Need advice re: renewing cockpit bolsters

Beast of Burden

Beast of Burden

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Sep 26, 2019
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Age
68
Model
Express 330
My cockpit bolsters have been washed hard regularly for 5+ years now and are looking sad lol and I am seeking advice as to how to renew them. no regrets as quite a few fish have visited- its been worth it! Its a 2016 grady 330. Do they come off easily and how? I'm guessing everyone can appreciate that I'd like to do removal and reinstall myself to save whatever I can. Thanks in advance to all!
 
If you are not going to recover them, I don't see why removing them will make any difference in treatment. Get a good vinyl cleaner and a good vinyl treatment/protectant. I like the 303 products.
Unfortunately, the sun and water beat up the vinyl and if the outer coating is worn off, any treatments will not last long and may not restore the look to new. That said, I would have expected more than 5 years of service. The trick to longevity is frequent cleaning ( at least rinsing) and application of protectants.
On my bolsters, they also hang on clips but are not bolted or screwed form the back through the gunnel. Instead, there are screws driven from the lower edge front using the vent grommets on the lower edge of the bolster. It can be tricky to find them and unscrew them. There aren't usually a lot either. Once the screws are out, you pull the bolsters straight up and off of the brackets. Sometimes you may need to carefully whack the bottom edge a bit.
 
Thanks for the 411. I do intend to re-cover them (that is what I meant by renew). Does anyone have any reccomendations for a good upolstery shop within a days drive of Tampa Florida?
 
The bolsters are very easy to do. The longer ones are simply pieces of vinyl stapled to the back side of the backer board. The smaller pieces have some sewing required but can be done on a standard sewing machine with a walking foot attachment. The aft seat and other seats are much trickier but can be done. You can use the current pieces as templates.
 
Some pics on what I did. If I did it, you prob can as well.

Bolster and Seat Recover

I decided to tackle this job over the winter. So before putting away for the season, I removed the (6) piece bolster set, the aft seat and the companion seat from my 300 Marlin. Not doing this type of work before, I read up on it on this site as well as sailrite and youtube. This thread will...
www.greatgrady.com www.greatgrady.com
 
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