1998 370 Sundancer - Time to replace the cockpit upholstry

370Dancer

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2006
2,472
Suncoast of Florida
Boat Info
1998 370 Sundancer
Engines
380hp MAG MPI Gen VI with V drives
Anybody been down this road yet?

I'm contenplating a complete refresh of the cockpit upholstry. The first question is how to track down the original materials/manufacturers, and patterns for this model year. Any knowledge of an aftermarket shop that can confidently match the factory original? Any knowledge of New old stock on really difficult items, like the helm seat and transom bolster?

My foam appears ok, it's the skins that need replacing. Too many Florida sun years + the PO must have had a big dog. Lots of scratch marks.
 
A first rate upholstery shop, that does boat upholstery is the way to go. More often than not, the foam cushions will also have to be addressed, and sometimes the actual frame itself needs attention.

Having done one, I remember that there is a multitude of vinyls available, and so as to duplicate it exactly, I would call Sea Ray for the exact specifications. Bear in mind, the vinyl that they are using on today's boats may in fact be superior to the original of that vintage, and that would be the way to go, as the price difference would be negligible. Most of the cost is labor... :thumbsup:
 
Sea Ray is probably not going to be of much help on a boat that is this far out of production. The best way is to get involved with a good local canvas and upholstery shop that has experience. Don't try to get this one done on the cheap.

I have the same issue....older boat + Fla sun and even though we cover the vinyl whan we are not using the boat, time caught up. I just had all the cockpit vinly replaced by a local craftsman. We selected the same vinyl Sea Ray uses only in a heavier grade of fabric, specified gold binding just like OEM and let the upholstery shop replace the foam as needed....only one back was replaced. I'll have to say that our boat looks better than it ever has and the cockpit seating fits better than it did when new.

We are in the Panhandle, so I can't give you a specific recommendation, but I'm sure you can find someone near you to do the work.
 
Frank
what was the ballpark cost for your cockpit? I'm getting an estimate from a local source this week.
 
Just under $3000...........that is a truthful answer, but you probably won't match that cost. The canvas shop guy is a good friend developed over 20 years of tops, upholsterey and referral business. My boat is also about 1/2 mile from his shop and I never pressure him on schedules. He knows the work has to be right and that I'm picky as hell, so it might take a week or so for a project like this.

Hope that helps.
 
thanks,
I was just looking for an order of magnitude. I've been around the business since I was born. I just don't have the tools, time, or talent to do it myself.
 
upholstery

370 Dancer..........I had to replace all my cockpit upholstery (seats and bolsters) last season on my 2002 310DA because of vandalism. I purchased completely new seats through my Sea Ray dealer and installed them easily myself. The cost was a few thousand and the seats now look as good as they did new. I went the route of completely new seats because the local canvas shop was going to more expensive due to the labor. You can also order just the skins from Sea Ray and have a shop sew them on. I would think that these items should still be available for a 1998. Good Luck!
 
I wish you were right. Alas, Sea Ray apparently has a 7 year rule, much the same as the auto industry. I have found that 99% of what I need help from Sea Ray to replace is now unavailable, and the original manufacturer is somehow no longer in the picture. Perhaps by being a 2002, you were still in the window of available stock.

Maybe I should buy a newer model.......except I like my boat.

I'm not bitter, because I understand the implications of stocking NOS for 10 years + of inventory for every model I've manufactured. Not pretty, and certainly not profitable.

However, I DO believe that Sea Ray should be forthcoming with intimate details of who built what, and the specs for us poor chaps that must stick with refreshing what they bought (at least for now). Why? because you never know when I might get really lucky, and spring for the latest, top of the line they have.
 
I have found both Sea Ray and my local dealer to be very helpful on "hand-offs". It is true that Sea Ray controls the oem supply on current boats and they do stock parts for a few years after a model leaves production. As long as they have a good relationship with the manufacturer of the component you are looking for they usually will hand you off to them.

Sometimes proprietary patterns, items with SR logo on them, etc are not available, but most of the time, if you work thru your local dealer, they will help.

Having spent 25 years in the sewn products industry, I can tell you that, even if patterns were available, cutting and sewing one set of skins in a production enviornment is not productive at all and the cost would be astronomical.....you are better off with a local upholstery guy since his business is "one at the time" and he is set up to handle it.
 
My local service manager is my nephew, so I don't have an issue there. It's just seems that everything that I needed real help with, was out of production, out of stock, the supplier was out of business, and of course, no molds or patterns. Had the same issues at Wellcraft and Chris Craft.

There is a missing cross reference, that could really cut down on chasing esoteric stuff. That is the cross from a Sea Ray part number in the generally available parts list, and the manufacturer's part number. Sometimes there are hints in the descriptions, but not always.

I absolutely agree on the local guy theory for canvas, and custom upholstery work. If I could sew a straight line.........
I'll just stick to DIY on what I know, and generate the bucks to pay for what I don't need to know.
 
370, up north here I paid 3000.00 for new skins on the cockpit seating, no helm, but it did include the rear backrest and door panel, along with a new deck sunpad and seat pad.
 

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