Seat material opinions/suggestions

[FOMOGO]

I have a Barstool racer and used a Craftsman barstool on it. The cover is as slick as greased glass and I already had intentions to recover it. I have already slid off the seat and bruised my tailbone. It turned over and ripped the seat off the barstool frame. So now I am going to make a new seat and am thinking I would use some high grade carpet padding for the cushion. I am always open to suggestions if someone has a better material choice for the cushion. For the cover I want something that has some bite. I really like the material that is on my Honda Rancher seats. It is very supple and has good bite. You almost have to raise up off the seat to move. The wife says she can sew a circle...... So does anybody know what the Honda Rancher material might be? Or something similar? I appreciate your input.

FOMOGO

 

[neo71665]

I havent done a mini bike seat but on 4 wheelers, motorcycles, deer stand seats, and boat seats I start with a layer or 2 of the floor mat harbor freight sells (it's pretty hard but does have some give)

Anti-Fatigue Foam Mat Set 4 Pc

I then use carpet padding to build up a bit of height and give some shape. On the very top I use a layer of 1 inch regular upholstery foam. You can play with the amounts of each in each layer to give you the amount of firmness you like.

As for the vinyl you can get it with different amounts of "bite". When I do them I normally just check it out in a fabric store. So metimes you can luck you and find something you like in the scrap bin for next to nothing. If you are not worried about water (parking it inside) heavy canvas works nice for seats. To help with the foam soaking up water cover it in a heavy duty trash bag before you do the fabric. You can then treat it with tent sealer, porch and deck sealer, or do a waxed canvas.

 

[FOMOGO]

Thanks Neo I will check it out.

 

[CarPlayLB]

I have used a fabric called "Sunbrella" for a couple seats I had done. It is waterproof, looks like canvas, and will withstand the elements as its intended use is for awnings. Very durable and won't burn your buns!

 

[neo71665]

If you can find some old diving suits they make good seat covers but the neoprene can be tricky to work with. If you live around someplace with a diving community you can luck out and find them for next to nothing at goodwill or 2nd hand shops.