Has anyone replaced theirs yet??? They are starting to get a bit worn and im thinking either get all new from GW or have a local canvass guy just dupe the ones I have.
'05 300 Marlin F250's
'05 300 Marlin F250's
'05 Marlin Cockpit Bolsters
- Thread starter Gman25
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Fishtales
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Hey Gman its been a while.
I have not done it on the Marlin, but I did it on my Sailfish after about four years due to a defect in the material. I got a bunch of pink blotches all over the vinyl coverings due to a process error at the factory that made the fabric. GW sent me all new bolsters for free, but I had to install them.
As I recall there is a small philips head screw on the underside of each piece near the brass circular weep hole at each end. You have to look closely, but you will find it. Remove these. You should be able to push the bolsters up from the bottom or by putting pressure with your hands on the face and slide up. There are circular holes on the plastic back board that clips slide into (the clips are mounted to the inside of the gunnel and slide in the back board holes and end up inside the bolster between the back board and the padding.
The material is stapled to the back of the backboard with SS staples. If you are only replacing the covering, you need to stretch it over (keep any vertical lines true) and staple. If you are changing the padding too, remember to get a good closed cell foam for marine applications.
If I remember correctly the bolsters came from the Wise Company in Tenn. The newer stuff has the GW logo on it - not sure if they are still using Wise. If you want to get the exact material, maybe call GW Cust Service and see if they will point you to the manufacturer. You might be able to get the fabric or have the factory make complete new ones (fabric, foam and backing) and just install as I did. The only thing I found was that the holes were a little different, and I ended up having to move a couple of the clips to align with the hole placement. No big deal.
To install, simply align the holes moving from one end toward the other and then slide down the bolster so the clip slides inside of the backboard and set the screws near the weep holes.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
I have not done it on the Marlin, but I did it on my Sailfish after about four years due to a defect in the material. I got a bunch of pink blotches all over the vinyl coverings due to a process error at the factory that made the fabric. GW sent me all new bolsters for free, but I had to install them.
As I recall there is a small philips head screw on the underside of each piece near the brass circular weep hole at each end. You have to look closely, but you will find it. Remove these. You should be able to push the bolsters up from the bottom or by putting pressure with your hands on the face and slide up. There are circular holes on the plastic back board that clips slide into (the clips are mounted to the inside of the gunnel and slide in the back board holes and end up inside the bolster between the back board and the padding.
The material is stapled to the back of the backboard with SS staples. If you are only replacing the covering, you need to stretch it over (keep any vertical lines true) and staple. If you are changing the padding too, remember to get a good closed cell foam for marine applications.
If I remember correctly the bolsters came from the Wise Company in Tenn. The newer stuff has the GW logo on it - not sure if they are still using Wise. If you want to get the exact material, maybe call GW Cust Service and see if they will point you to the manufacturer. You might be able to get the fabric or have the factory make complete new ones (fabric, foam and backing) and just install as I did. The only thing I found was that the holes were a little different, and I ended up having to move a couple of the clips to align with the hole placement. No big deal.
To install, simply align the holes moving from one end toward the other and then slide down the bolster so the clip slides inside of the backboard and set the screws near the weep holes.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
reelserious
Well-Known Member
I had mine redone locally a few years back on my Sailfish. The cost was about a third of what the local GW dealer would charge. The quality was as good or better than the factory set.
I redid mine myself. Materials ran about $200 and that included new dryfast foam, pleated Seaquest, etc. Of course you need an industrial sewing machine also. My boat is an Adventure and the bolsters curve around the back. That makes them a lot more difficult to make then just straight runs. All in all, it worked out well and after two seasons, they are doing fine. One note.
Stainless staples are NOT recommended. You should use Monel.
Stainless staples are NOT recommended. You should use Monel.
I replaced mine this past spring. Not too bad to remove once you know about the hidden screws!
It's amazing how many different colors of "white" there are. If you are doing all of the upholstery it probably doesn't matter too much, but I was keeping my seat cushions and wanted to match as close as possible.
I called the main GW customer service and was refered to my local dealer. Went in circles between them and a couple upholstery shops for getting the material. Finally, I was able to find a shop that had the material which I picked up and dropped off to my local upholstery guy. He did a great job and they look brand new from the factory.
I believe I got the material from:
Custom Marine Canvas
485 Deale Rd, Deale, MD 20751
(410) 867-6100
It's amazing how many different colors of "white" there are. If you are doing all of the upholstery it probably doesn't matter too much, but I was keeping my seat cushions and wanted to match as close as possible.
I called the main GW customer service and was refered to my local dealer. Went in circles between them and a couple upholstery shops for getting the material. Finally, I was able to find a shop that had the material which I picked up and dropped off to my local upholstery guy. He did a great job and they look brand new from the factory.
I believe I got the material from:
Custom Marine Canvas
485 Deale Rd, Deale, MD 20751
(410) 867-6100
Thanks for all the info guys..there are some curvey pieces back there and i dont want to settle on a poor fit..I redid my sailfish many years back but I dont think I would attempt some of the crazy shape pieces on the Marlin. One thing though is im not too happy with the way it broke down.. a lot of cracking on the bottom from water damage and the transom seat stitching just came apart :-| ..
'05 300 Marlin F250's
'05 300 Marlin F250's
The original Grady foam holds water. It was covered in plastic but over time, that didn't seal all that well and the foam got wet and grew mold. The new foam I used is very porous, so much so that even applying contact cement is a challenge!Gman25 said:
In addition, the vinyl should be treated to help reduce UV damage. I use 303 Aerospace protectorant.
The biggest threat for me is fishing hook damage
The color I used was Seaquest Chalk. It was close but probably not an exact match to the seat cushions. Then again I don't see colors all that well so it was perfectRepalce all on my 97 marlin 3 or 4 seasons ago. Local canvas shop on LI, $500 for all. Looks just like factory, ribs and all.
GMAN - I had them done on my 02 Marlin a year or so ago. I did it through my dealer's canvas guy and couldn't be happier with the product. Price was fair as well. PM me for more if desired.
I used a local company to replace all the cushions and vinyl on my boat a few winters ago. They had done the enclosure the year before and I was happy with their job and service. They did it over the winter while the boat was in the yard. I thought about tracking down who did initially for grady or going through a local dealer, or even doing it myself. I found that this was just the easiest solution for me.