[Rhodes22-list] Sound cushion advice?

[Ron Kaye]

Good Rhodies,

Lisa and I are still newbies and have sailed our Rhodes very little to
date.  We are thinking that surely this subject has come up and many of you
have done this.  In futzing around in the cockpit we found that the cushions
were in some degree of being worn out - the luan backerboard seems to have
collected some condensation or other source of water in the past and it is
failing (though it was dry at the time), the staples are corroding, fabric
coming loose to the touch.  Anyway, we need to replace those cushions.

Now the basic idea is get some suitable wood, tear the others down and use
the surviving pieces as a template to cut new backers.  Get some foam, cut
or cut it ourselves (if that is doable).  Get fabric and staple it back
down.  Have a beer.

I have a compressor and a staple gun so I think I can manage thre stapling.
Also I have a jigsaw and circular saws and the ability and patience (I hope)
to cut the plywood.

We aren't gong to match anything but simply redo all the cushions.

I'm thinking 3/8" marine grade plywood for the backers?

We are open to suggestions for the best kind of fabric, and

Most of all what kind of foam, how dense, how thick, a reaosnable source and
do they cut it or can I cut it somehow (utility knife)?

Now it might be that it is simply not worth it, that the Acme Co can do it
so reasonably and so well that it doesn't make sense to bother.  My hunch is
that services who do this whole job would be quite expensive.

 ("Nautisaurus" purchased Sept '10, sailed twice, 85 hull, refurbed in 2005
and pretty much refurbed again in 2010 through multiple work-orders to
Stan. On blocks now on the middle Potomac, MD.)

Thanks for any groovy advise on this project.

-- 
Ron & Lisa