I've got the seat cushions re-upholstered and they are ready to go back to boat. Now I need to recover the backrest that wraps around the cabin in my 357SR1. I've felt around and looked behind the eop and bottom of the thing but ahven't ficured out how it's all attached.

Has anyone removed the backrest?

How is that thing put together?

Sure would appreciate some pointers before I just start demolishing things.

maybe screws in the seams of the coushions ? My Starboard side seat coushion had some screws in the seams .....

You do know its against the rules to not post pics of improvements ?

I assume you going back in with vinyl ?

My seat cushions had some screws thru them at one time---they'd been broken off somewhere along the line.

My backrest is a continous sort of thing wraps all the way arond the cabin. I attached 2 pictures of the current interior. You can see (more or less) that there aren't open seams in the backrest like there are in the seat cushions.

I was going to use ultraleather like fabric from Majilite but found some real leather hides on ebay for a lot less than either of the faux leather products.

Since I used yellow as the primary accent color around the boat I bought leather hides in color the interior desecrators call Bannana Pudding--it's a real muted soft yellow and so far it looks great.

I also replaced the backing material with starboard. Formula used plywood that had been soaked with some sort preservative had the worst odor I've ever encountered--even after almost 20 years. I always wondered where that wierd funeral home odor was coming from.

I'm going to also recover all the vinyl trim around the cabinets with the same leather.

Poorche,
I removed my backrest on my 271. The backrest has phillips head screws that are placed through the bottom side of backrest through the leadge. You will have to reach under the backrest to feel for the screws. About every 24 inches. Know, mine was 2 pieces. 357 in one piece I think.
Your on your own getting it out.

Ya my half to remove the screws at the rub rail and split the top from the hull to get her out.
Just kidding!!!!!!!

Let us know how she comes out. I will be doing mine in the near future.

SSRL520 thanks for the tip--I've been looking at the top of the backrest using a mirror. I'll follow your suggestion ond check the bottom edge.

I've heard it's going to be interesting to get that out because it is one piece. Also been told backing is made of fiberboard-like cheezy material that I'm going to replace with HDP material. If the backrest backing smells as bad as the seat cushion plywood backings this will solve a major comfort problem.

This is becoming more than a real pain--I found a wood braket of sorts under the shel and there are screw heads that I can feel. THere are also screw heads I can feel goin i from the top side. The space is so tight I guess i'm going to need a 90 degree screw driver or some sort of stump size phillips to see whic ( or if all) of thses crews need to be removed to get this thing de-installed.

I had to use a mirror to try and see the way it's put together but that didn't help--plus I'm just dyslexic enough that I qustion whether i'll be able to make my hands do things in reverse.

I'm about ready to just take the Saws-All and attack,

Anybody have any ideas before i wreck this thing ( and give myself a heart attack from the rage)?

Formula Customer Support talked to older guys that actually built the 357's and told me sam thing that srl520 advised. THey also said the backrest in 357 was a 2-piece like the 271.

Thanks for teh advice srl520.