New DIY Cockpit Cushions

Oh the joy of having created new cockpit cushions. For years now we have gotten by with only Type IV throwable flotation devices as our only comfy things to sit on in the cockpit, and not enough of those. I always fantasized about cockpit cushions but it was never a higher priority than other urgencies on the boat, so we stuck with what we had. Amy and the boys are always tucked under the dodger there and snuggled up tight. With only one pad, there was plenty of cold hard fiberglass under most of them.

Doing what I love best, which is creating DIY cheap solutions to otherwise expensive projects, I had long been conjuring solutions to the cushion problem. The problem is that professional cushions are not only expensive, but take all the fun out of making them. The problem with making them yourself is that foam is very expensive.

My solution has been to use those very same cheap Type IV Stearns flotation cushions as the foam, and to wrap the whole thing burrito style in the sunbrella that matches my canvas: Captains' Navy. There are no doubt better solutions, but I'm thrilled with the cost and ease of this one.

On Aeolus it takes three cushions per side to span the length of the seat. I ordered the cushions from Defender because they are cheaper than anywhere else I could find (per usual) and soon enough had my six cushions and yards of Sunbrella fabric.

First I sewed the cushions together with a strip of scrap fabric so when sitting on the big cushion we would not feel the gaps between individual cushions. My goal with the whole project was to make a nice, tight cushion.

This being done, I just sewed up the burrito and massaged the connected cushions into it. Getting the burrito right was simple but precarious. Too small and it won't fit, but just a bit too loose and the cushions would slide around inside too much. My technique worked great, and I must say I couldn't have done a better job. The cushions just barely were able to slide into the burrito and it was a nice snug fit.

By the way, I do all my machine sewing on an old hand me down Pfaff 1222E from around 1972. All metal, West German, and able to handle canvas with ease. Don't make em like that anymore. Amy's grandmother bought it new and it has been in the family and working ever since. Take that planned obsolescence.

To finish the end I did it pretty much like a gift wrap. I had to hand sew the final end. I think it looks rather nautical myself.

Now we have wonderful cockpit cushions that will last many, many years. The sunbrella matches the other boat canvas and really looks sharp. My wife is thrilled, as she will use them even more than me.

My estimate of the cost per cushion is about $45. This is $10 per Type IV flotation device and about $15 of fabric. If you were clever and patient, you could probably scrounge used cushions and scrap fabric from a local canvas shop if you weren't too picky about the color to make it even cheaper. I thought $45 was a screaming deal for perfect, great looking cushions.

Stuart, lovely Stuart Island

One would think it so mundane for us to return again to Stuart Island, and yet how wrong that thought would be. We headed north this wintry month and found bliss once more, like returning to an eternal well of happiness. A persistent high pressure system has blessed the San Juan Islands with clear, cold weather, and we took the chance to get away for a mid-winter trip to Reid Harbor. We fully expected to be enveloped in fog the entire time, as we had been under fog the preceding many days, but luck would have it that we had nothing but sunshine.

Our journey north began inauspiciously as no sooner had we left our slip in Friday Harbor than I noticed our steering wheel was binding and not turning freely. I had enough control to guide her to the face dock, where I began my investigation. The systems are simple and easy to diagnose, and upon review I found nothing wrong with any of the cables or pulleys. Looking under the water I couldn't see anything binding the rudder, but concluding this had to be the reason, I put her in gear and drove away determined to try to dislodge anything that might be there. Sure enough, after hitting hull speed I executed a tight figure 8 and when I pulled out, the wheel was free!

The rest of our motor to Reid Harbor in the 38 degree sunny weather was beautiful and uneventful. Choppier than normal with a stiff NE wind, but nothing worth a second thought.

Arriving in Reid Harbor we were surprised how few boats were present. Usually at least 15 or so boats seem to be there whenever you go, and more than 25 if good weather, but this time, only 4. All, it turned out, were boats from Friday Harbor, and friends or acquaintances of ours.

The sun bakes the eastern isthmus of Reid Harbor in afternoon light, and after lunch, we hiked the state park trail along the bluff to our favorite spot we call "Stump Bluff", for the scenic Douglas Fir stump that sits perfectly overlooking the harbor. There, we laid in the sun and became deeply warm while the boys climbed trees. By all accounts, it might have been July. I've had many colder days around here in July than those few hours in January. Feeling so warm, we both did some yoga and played a game of hide and seek with the boys. Our youngest son, Owen, was unusually bold and climbed right up to the top of the snag, some six feet or so off the ground. It was heaven. Pure, undiluted, heaven.

The night was crisp and clear, magical. Stars above and below, as there was no discerning the real thing from the reflection. It froze during the night and the dock was crispy when we woke. Having heard a fog horn that night, I thought we would wake to a thick fog, but our luck held, and the sun poured into Reid Harbor at first light. We didn't know it was oriented so perfectly to get the morning sun.

We decided to hike out to the lighthouse and were rewarded again with a stupendous walk and outstanding views. The signs are all wrong along the walk, as it is no more than 2 miles at most all the way there and 4 miles round trip. It is: UP to the school, Down to the Ericson farm, UP along the airport, and Down to the lighthouse.
Views from the lighthouse were exquisite as always, and I'll say again, it has to be among the most beautiful places in the United States.

Upon returning to Reid Harbor we noticed that everyone had left, and were were alone. Alone in Reid Harbor. Wow.

The journey home alongside surf scoters, buffleheads, sea lions, harbor seals, cormorants, and more eagles than we could count, had us again feeling like the most blessed people in the cosmos.

To have such beautiful and healthy boys, an amazing wife, and a lifestyle that resonates the best out of each of us, is just too much for words.