Does anyone know of a good upholsterer in central, il. i need to get the sunpad redone on my 88 311. I was really hoping that a guy could update it to the 91 style sunpad. has anyone done this? i had a reputable guy lined up to do it but he had a heart attack and retired from doing boats. i've got a few months before it needs to be done but right now i'm stuck.

I had mine redone by a local shop, looks okay, but if I was going to do it again I would contact Mcleod interiors. Might be expensive but they can provide the original skins.

i contacted formula's customer service. they didn't have any patterns or foam left so they recommended to use a local upholstery shop....roll the dice i guess as you experienced. i never thought about contacting mcleod though, they probably still have the material too. i will probably just get it done locally this time and see how it turns out. i think i'm gonna go back with all white, maybe a little yellow, but definitely ditch the grey and black

check out the one in this thread....if you can use it, I'll make youa deal you can't refuse!!!!!

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=175299

As Bob sez ... go to mcleod ... I think you can get the skins aready sewn up and then maybe let a local shop install em ... I would think you need the foam too ....good luck ! ...m

As of last year even Mcleod had ditched the patterns for up to the '91s. But if you send everything to them, I think they can rebuild it. Mcleod will probably be the highest bidder, but there's a reason their stuff lasts for 15-20yrs.

I have a '91 and personally, I would keep the rear seat close to what you have. If you have to make a change, keep the flat bottom and go straight to the 4-head sunpad. I don't like how segmented my '91 seats are; not comfortable to lay down.

One other idea if you're really searching: I don't know who does them, but I'm guessing someone here in south Florida does the Concept and Cigarette seats. Very cool material and designs.

This is what my 91 242 looks like, agree this is better than the 'bucketized' rear bench. Might be the best comprimise of new style and ease of installation/duplication.

Where are you located in IL? I just dropped off my 1991 311 Sunpad at a shop in St Charles MO to have covered in all white and they could use it as a template while they have it.

Just a thought.

i'm in central il. kjo that pad looks really nice, somewhere between the buckets and what i have originally. i removed the pad last night to visually inspect each seperate piece and it looks really good. should be easy for a local shop to recover, foam is in great shape too. michael i see your point too about the bucketized pad being hard to lay on. i sure don't want that, my girlfriend spends 90% of the day back there. thanks for all the help guys.

I went with all white on my sun pad too, it updated the whole look of the boat, not to mention it is way more comfortable to sit on in the sun. I think the original black stripe caused some third degree burns on unsuspecting friends. I also replaced the color slats along the sides next to the front bolsters with one solid white panel ... looks great.

When I was looking at 311's I almost bought a '90 but my wife didn't like the rear bolster seating. My '88 has just a single bench seat and I have to admit it is probably more functional for laying down that the bolsters would be. Funny how much influence these women have.