Topics

Where is the best place to buy the PVC Foam board used for coaming pads?

Just wondering how you would cut a radius on the top edge of cushion foam.

Well....I either dont't understand pricing for lace up tops or there are a lot of guys out there who want to work cheap.
I priced this job at $1000.00

5' x 10' Sunbrella lace up with a cutout to climb through to the flybridge. A vinyl window on the top with a velcro cover. Grommets, lacing and all. Then a 4' x 9' sun shade coming off that.

The customer said he gave it to another canvas shop for $500. And he said he had a few more in that range. Was I way off at $1000.00?

OK, reached my limit. I've had it with Strataglass. I've ordered over 10 sheets of Strataglass in the last two months and every sheet has had defects. I even went to my supplier and they pulled over 5 sheets from new drums and all had defects. The ends are rough and ugly and the sides have ghosting. Manufacturer says they have a 3" tolerance all around for defects. Are they nuts? We
need every inch of a sheet we can use. My supplier says return it before I cut it. But many times you can't see it until it's hung in sunlight. Even found defects in the middle of the sheets.
I think I'm going to try O'Shea. Keyston is here and they carry it. And it's less expensive.
Anyone here try O'Shea?

Sorry for the rant.

Hi all. Quoting a huge t-top and the client wants it heat sealed not stitched. Any ideas on how I can get this done or where?

OK. This one is driving me crazy. Quoted a lace up top on a 55' Boat. Tuna top lace up is 5' x 7'. I quoted $600, patterned made and installed. Now maybe I'm a little high, but another guy quoted $180. Am I way off or what? The main lace up is 8 x 11' with a mid opening and mid support pockets for a pivoting frame. Quoted $1200. The other guy....$800. And the material is Stamoid.

Hi all. Working on my first lace up t-top. Is there a formula for determining the length of nylon chord needed for a t-top? Don't want to have to pull through a 1000 ft. Of chording if I don't need to.

Well, the move is complete. Relocated the business from New York to Florida. What a wild ride it's been.
But you can't beat the weather. Final move day was in the 40's and rainy. Two days later in South Florida and it's pushing 90!

I have a customer who is requesting new windows in 60 ga. Strataglass. The windows will have roll up U-Zippers.

Has anyone had problems with this? Is it too stiff too roll up?

Also, what do you use to cut the U-shape?

Thanks

Looking for a fabric for engine covers. It needs to match or come as close as possible to matching Sunbrella Cadet Gray. But, the client doesn't want and abrasive underside. So I thought Outdura Trio. It has a soft underside. But, can't find it anywhere. Must have been discontinued.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Hi all.

Have to make engine covers matching the mooring cover. But I don't recall ever seeing this type of material. It's a mooring cover on a 42' Cigarette boat.

Does anyone have an idea?

I have to reupholster 4 seats on a center console and replace the foam.

Looking for advice on what foam would be best for this application.

Thanks

I'm re-upholstering some boat seats and looking for some info. There is a thin clear plastic between the vinyl and foam, I believe to prevent mold or bacteria from getting to the vinyl. Can anyone tell me what this clear plastic is and where I can get it?

Thanks

Hello All.

It's been a crazy summer and I haven't been on here much. Need to get back in touch with everyone again.
Having a problem that came about this year and I can't figure out why. Hope you can help. Trying to improve my technique and it looks like it's getting worse.
If you look at the picture below, you can see there are divots or a sink at the end of the pocket zippers. Can't for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've tried relieving the pocket at the curve and that helped a little, but they're still there. I did change from plastic to a Tyvek type pattern material and I'm not stretching the pattern material as much as I used to with plastic.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
Joe

Don't know if anyone has encountered this before. It's a first for me.

I am making a cockpit cover for a 16' Seadoo Speedster and needed to install snaps on the boat. As I have done a thousand times before, I prefer rivet studs to the screw studs. Makes for a cleaner, quicker job. As I layout the stud locations, I'm noticing massive amounts of de-lamination or "spider cracking". I mean a lot! And in the vicinity of where the studs have to be.

Well, I call the client to ask if he knows about these and he says absolutely. I told him, that adding the studs could increase the cracking and possibly add more, but I would be extremely careful, but could not guarantee "no more cracking". He understands and is completely OK with it.

Now begins the frustration. When it comes to drilling into boats, I am extremely cautious. I center punch the location first, then reverse drill a countersink and then drill through. So I start adding the studs....carefully. Well.....every fourth or fifth stud, I hear the cracking around the hole. Small bits crack off, and of course I begin to cuss....like that will help! I try a few screw studs thinking these might be better. Not a chance. So, I continue with the rivet studs, All the while, biting my lip. At one location, a chunk about 1/4" by 1/2" just blows out next to the stud. I don't think I have ever heard myself spew out so many cuss words. I even thought maybe the rivets weren't long enough, but that means every one would crack. Also when a rivet stud isn't long enough, you can't get the mandrel to break off. I had no problems with the mandrels.

After installing almost 40 studs, about a half dozen of them have cracking around them. I'll be patching those with 3m 5200 or MarineTex.

I have never experienced anything like this in all my years of making canvas. It was like the gel coat was disintegrating. So badly, it didn't take much to crack. I'm beginning to wonder if that boat should even go in the water.

Talked to the customer and he was OK with it, but I'm not. I keep going over and over it in my head thinking I must have done something wrong. But I didn't. I guess I'll just have to stop beating myself up.

Has anyone else encountered this?

Typically when making a window with a U-Zipper,  I use #10 coil with 3/4" bias binding on either side on the outside.

But, if you use the #5 coil, how do you treat the outside of the window. Obviously, the 3/4" bias binding would be too wide.

Tried a new technique to protect clear vinyl windows while sewing trim and zippers on. Taped paper both sides with blue painters tape. Now that I'm done the glue has stuck to the vinyl. What's good way to remove the glue? Goo be gone seems to work. Any other ideas?
Thanks
Joe

Hello All!

I have to make some equipment covers for a client and he wants them out of 400 denier Cordura.

Any hints on how to sew this without puckers? Can I use Sunguard thread? I've tried using seam tape and that helps, as well as decreasing the stitch length to around 4.

Help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

Hi All! Hope everyone is well and busy!

I haven't been on in quite some time. Busy wrapping up canvas jobs before winter hits.

I have a question. What material do you use for the chafe protection on dodgers? I'm replacing a front curtain and the client wants what is on his tops. It looks like leather or suede. Greenish on color.

Thanks.

So....I wish I could run my business like UPS does. I place an order for Recacril with Miami Corp so I could receive it by this Friday. Miami processes the order and goes out as it should. UPS makes a sorting mistake and now instead of receiving my material tomorrow, I won't get it until next Wednesday....five days later. Calls to UPS from Scott (who is great to work with) at Miami and a call from me to UPS make no difference. When I asked how UPS was going to compensate me for their screw up and my delays......nothing. Basically, tough sh_t!
So now I have to tell a customer that they're bimini top won't be ready for this weekend and it wont' be until next week. UPS is horrible!

Sorry to vent, but I am PO'ed!