Exterior cushions
Cockpit, sunpad, flybridge and platform. Closed-cell foam that holds no water, a removable zipped cover, and seams built to take the sun.
MAST Upholstery
Everything soft aboard a boat, cut from a pattern taken on the boat itself.
A cushion that doesn't sit right is a cushion that was measured on a workshop floor. We come aboard, take the pattern off the real piece, and sew from that.
- Pattern
- Taken aboard, off the fitted piece
- Sewing
- Our own workshop, never subcontracted
- Fitting
- Aboard, by the people who sewed it
- Where
- Andorra and Mediterranean yards
- 01
Outer fabric
Solution-dyed acrylic or marine vinyl, cut from the pattern taken on board. It is what you see, and what takes the sun, the salt and the wear.
- 02
Inner cover
A thin cover wrapped around the foam. It protects it, and lets the outer cover slide on and off without straining the seams.
- 03
Foam
Closed-cell or quick-dry, depending on where the cushion lives. It decides how the cushion sits and how long it takes to dry.
- 04
Breathable mesh
Underneath, out of sight: it lets water out and air in, so the cushion dries from below as well.
- 05
Zip
In the boxing, out of sight. It lets the cover come off for washing, and the foam be replaced without remaking the cushion.
- 06
Thread and fasteners
Thread that outlasts the fabric under UV, and fasteners that hold the cushion to the boat.
MAST Upholstery is the upholstery division of MAST Marine. It sews on the same boat where Casbell Solucions works the timber, from the same templates and the same schedule.
01What we sew
What we sew
Six families of work. Almost every job is a mix of two or three, and they are quoted together because they are sewn in the same run.
Covers and hoods
Console, seat, table and handrail covers; sprayhoods and cockpit hoods. Patterned with the boat assembled, not from catalogue measurements.
Biminis and awnings
Bimini, foredeck shade, harbour awnings and winter covers. With their own frame where needed, or adapted to the one already aboard.
Interior textiles
Saloon, dining, curtains and blinds, lined bulkheads and headliner panels. This is where upholstery has to agree with the joinery, which is why we coordinate it.
Cabin mattresses
Made to measure for cabins that are never rectangular, with a washable cover. Patterned on the real base, following the angles of the hull.
Recovering and repair
New cover, same foam — or the other way round. Open seams, broken zips, fabric faded on one side only. The cheapest thing we can sell you.
02Materials
Materials
What decides how long upholstery lasts is not the colour, it is what sits underneath. Here is what we use and why.
Outdoor fabric
Solution-dyed acrylic: the colour is in the fibre rather than printed on top, so it doesn't fade in layers. That is the difference between three seasons and ten.
Foam
Closed-cell, quick-drying foam in anything that lives outside: water passes through and leaves, instead of sitting inside and turning sour. Indoors, a denser comfort foam.
Thread
Thread that outlasts the fabric under UV. It is the cheapest part of the job and the first thing to go if you economise: one burst seam ruins a sound cover.
Hardware
Zips, snaps, eyelets and hook-and-loop in marine grade. A fitting that corrodes stains the fabric around it, and that stain does not come out.
Brands we distribute
For marine upholstery we are distributors of:
- Serge Ferraritechnical fabrics
- Sunbrellasolution-dyed outdoor acrylics
- Loxxmarine fasteners
- Spradlingmarine vinyls
- Expafoltechnical fabrics and vinyls
03Performance
Performance
Not every boat asks for the same thing. A commercially registered yacht has to meet rules a private one does not, and an exterior cover needs things a saloon never will. These are the properties we can specify, what they actually mean, and when you need them.
Waterproof or water-repellent
What it is
They are not the same thing. A waterproof fabric lets no water through; a repellent one sheds it but still breathes.
When you need it
On exterior cushions you usually want repellent, not waterproof: if water cannot get out, it stays inside the foam. Waterproof belongs on covers and hoods.
UV resistance
What it is
Sunlight degrades the fibre and flattens the colour before anything else does. Solution-dyed acrylic holds up because the pigment sits inside the fibre.
When you need it
Anything that lives outside. It is the property that adds the most years per euro spent.
Mildew and stain resistance
What it is
A finish that stops mildew taking hold in the seams and keeps stains from sinking into the fibre.
When you need it
Boats that sit closed up for weeks, and any piece in a damp or poorly ventilated space.
Antibacterial
What it is
A finish that slows bacterial growth on the surface of the fabric.
When you need it
Anywhere skin meets fabric: mattresses, heads and crew quarters. Common on charter boats, where people turn over quickly.
Flame retardant
What it is
There are two kinds, and the difference matters: inherent, where the fibre itself does not carry flame, and treated, where a finish is applied on top.
When you need it
Interiors, whenever the rules or the insurer require it. If the piece will be washed often, ask for inherent: a treatment washes out over time.
IMO and the MED mark
What it is
The international maritime rules on how materials aboard behave in a fire. The MED mark — the ship's wheel — is their European equivalent.
When you need it
Required on commercial and charter vessels, and on a good share of larger yachts. If your boat is commercially registered, say so on the first call: it decides the fabric, the lead time and the price.
Abrasion resistance
What it is
The Martindale test measures how many rub cycles a fabric survives before it fails. It is a number, and it can be written into a contract.
When you need it
High-traffic and crew areas. In a privately used saloon it is rarely the deciding factor.
Washable and removable
What it is
This one is not a property of the fabric, it is a sewing decision: every cover we make has a zip so it can come off whole.
When you need it
Wherever the piece allows it. It is what lets a boat be maintained instead of replaced.
Certification belongs to the fabric, not to the upholsterer.
When a job has to meet a standard we specify an already-certified fabric and hand you the mill's certificate, with its batch number, along with the finished piece. If anyone tells you their upholstery is certified and does not show you that paperwork, ask for it.
Any combination of the above can be specified. What changes is not whether it is possible, but which fabrics are available, how long they take to arrive and what they cost — and we tell you that before starting, not after.
04How a job runs
How a job runs
An upholstery job moves between the boat and the workshop three times. Knowing that in advance is what keeps the boat from sitting idle waiting for us.
Aboard
Visit and pattern
We come aboard, see what is there and take the pattern off the fitted piece. The quote comes from this, not from a phone call.
In the workshop
Cutting and sewing
Panels are cut from the pattern, foams are built up and the work is sewn. Almost all of the lead time sits here.
Aboard
Fitting trial
Tried aboard before anything is finished off. There is always something to adjust, and adjusting it now is far cheaper.
In the workshop
Finishing
Zips, snaps, eyelets and seam finishing, with whatever the trial taught us.
Aboard
Fit-out and handover
Fitted aboard, walked through with the captain, and left with written instructions for washing and storage.
Lead times depend on the job and the season. They always go in the quote, in writing, before anything starts.
05Quote
Quote
Tell us what needs sewing and where the boat is. With that we come back with a figure and a date. Whatever you do not know, leave blank.
upholstery@mastmarine.ltdWhatsApp +376 326 827Andorra · working in Mediterranean yards