Why Sportsman Uses Sileather
Sportsman chooses top of the line Sileather to cover all of their upholstery. Check out what makes Sileather such an awesome product.
Families shopping for a boat are usually confronted with multiple choices of what kind of boat to get to satisfy everyone. Visit any boat show and you will inevitably overhear folks debating the desire for a boat more for fishing, versus a more comfortable boat for cruising and the sand bar, versus yet another for water sports. Next to the style, layout, and power of a boat probably the next most important criteria would be the upholstery. When designing and choosing the vinyl used to cover the upholstery our team at Sportsman falls into similar discussions. It's a constant balance of style, touch and feel and of course cost.
Marine upholstery and what covers it has some special considerations that are not worried about in say your house or car. Constant exposure to heavy UV rays, water, salt, chemicals from sunscreen, bug spray and cleaners, fish blood, are the environmental considerations boat upholstery needs to stand up to. It must be tough yet comfortable. This traditionally meant heavy vinyl with thick backers which made for a hot stiff finished product. The demand for more comfortable, better looking marine upholstery has led to some innovative products utilizing urethanes and silicones for topcoats to soften the feel and make for a crisper looking more comfortable finished product while still working in a marine environment.
Sileather is the product Sportsman has decided on for their upholstery needs. It is a high-performance fabric that meets the tough demands of the marine environment. In simplest terms it is a silicone topcoat extruded together with a silicone binder in the middle on a stretchy polyester base fiber. Silicone is inherently stable from a temperature standpoint resisting both hot and cold extremes which makes it comfortable to the touch and is odorless. It stands up to UV light, so it does not degrade easily, and with its low surface tension is stain and water resistant. A bonus is it is an environmentally friendly material with a natural elasticity that conforms well to the underlying substrates it is covering. It easily takes texture with the look and feel of leather. This type of performance material costs more than regular marine vinyl and other products, but we at Sportsman feel it makes a difference to our customers.