Ultra-leather/suede

[splitmind]

Anyone have experiences good/bad with these materials in their yachts? Any recomendations for upholstery material.

[joub]

Am currently re-doing my cabin upholstery. After looking around quite a bit I found this web page that has a good selection of fabrics at good prices. http://www.bestchoicefabric.com/

I bought some really nice olefin material for 13.00 a yard. they will send sample swatches so you know what you are getting. I''d give them a try based upon my experience.

Fairwinds,

Jim

[hamiam]

Ive been on a Swan that used ultraleather. Mixed feelings on the material. If you like/want the look of leather on your boat then this is the ultimate material for you. Its a heavy duty fabric, has consistent grain, is stain resistant, etc. That being said I believe its about $75/yard. Personally, I would not choose this material for my boat as I neither like the way it looks nor do I like the feel of leather especially in the heat of summer. One of the time-tested materials to use is Sunbrella fabric which is a type of acrylic. Its fade, stain, and mold/mildew resistant. Check out the site www.sunbrella.com / They have sunbrella and sunbrella upholostry fabric. Good luck.

[hamiam]

also, www.defender.com is the cheapest source I have found for marine fabrics. Make sure you get a fabric designated for marine use as the others simply wont hold up.

[joub]

>>Make sure you get a fabric designated for marine use as the others simply wont hold up.<<

This is true for fabrics that are exposed to the elements, however cabin interior fabrics can be of any good durable upholstery fabric.

I personally don''t think sunbrella is very good for upholstery as acrylic doesn''t have the resistance to abrasion that you will find in most upholstery fabrics.

My opinion re selection of upholstery fabrics is shared by Don Casey in his book "Canvaswork and Sail Repair" as well as Karen Lipe in her book "The Big Book of Boat Canvas"

Fairwinds,
Jim

[hamiam]

My interior fabric are exposed to the elements! I experience alot of sun exposure due to the hatches and windows, a general high level of heat and humidity in the cabin, and more than the occasional rain and other water while sailing. I use the upholstery fabric from sunbrella and that is quite resistant to abrasion and, unlike natural fabrics, is highly resistant to mold/mildew. Its also somewhat water resistant. Im sure a drier cabin would be fine with Jim''s or Don''s or Karen''s choice of fabrics.

[splitmind]

Thanks for the input. We found a nice polyester vevlet which was textured and looks great. It should stand up well in the marine enviroment.
We liked the ultra-leather, but weren''t sure about it in the summer heat. In the end we went with a sure thing that we liked.