The Upholstery Forum

Recently, I have looked at many boat/marine upholstery of newer boats and have noticed that the more recent upholstery is not holding up like that of old. It seems the the material choices are a bit fancier than 20-30 years ago, but the choice of stitching is not as good. I am seeing more straight/basic seams and less top-stitching than before. With these more basic seams, I am seeing more tearing and seam issues on newer upholstery (5 years old), whereas older upholstery would typically last 15-20 years without issue.

I know care and upkeep are a factor, but it also appears that seam choice is playing a part. More straight/basic seams and less top stitching.

I am wondering if there are certain guidelines as to when to use top stitching or even french seams vs. simple seams in order to achieve longevity of the upholstery?

Eliminating top stitching saves time=money and that time adds up when mass producing. At least that's my take but i don't feel like it should be the difference between it falling apart or not. If using quality material and thread, a single stitched seam should hold up fine. For us, the customer determines whether or not to top stitch. If they are willing to pay for the extra hour(s) then i am happy to do it. You are right that care is also a factor. Keeping it clean and dry and using the right products to do so will go a long way.

@Adam12 ,

Time is $ and this year did an absolute slew of seam repairs on O Brien tubes, long stitches, thick cotton thread? Sub par zippers too. Materials today are looking more and more like bed sheets with a coating of rubber. The longer stitches are necessary to prevent the material from ripping at the seam when stressed.

Couldn't agree more @BigRig, quality of the materials they use these days is pretty poor. Let them all fall apart and keep us in business!

@Adam12 and @BigRig are spot on
I will add that in my opinion the only seam that is stronger than a basic seam is a properly backed french seam. However many manufactures skip that step and just do a decorative french stitch add no extra strength.
It comes down to material choice. Many boat companies use a type of vinyl that has a cotton backing instead of the woven backing we are all used to. The cotton backed stuff is no where close to as durable is the vinyl your are used to working with. They use this vinyl because it is more stretchy and easier to cover shapes as well as hide flaws.

I've taken apart seats from the top player in the marine industry. What looks like a french stitch isn't a french stitch when taken apart, it's fake. It's a top stitch made to look like it's a french stitch.

@John you mentioned cotton vs woven. Which is this?

That is woven. However I haven't ever seen it that thick or that color before? What vinyl is that?

I removed it from a custom restaurant booth. It is the same material that I am using for practice.

@John This is the backing of the material I removed from a resident bar stool.

@John This is the backing of the material that I usually use as a replacement.

Yeah both of those are good and common backings.

Rug Dr. wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:20 am I've taken apart seats from the top player in the marine industry. What looks like a french stitch isn't a french stitch when taken apart, it's fake. It's a top stitch made to look like it's a french stitch.

That's sad. Cotton twill tape or poly is very cheap and doesn't add a measurable amount of labor if you are doing the stitching anyway. Poor practice.

It is sad but its real common

As I am lining up my material and supply requirements for my upcoming project, I just realized another factor that may be influencing seam choice . . . Colors !!!

Marine upholstery of the past 10 +/- years has a wider variety and subtleties of color in the vinyl choices. With top-stitching and french seams, it is desirable to either match or contrast colors. The fewer seams that have such stitching, the less matching has to be considered.

In my upcoming project, I am going to be using 5 colors - all of different texture. White, Red, Lite Gray, Dark Gray, Black

With more top stitching, I'll need to have 5 colors of thread to use in either matching or contrasting the vinyl. Perhaps some of the manufacturers are considering that less exposed stitching means less variation in thread colors