DIY Snowmobile Seat Restoration

[@Vhiadra]

I just reupholstered my bravo seat, i was going to get my local guy to do it but he wanted 300 dollars, i bought a seat cover off of amazon for 93 dollars and used some old plywood and its good as new. Thanks for the video

[@stevec1141]

Great video....repairing snowmobile and ATV seats was the bread and butter of my upholstery business... my suggestion to those wish to tackle these projects is forget about pinning and use staples...staple the project just shy of your stitch line and remove staples before top stitching...the advantage is your project will be held together much better and will mitigate any creep in material, you will maintain a more accurate seam, and save a ton of time messing about with pins...

[@TheWildYam]

So glad to hear from an expert. Thanks for watching!

[@charlesdorey4343]

feels good to have a project turn out so good. nice work.

[@TheWildYam]

+Charles Dorey Thanks Charles. Ya, feels good to get the machine looking less beat up.

[@PaulDGreen-bu4iz]

Great job! Again, it looks professionally done! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheWildYam]

I have lots more projects to work on with the bravo. I hope to do some videos on replacing the piston rings in the summer.

[@benholden4585]

You've inspired me to try this on a 2000 Artic Cat Z440 that I just bought!

[@nightrider6769]

You did a very nice job on that seat you should be proud of yourself.

[@alexs3447]

Nice job Jen . I have one of those hand staplers too , but picked up a 1/4 '' crown stapler when I bought a compressor. Very useful tool. Even used it to nail down rolled roofing on a shed roof . Works great on cedar shingles as well .

[@TheWildYam]

Nice. We have a swing stapler and a regular hand stapler only for now.

[@550grizzly11]

wow awesome job on redoing the seat Jen!

[@TheWildYam]

+Dean Dereworiz (Grizz) I was really pleased with the outcome. Thanks.

[@DaveWilcoxJrOutdoors]

Great job with the seat restoration Jen! I only ever done one that was for an older machine as well when I lived in the Sahtu, NWT. It was a little challenging but certainly rewarding and much much cheaper! You have a virtually brand new 1987 Bravo now! Thanks for sharing, take care.

[@TheWildYam]

+Dave Wilcox Jr Thanks Dave. Wow you really lived up North eh? Ya, it was a really rewarding project

[@DaveWilcoxJrOutdoors]

I had a couple of years up North, seen a lot of beautiful country, seen a lot of wildlife from Muskox to Dalls Sheep, the Snow Geese, Tundra Swan. The frost made pingos were pretty cool outside of Tuktoyuktuk. A pristine country up there for sure. That Bravo you have were one of the first used for racing with the Labrador Winter Games back in the 80's. They were put through a lot and stood up well.

[@TheWildYam]

+Dave Wilcox Jr Neat!

[@donnamichelle127]

I'm an employ at Fabricland and I'm doing the same project as you for my mom, right now. So I figures I'd just say good job. And I was just looking online to see if anyone else has done it. Always glad to see other females being independent.

[@TheWildYam]

Thanks Donna!

[@FoodForThought.]

Good job. Always good to repair things yourself. Feels like an accomplishment.

[@TheWildYam]

+Food For Thought Thanks! I'm always learning something new working on that machine.

[@FoodForThought.]

+TheWildYam I've never even been on one, let alone repair it.

[@nightrider6769]

The key to keeping it running long is maintenance. Check the skid which is underneath with the track rides on make sure your slides are good there's grease points under there grease it run premium non-oxygenated fuel in it you don't want to run gasoline with ethanol in it because it dries out the fuel lines and then they become brittle and crack. And in the summer when you store it keep it off the ground and in in the fall check the air box that the carburetor goes into make sure that's clean mice 10 to like to build a nest in there actually wouldn't be a bad idea to check it throughout the summer or plug it off so they can't get in there.

[@goosehunter4845]

you did a very good job on the seat cover, it look's easy but it is not, i know, i covered the seat on my last machine two times in ten years where i come from people use snowmobiles like people use cars in the city there is no roads there they use it every day for 5 months of the year, the seat cover gets a lot wear, you save a lot of money when you cover it your self, new cover for my machine, $500 dollars from dealer, liked your video

[@TheWildYam]

+GooseHunter Thanks for watching. Those seats get a lot of wear and tear and exposure to extreme temps and conditions. It feels good to be able to do this and save a bit of cash here and there.

[@trapperstrailsandtales4657]

Wow, good job Jen !! Migwech

[@TheWildYam]

+Kirk McCutcheon Thanks Kirk. It is such a face-lift for the machine to have a nicer seat.

[@robbiemoore7128]

nice job on the seat, my seat on my 94 indy 440 needs 2 be done over. thanks 4 showing us

[@TheWildYam]

+Robbie Moore Will you try covering it yourself? It was a bit of a learning curve but the biggest challenge was my sewing machine that decided to act up during the project. Thankfully, it decided to behave and I could finish this project.

[@ambrosehowell2564]

Outstanding job. Thank you for sharing.

[@jtothefx]

Great work!

[@wallaceviviansadventures2095]

great job on the seat,now your ready to ride the drifts.take care

[@TheWildYam]

+Wallace Vivian Thanks Wallace. All the snow is gone now but she'll be ready to go again next year.

[@clintonsmout4563]

Great video thank you for taking the time to produce it. I own a rider training school and redo four or five atv and snowmobile seats every year. I have been reupholstering the wrong way but, would like to buy a sewing machine. Do I need a commercial quality machine? Can you recommend a sewing machine? Thanks very much again. Clinton Smout

[@TheWildYam]

An industrial one is best. I used a basic machine and it was a bit frustrating.

[@t.w.milburn8264]

Easy Peasy U made it look, Jen; Had 2 recover the ole /73 elan same way only difficulty encountered was 'round the tail-light. Happy Easter ATB Terry God Bless

[@TheWildYam]

+T.W. Milburn (skillet210) It was a challenge but the end result was worth it. Take care.

[@gitchegumeeoutdoorsman7819]

awesome job, i did the same thing a few years back with an old motor bike i had

[@TheWildYam]

+Gitche Gumee Outdoorsman Ya, it makes a big difference in the pocket book to do these things ourselves.

[@96Duelfuel]

Also shows that a lot of the sleds from the 80/90's (my Phazer included) had a piece of plywood on the bottom. Removing the seat and painting the plywood will make it last that much longer, as it's amazing how much snow spray (water) ends up between the aluminum tunnel and seat. Jamming a stick underneath at the end of the season allows it to dry out.

[@TheWildYam]

96Duelfuel Excellent points!

[@ClassicGuitarRockJFL]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@nottingham82]

Thank you I just bought a bravo and need new wood. Your video made me realize fixing it is in my skill set. But I'm lazy do I'll buy the cover.

[@TheWildYam]

Glad you liked the video. It isn't too hard to fix. You're welcome to try my method if you wish.

[@BUSYBAYMENKRISRUMBOLT]

nice work jen, the miss's gets upset when I try to bring my projects in the house, lol pretty cool

[@TheWildYam]

+BUSY BAYMEN KRIS RUMBOLT Thanks Kris. My house is littered with projects. Always got something on the go.

[@peterl2017]

Nice job!

[@Spartan-iu6th]

Looks great. Did you use an industrial sewing machine? Or just a regular one?

[@TheWildYam]

I used a regular one for this project, a Singer.

[@carltrustrum8858]

Try doing your inside stitch, then do your small bead ,so you are not sewing blind. That material is called winter sport.I'v been doing that for 47 years.thanks. good job keep at it.

[@TheWildYam]

Thanks for the tip! Sewing blind was very tricky!

[@GilSimmons]

Nice work!

[@TheWildYam]

Thanks!

[@AdamCraigOutdoors]

good job on the seat. it can cost $100 or more around here for someone to do it here.

[@AdamCraigOutdoors]

Quit following me asshat. Lol

[@TheWildYam]

+Adam Craig Thanks Adam! Ya, it can get pretty expensive.

[@gaetanpoitras1628]

You are real good with your hand, I guess a handiwomen...Gread job.

[@TheWildYam]

+Gaetan Poitras Thanks Gaetan. Oh, by the way, made your scones today. Very tasty. Thanks for the recipe.

[@phyllismulkey3778]

well done

[@TheWildYam]

+phyllis mulkey Thanks Phyllis!

[@dakotareid1566]

That's a really small rip y would do all that just for small rip

[@TheWildYam]

The old vinyl was crumbling and weak. It was original from the 1980s. I had lots of fun refreshing it.

[@chevy0771]

Great job. I like that. Plus she’s a hottie too.

[@GearheadRob319]

but thats 1 of the easiest snowmobile seats to recover. lol..

[@MarkGrant69]

Sloppy and a lot of time/effort put in that you don't need to and not very precise and should be top stitched,but you have the basic idea,not to be harsh but truthful...there is a reason why professional upholsterers charge what they do...for one good quality ski doo vinyl isn't cheap...and if they really are professional they come out a lot better than what was done in this video