up a aft facing seat then to use the space... would have to somehow "cut" a slice out of the settee seat so I can put my legs... I won't do that .. so now I am thinking a folding "jump seat" style of some kind..

http://www.folding-tables-folding-chair ... olding.htm

Chrysler Sailors Forum

Chrysler C-26 cushions or cushion patterns?

Chrysler C-26 cushions or cushion patterns?

Does anyone have pictures of the original cabin cushions?