Marine leather, also known as marine grade leather, marine vinyl fabric, or marine vinyl leather, refers to upholstery material used in interior and exterior area of a boat, ship, yacht, cruise, or other marine applications. Generally, marine leather is a synthetic leather, also called faux leather, mainly made by combining a non-woven fabric with a PVC coating.
Why Can’t Genuine Leather Be Used as Marine Leather?
Genuine leather is high-end upholstery material, widely used in many different industries like clothing, furniture, etc. However, genuine leather is not capable of withstanding continuous sunlight, temperature changes and moisture. Besides, genuine leather requires special maintenance to keep it fresh, which spends extra money and time.
Why Is Faux Leather Ideal for Marine Applications?
For marine fabricators and those who work on boat upholstery and outdoor upholstery, protection is the vital element to resist the threats from the harsh conditions. Faux leather has so many advantages when used in marine applications. Let’s learn about them, and you will know why faux leather is the right marine leather.
Waterproof
Being waterproof is a crucial property that marine leather must have. As a boat or a ship spends most of time sailing on the sea and it is prone to humidity. Faux leather is made with a PVC coating on the base fabric, which makes it 100% waterproof. Its non-porous surface won’t absorb water, so even faux leather last for a long time under the moist environment without getting damages or molds.
Heat Resistance
Marine leather is easily affected by sun heat and UV. Faux leather has great heat resistance and UV resistance for its PVC protective coating. It won’t easily fade after long-time exposure to sunlight.
Soft Feeling
Faux leather has great softness and breathability like genuine leather. When used in boat seats and other marine upholstery, it can bring you high comfort and relaxation.
Practical
Faux marine leather can be applied to many different marine purposes, such as seats of all kinds of ships and boats, cushion covers of the benches and berths of ships and boats, interior parts of ships, boats, yacht, and cruise liner. Faux leather can be an effective protection against the harsh conditions like UV, moisture, heat, soil, etc.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
Unlike fabric that needs washing, it is easy to clean faux marine leather by wiping with damp cloth. What’s more, faux leather is stain resistant, which saves lots of time and labor.
Durable
Faux leather highly resistant to wear, scratches, cuts, etc. When used in marine fields, it can last for a long time without replacing and repair.
Healthy
The special marine environment can easily grow bacteria and cause health problem. Faux leather is particularly anti-bacteria, anti-fungal, anti-mildew, which can ensure a healthy sailing environment.
Multiple Designs
Boats and ships need to be stylish. As a man-made leather, faux leather enjoys a wide variety of colors, styles, textures, and patterns. You can have multiple design ideas for your boats and ships. Moreover, faux leather is available in customization so you can have the customized colors, patterns, and texture according to your requirements.
Where to Buy Marine Leather?
CAIWING has been a top marine leather supplier for more than 15 years. We used to export high-quality marine leather to clients from all over the world to help with their projects. If you want to learn more about our products and services, please contact us at
