RV Captain’s Chairs: Replacing, Repairing, and Maintaining

This article may contain compensated links, please read our disclaimer for more information.

A motorhome is not a small investment. Therefore, it only makes sense that you would want to keep your home-on-wheels in tip-top shape for as long as possible. Unfortunately, there are some items that start to show their age before others. Upholstered furniture is one of these things, and RV captain’s chairs are often first in line when it comes to wear and tear.

If your RV captain’s chairs are looking a little worse for wear these days, you may be looking for solutions. Fortunately, there are things you can do to repair and update these seats, making them look as good as new. Another option? Replace the RV seats entirely. 

Below, we have included info on both of these options as well as some tips on the care and keeping of your updated RV captain’s

Motorhome Seat Covers

The easiest and least expensive option for updating your RV captain’s chairs is to invest in some motorhome seat covers. These are easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and super easy to put on your RV seat. 

Some people even go so far as to make their own homemade motorhome seat covers. This article gives instructions on how to do this so you can make some DIY RV seat covers of your own.

Of course, camper seat covers do have some drawbacks. For instance, they don’t always stay in place the way one would like, nor do they always fit properly. Additionally, some people find their covers get dirty or worn out pretty quickly.

Still, for a quick and easy fix, motorhome seat covers such as these are often the best bet. 

How to Reupholster RV Captain’s Chairs

Maybe you are looking for a more permanent fix than RV seat covers but don’t want to invest in replacement RV captain’s chairs. In this case, your best bet is to reupholster the chairs entirely. 

Upholstery work is a bit time-consuming and tedious. However, it isn’t impossible, even if you have no experience reupholstering furniture. That said, it is a good idea to have basic sewing skills before you jump in, as using this as a project to learn sewing would be a huge undertaking. 

Not sure how to reupholster RV captain’s chairs? Follow the steps below.

First, gather the supplies listed:

• New fabric
• Marker pen
• Seam ripper
• Straight pins
• Staple gun
• Upholstery thread
• Sewing machine
• Staple remover
• Scissors

Next, you will need to remove the old fabric by unzipping the cover or carefully pulling out seams. As you work, remove any staples you find that are holding the fabric in place. The goal is to avoid ripping the fabric while also removing all seams. This will leave you with several pieces of fabric that will work as your pattern for making the new cover. 

Now you will trace each piece of the old fabric onto the back of the new fabric and proceed to cut the new pieces out, making sure to follow your tracings as closely as possible. These new pieces will then be pinned together the same way the old ones were sewn.

Sew the pinned pieces to one another using upholstery thread and a heavy-duty sewing machine, but make sure to leave one or more seams open to allow the fabric to be placed on the chair. Some people like to add a zipper to the open seam to make removing the fabric easier in the future.

Place the cover you made over the seat and sew the remaining seams closed by hand (or zip them up if a zipper was added). Finally, you will need to staple the bottom of the cover in place under the seat. You may also find that staples are necessary in other places. 

If you’re finding this process hard to imagine, consider watching the video below:

Replacement Captain’s Chairs

The final option? Replace your RV captain’s chairs entirely. This task is easier than you might imagine, but does require some strength and tools. It’s also important to note that new RV seats can be extremely expensive, especially if you’re looking to install a luxury RV driver seat. 

The first step is to find replacement seats that suit your tastes and the look of your RV. Flexsteel is the most popular motorhome seat brand, and the company makes a wide variety of seats to suit a variety of tastes. We recommend shopping for these at Coach Supply Direct. 

Another great option? Qualitex seats. These are sold by Shop 4 Seats and also come in a variety of styles. 

The next step is to remove the old seats. The video below does an excellent job of explaining how to go about this:

Once the old seats are removed, you will bolt the new seats into place. In many cases, captain’s chairs use the same bolt pattern, making this a super simple task. In fact, we recommend double-checking the bolt pattern on any seats you buy to ensure it matches the pattern on your current seats in order to keep things simple. 

RV Captain’s Chairs Maintenance 

Now that your RV seats are recovered or replaced, you will definitely want to take good care of them. Obviously, these seats will see some wear and tear, but by maintaining them properly, you can extend their life, which means that recovering or replacing them can be put off for years. 

Cover 

If you chose to reupholster or replace your RV captain’s chairs, you might want to purchase a motorhome seat cover as well. Sure, the current upholstery looks great, but a cover will save your good-looking fabric from wear and tear.

Since it’s so much easier to replace a slipcover than it is to reupholster, this is an excellent way to extend the life of your RV seats. 

Clean

No matter how careful you are, something is bound to get spilled on your seats eventually. This is especially true if you’re traveling with kids. Fortunately, cleaning upholstered furniture is possible. We recommend using Resolve Multi Fabric Cleaner, but make sure to test for color-fastness before using in a noticeable place. 

Of course, cleaning leather seats is even easier and should be done on a regular basis. 

Correct Usage

It should go without saying that your RV captain’s chairs will last longer if they are used properly. Still, we feel better at least mentioning it. Don’t use the chairs to climb onto an overhead bunk, avoid eating in these seats, and don’t allow kids to climb around in the cab area. 

Ready to tackle your RV captain’s chair project? We’re sure you’ll have the cab of your rig looking spiffy in no time at all!

Fulltime Families is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.