The final step in the upholstery phase is to install the crashpad. Crashpad is the 1/2 round closed cell foam rubber padding applied to the edge of the cockpit. It is best left for after the varnish work and deck seams are complete. So now’s the time.
The crashpad is wrapped in the same vinyl we used for the seats, and really dresses up the cockpit area, giving it a nice finish. First you staple about a six inch wide strip of upholstery along the top edge of the cockpit, with the face away from you. This lies under the crashpad, and the piping is stapled along the bottom edge. Then wrap it up around the rounded face of the pad and staple to the deck. Finally, a strip of hidem is stapled in place to finish it out.
You may remember the extensive work we had to do to repair the staple rot caused by the original upholstery staples. We used monel staples this time to stop staple rot in its tracks.
