How-to: Cover Pontoon Boat Seats
Installing Our Individual Seat Covers
Once you’ve received your seat covers, you’ll need to install them on your boat. The process is fairly simple, please follow the steps below.
Please note: we make covers for multiple Sun Tracker models, so the pictures shown may not match your boat exactly. If you have questions or need assistance please call or email us, we’re happy to help!
Required tools: Power drill, Philips head bit, 1/8″ Drill bit, Pencil, and Chalk.
Installation time: 30-60 Minutes.
Step 1: Dry-fitting
Unpack your covers and lay each of them onto their corresponding seat according to the provided labels on each cover. The captains chair and bass seat covers are easily installed by just slipping them onto the seat. Pull the bottom elastic under the bottom of the seat to keep it secured. Cooler and baitwell covers are easily placed onto their corresponding positions and held in place with a few snaps.
Fitting the Bench and Lounge Covers
We recommend starting with the front left bench cover as it is often the easiest to put on. For boats without a front left bench start with covering the smallest seating options first. See the following example for how to line up the front left bench cover.
Match the highlighted bench cover seams to the correspondingly colored highlighted bench seam locations. The cover should just reach the floor at the bottom and hang over to the railing on the outside of the boat that is second from the top. Adjust it to get any wrinkles out.
Rear Benches and Lounge
Note: Make sure you have the Bimini in the middle position as shown when installing the rear covers.
Rear Bench and Lounge covers are easily fitted in the same was as the front left bench covers by lining up the ends of the bench or lounge with corresponding seams on the cover. Align the slits in the cover with the Bimini posts. Correctly fitted it will start at the floor and wrap around to the railing second from the top. Pull out any wrinkles as necessary.
Fitting the Console Cover
Depending on your specific model of boat you will either have a separate console or combined console bench. Here is an example:
All of our console bench covers have a line of snaps that will line up with your outside railing. Contrastingly, some separate console covers only slip over the console itself and snap into the base of it.
Align the Console Bench Cover
Line up the highlighted seams to the corresponding highlighted seam locations shown in the images below.
Align the outermost corner of the railing to the corresponding seam, highlighted above. Make sure the seam matches the curve for correct fitment.
Lining Up Console Cover Patches
Sewn into each console cover is a beige windshield patch and a soft throttle patch that can be used to line up your console cover and bench console cover. See the following pictures for alignment.
Note: Covers for 2024 models do not include a windshield patch due to the boats not coming with windshields.
Find the beige patch sewn on the inside of the cover. This is the windshield patch. Line up the seam running down the middle of the patch with the highest point of your windshield for proper fitment.
With your throttle in the neutral position, line up the soft backed patch over the top. Consequently, this patch keeps the covers protected from wearing down in the wind.
Pull out any wrinkles in the cover before proceeding to installing the snaps.
Step 2: Installing Snaps
After ensuring your covers are correctly fitted on the seats and all wrinkles are removed, start on the outside of the boat where the covers lay over the railing. Start at either side of the cover and mark the center of the snap on the railing with a pencil as shown below:
Next install the first snap, all snaps are installed into the top line on the railing highlighted in red below. Line up the snap with the previously marked location. We recommend pilot drilling a hole with a drill and 1/8″ drill bit before installing the self-tapping snap, although not necessarily required. Use a drill and Philips head bit to install the snap as shown below:
A correctly installed snap will sit flush on the railing in the top line as shown. Snap the corresponding button into the first installed snap to continue.
Continue to the next closest snap and pull any slack out of the cover before marking and repeating the snap installation process. Repeat these steps for all snaps on the outside of the boat, be careful to get out any wrinkles when installing snaps on any curves. The marks can then be erased.
Inside Snaps
Included with your cover set are additional screw snaps separated from the self-tapping screws. These are used for the inside of your boat where any snaps are screwed into plastic or fiberglass. See the following tabs for instructions.
The above tab is easily installed by marking the snap location with the use of chalk. Mark the inner side of the snap with chalk and tap the button onto the boat to transfer the mark. Next drill a pilot hole into the plastic in the center of that mark. Then the screw snaps can be screwed into the plastic and snapped in. Repeat this for all tabs that are installed into plastic or fiberglass on your boat.
The above snap is installed into a suitable part on your railing with a self-tapping snap. Use your own discretion to select a part on the railing that will work well to keep the cover secured. Repeat for all of these particular tabs. Example of correct installation below:
Step 3: Care and Cleaning
Congratulations! Your covers should now be correctly installed on your boat. Now all that is needed is periodic cleaning of the covers. See our Care & Cleaning instructions for the proper clearing procedure.
Note: Please do not trailer boat with the cover installed. The user is responsible for any damages to covers due to trailering.
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