Ullman Recovering

[Nasher]

I've got a pair of Ullmans that are destined to go in my RIB at some point.

Life has got in the way of using them, Family stuff, work, other interests, and a trip down the road off one of my motorcycles putting me out of action for a while. I'm definitely getting too old for bouncing down the road, and damaged bits of my anatomy take longer to heal than they did

But mostly I really need another pair to go with them, so if anyone has another pair that need work please let me know.

They were cheap, and on the face of it don't look too bad with their loose fitting over-covers:



But without them they really are rough:

[/URL]

[/URL]

When I first got them I asked Ullman to quote for some replacement upholstery to fit myself. The question was avoided a couple of times but eventually the answer was simply - No.

The loose covers are a bit crap, and I'd far rather use them with the original style upholstery.

Recently I removed the material from one, in one piece, which was easy as the Glue holding it on had basically disintegrated, and have trawled it round several places to get quotes to replicate it.
It's basically a well tailored fitted cover in one piece that stretches over and is glued round the bottom.

They are made from double lined Neoprene, like Wetsuits, and the seams are probably Glued and Sewn exactly like a Wetsuit.
The seams certainly look like my wetsuit seams which I'm told are Glued first.

My first port of call was an Upholstery Guy I know well who does lots of Marine work, and has recovered/modified several Motorcycle saddles for me.
He decided that because of the material he couldn't take it on.
Understandably he didn't want to do the initial gluing of the seams, and thought just replicating the stitching would leave a weak seam where the thread would pull through the material.

Another local Marine Upholstery company had the same opinion.

I then tried a couple of local boat cover specialists, both of whom said the same about the seams needing to be glued, and didn't want to have a go.
One also said they couldn't do the double stitching style seam which surprised me.

I tried a local company who modify/repair Wetsuits, and they didn't want to take on an upholstery job.

So I sent some images to a well known Wetsuit repair and modification place in Cornwall, who also don't want to do the work.

So to the point of this long post, does anyone have any ideas who would be able to replicate the covers for me?

Thanks

[Orwell boy]

Looks like from the response you got from the pro,s,its poss time to give it a go yourself ?
you have the cold winter nights perfect for an indoor job ?
Back in the day i remember you could buy wetsuit kits that glued together ,at approx 12 i made one of these for canoeing ,my glued suit was crap in comparison with some of the other club members whos were stitched ,so i embarked on a plan to stitch mine which never let me down . that was 12 years old couple of years ago (62) i bought some silvertex and dug out my mothers old sewing machine to give the top upholstery a go, after some quotes thought i had a sunseeker i think not a rib
all turned out well ........maybe not your bag ,but if your good with your hands and a logical thinker you can do anything

[Nasher]

Thanks OB, like you I remember when the only way to get a wetsuit was to make one from a kit. (Dolphin Wetsuits in StAlbans rings a bell)
My Mother used to make them for my Father and Brother then cut them down when they were grown out of and make them smaller for me.
They were Glued and overtaped, I don't remember them coming apart at the seams,
But they were not lined on the outside so the tape was sticking straight down to the Neoprene.

The gluing with Black Witch glue holds no fears for me, and the material is available, but I can't do the stitching. Each seam would need stitching after gluing, so I'd be doing lots of trips backwards and forwards if I could find somebody willing to do it.

I've done lots of Wetsuit repairs over the years and handstitched them after Gluing, but I'd like these to look neater than my hand stitching will be.

[Pikey Dave]

Ullman do a tailored tight fitting over cover that is hardly distinguishable from the “proper” covering. My Ullmans came with the covers fitted & it was a couple of years before I actually realised that they were covers. I’ve never had them off.

[Nasher]

Do they, that's interesting, and they didn't offer them to me. The ones the seats came with are really loose.

Thanks PD, I'll have another look on the website, but they are likely to cost twice what I paid for the seats.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Ullman do a tailored tight fitting over cover that is hardly distinguishable from the “proper” covering.

https://ullmandynamics.com/stay-on-cordura-cover

Cordura, but also listed as available in 'leather' which I would assume is some type of Pleather.

Nasher - did you consider getting the Upholstry peeps to cut the neoprene panels for you and have the Wetsuit crowd assemble?

[Nasher]

Thanks Willk, I think those are what's already on there, perhaps they've stretched and gone baggy.

Unfortunately the upholstery people don't want to work with the fabric, and the wetsuit people who have the fabric don't want to do anything other than wetsuits.

A few years ago I know Solent Divers would have had a crack at them, but their site now appears to just be cylinder testing, and they don't answer the phone.
I'll try calling them again this week to see if they are still doing wetsuit/drysuit repairs.

[Nasher]

The loose covers that came with the seats are definitely the Cordura ones mentioned by Pikey Dave and Willk.

I actually managed to get one of them to fit really well on the seat I've not taken the Neoprene cover off, but it was still a bit loose in places.
They are really dirty, so I'll bung them in the washing machine when Lady Nasher is out to see how they come up.

It might be that if the Cordura covers are good enough I could patch and bodge the Neoprene ones underneath myself.

The seams on the Neoprene ones are definitely Glued, it can be seen on the inside of the seam, and interestingly the stitching doesn't go all the way through.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nasher

The loose covers that came with the seats are definitely the Cordura ones mentioned by Pikey Dave and Willk.

I actually managed to get one of them to fit really well on the seat I've not taken the Neoprene cover off, but it was still a bit loose in places.
They are really dirty, so I'll bung them in the washing machine when Lady Nasher is out to see how they come up.

It might be that if the Cordura covers are good enough I could patch and bodge the Neoprene ones underneath myself.

The seams on the Neoprene ones are definitely Glued, it can be seen on the inside of the seam, and interestingly the stitching doesn't go all the way through.

Looks like Cup Stitching, standard on neoprene wet/dry suits. I had a cushion made & upholstered for the boat, by a chap that made tonneau covers for classic cars. It’s stood up well to 9yrs of use & UV, maybe a route worth exploring.

[diver 1]

I'd suggest Dennis is probably the best guy around for this kind of thing.

https://predator-drysuits.uk/

Well worth driving over and having a chat with him, he does very high quality work and is sensible with his pricing.

[Nasher]

Thanks Pikey Dave and Diver 1

I'm assuming now that the requirement for gluing, which I believe is crucial is going to rule out anyone that isn't used to working with wetsuit material.
The gluing appears to not only add strength to the join how you'd expect, but also creates a tougher edge for the stitching to pull against.
Without it the thread would appear to just pull through the material.

Well worth me taking a trip over to New Milton by the look of it.

[Nasher]

I finally found somebody willing to take on replicating the original lined Neoprene covers for these Ullmans.

I'm eagerly awaiting delivery, but the images I've seen look great.
The guy, a custom wetsuit specialist, has made them from Heavier Duty Diamond Weave material that is usually used for Wetsuit Knees etc, so they should even last a bit longer than the originals.

I just need 2 more now.

I'll post some images and contact details when I get them and am sure I can recommend them.
He has the pattern now, so should be able to knock them up at will

[Nasher]

The covers I've had made arrived yesterday and I'm really pleased with them.

I've only fitted one loose at the moment as I don't want to fit them properly until other work on the boat is complete and the seats are actually going in.

The fit is excellent, the base looks a bit loose in the images, but that's because I've not glued it down.
If I stretch the fabric down it fit's into the sculptured base nicely.

So this is how they started:


With the old covers off the seats look like this:





And with the new cover fitted loosely:



The small zipped pockets in the back have been added back in:



And the bottom edge which will be glued up inside finished with binding:

[Nasher]

The covers were made by Greg Owen at No Limit Wetsuits:
https://www.nolimitwetsuits.co.uk/

He's not only made a great job of them, but did them really quickly once I'd sent him an old cover to cut up as a pattern.

He's also a really nice guy to deal with, and a proper Welshman who's easily distracted to chat about the rugby.

Give him a call at the number on the website if you want some made for yourself.
Oh, and please mention Nasher put you in touch.

.

[Pikey Dave]

I reckon that’s a result, well done. I’d still consider the Cordura over covers to protect the neoprene. Neoprene’s not particularly abrasion resistant & might soon look tired.

[beerbelly]

looks good as new .must say i am in awe of your garage too and a nice collection of italian exotica

[paulbrown22]

Great job, looks amazing!

[Nasher]

I'm really pleased with them, but also slightly frustrated that I wasn't able to make them myself.
I could have cut and glued them, but then the specialist stitching simply isn't possible without the right sewing machine.

I probably will throw the Cordura covers on them although it feels like a real pity to cover them.

Beerbelly, I'm lucky I know to have that space.
All the bikes are projects I've rebuilt from crashed or otherwise abused examples, and all are subtly but extensively modified.
The 900 Superlight on the lift table for example is in fact a newer 1000SS I rebuilt with the older 900 bodywork and tank.
In fact even the lift table was a project that needed rebuilding before use.
The Monster 1000 is fior sale at the moment as I need another project and am out of space.

It's frustrating in some ways, I don't get a lot of time to work on my projects, and it's so easy to pop out to the garage for 1/2hr or an hour after dark or when it's raining, compared to loading up the car with tools and committing to several hours working on the boat where it's stored just 5mins away.

[Nasher]

I should add that the covers weren't cheap, but including the original purchase price I now have two Ullmans in really good condition for far less than the cost of having Ullman refurbish one of them.

I do of course still need two more, so if anyone has any leads......

.

[Pikey Dave]

What are you going to mount the seats on? Do you have the original GRP bases or are you going to fab something up?