: Would anyone have some suggestions as to how i can fix this, short
: of re-skinning?

completely hypothetical but could you dart, (slit) the fabric, take up the slack, and sew a waterproof seam?
this would be very traditional looking and not the modern clean look, but it would be faster, cheaper, and maybe more satisfactory. skins get replaced eventually, might get a lot of miles out of this one first tho...... hypothetically.

Best,
Michael