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I have made RV Trailer covers out of Sunbrella and Weathermax 80.  Both work exceptionally well and both need similar protections and venting features.  Both materials are subject to chaffeing so you will want to provide a "rub" patch at wear prone points.  They both need ventilation.  I provide this by using highly breathable fabric patches at a couple locations at the highest points of the cover.  As air inside the cover heats, it rises and these breathable patches provides exit points for the warm air.  Like a chimney, warm air rising and exiting creates a "draw" of fresh air to replace the exiting air.  This chimney effect helps keep condensation from building up, reducing possible mildew or mold problems.  I've never had a problem with mold and mildew and I live in hot, steamy south Texas.

Mojo's comment about light weight has merit because these covers can get very heavy and hard to handle for anything larger than a pop-up.  That said, the weight and handling is a trade-off I'm willing to live with  to get 10 plus years of  life out of a cover.

Here in Corpus Christi, I use an air conditioner about 7 months out of the year.  I didn't have one in my garage/workshop for a long time, but I had lots of big fans.  Finally had enough of the fans and bought a good used Goldstar 11,000 BTU window unit in a Pawn shop for $150.  I added an insulation package to my garage door and weatherstripping around the garage door.  I didn't have windows in my garage, so had to cut a hole in the wall to mount the A/C unit.  Luckily, there was a 110v outlet nearby I could plug to.  I had to place a bucket under the outside of the A/C unit to catch the condensate.  The whole system has been working great for about 5 years now.  I am very glad I made the decision to install the A/C unit.  I have a 2 car garage and the unit can easily get the temps down to low 70's.

Now, should we have a storm (hurricane) knock out the power, I can use a Honda EU2000i to run the A/C until the power comes back on and we can bunk in the garage in comfort.

Glad to hear all the good news, even though you've been so busy.  Congrats!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunbrella-Stone-Green-Upholstery-Fabric-By-the-Yard-5473-0000-/320732286726?hash=item4aad224f06:g:7nkAAOSweW5VJnu8

Just a thought, how about Barge Cement.  I get mine off Ebay.  It is the best contact adhesive I've found.  Get the stuff in the red can with yellow letters.

I just read the comment about the mattress and box spring being designed to work together.  Again, we were in the business and saw lots of box springs.  Truth is, just about any better quality box spring will work fine.  I say better quality, because the poor quality ones are made from things like cardboard.  We have a skirt over the box spring and it hides the fact that the mattress and box spring fabrics don't match, the box spring is out of sight.

We used to be in the RV Mattress business so we are very familiar with mattress construction.  We've had  Talalay Latex mattresses and like them very much, but they are a little bit "bouncy".  They hold up exceptionally well and have a true 25 year life expectancy.   Memory foam is very popular but there are some things you will need to know.  They tend to sleep warm, and they are difficult for you to roll over in at night.  Your body weight make a temporary depression in the foam and when you go to roll over you have to first roll out of the depression you created.

When we purchased our current mattress, we first did a lot of research.  Our selection was a Saatva.  It is an incredibly good innerspring mattress with a memory foam top on it.  See: http://www.saatvamattress.com/?pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=150052551&pt_adgroup=7683054111&pt_keyword=saatva&gclid=Cj0KEQjw0dy4BRCuuL_e5MeqmNABEiQAq8iNI0Dw4vYTUd0bfh43ZVOiXsTmj6d3oDVctNc7qaodnQ0aAoMf8P8HAQ

Read all you can about it, especially the reviews.  We used our existing box spring and put the Saatva mattress on top of it.  Then we added a sheepskin mattress pad on top of it.  It is incredible. We've owned some superb mattresses, but this is the best so far.  You have to be careful of the thickness you order, as the bed height can become too high very easily, but oh what a bed.  When you order, Saatva handles all the shipping to your home, plus taking the mattress into the home, unpackaging it, and placing it on you box spring.  They even remove your old mattress if you want. Don't be afraid of ordering from Saatva.  They far and away exceeded our expectations.  They have built an incredible reputation based on quality.

When it comes to many name brand mattresses, there is a lot of bullscat in their construction and pricing. When we were in the business, I remember one mattress that came in 6 different iterations. It was exactly the same mattress inside, only the ticking was changed.  Of the six models, they ranged in price from $450 to over $1400.  The only thing that changed was the ticking.  That's why I stay away from Simmons, Sealy, Sterns and Foster, Serta, etc, etc.

A servo motor will eliminate the vibration and noises sometime found with clutch motors.  Also, with a servo, you easily modulate the speed as it operates very much like a variable speed drill or something similar.  The farther you push the pedal down, the faster it goes.  I've had servos since 2001 and would never go back.

The sewing machine featured in the EBAY ad is a knockoff of the Consew 146 line.  I used to own one and for sail work.  I even nicknamed it SKIPPY!   It made easy work difficult.  It was always getting out of time and was just about useless.  I could count on having to time it at least once a week.   I now own a Bernina 217 with the cam reader and it is a great machine, but is limited to size 92 thread.   It just isn't capable of using 138 thread.  For heavy duty sails, you'll need to look at the Adlers.

There aren't many people in the heavy sail repair business because the cost of admission is just too high, starting with the capable sewing machine.  You will have to be more than a hobbyist to make it worthwhile, and then.... the people who will want service are notoriously cheap! 

I repair windsurfing sails,....something like 8000+ to date, and I have a 366 Adler China knockoff capable of sewing the large boat sails, I paid about $5500 for it. I use it only for windsurfing sails and similar equipment but it "is" capable of sewing large boat sails.  Large boat sails require specialty fabrics, and a space large enough to work on them.  Plus, you just about won't be able to work on them without a helper to help move the sail.  For this reason, I don't do boat sails.

It is a whopper of a commitment.

Finding a good machine can take some time.  To aid in this process, I have found a Craigslist search engine which can be a big help.  It's worth a try:  http://zoomthelist.com/

The problem with the dedicated 3-step zigzagger is it doesn't do a very pretty straight stitch.  If it were me, I would get a stout standard zigzag machine which can handle 138 thread.  Where you would use a 3-step stitch, make two pass, one beside the other to provide the strength you need.   I would not get a portable at all.  You can make a good zigzag machine somewhat portable by cutting down the table it sets in to a smaller size.  You should find that most portables fit a standard table opening, but then so would a stout zigzag machine.  You may pay a bit more for a good machine, but it will serve you much better, would provide results you can be proud of, would help you make a few dollars on the side doing repairs for others, and would be worth more when it is time to sell it.

A 36 ft. sailboat uses some strong sails and portables and less capable machines will not be able to handle the thread size and tension needed to be able to sew the heavier thread. Even my Bernina 217N cannot handle that weight of thread.  If there seems to be concern in my post it is because safety is key on sailboats.  I sailed for  30 years.  A thunderstorm can come in without warning and sails will be asked to withstand stresses you never expected.  You will have enough on your hands in the middle of a storm without worrying if the sail will stay together.

If I were in your position, I would look for a used Pfaff 138 (or a Pfaff in general which has a model number ending in 8, like a 438 or 908.). Next, I would verify that the machine is a zigzag for sails and not for braziers.  I would cut down a sewing machine table to fit the available space, and for about $150 I'd put a servo sewing motor on it which is capable of variable speed, but especially slowing the stitch rate down to about 2 or 3 stitches per second when needed.

I work on sails with some frequency, so I may be able to answer some of your questions.  First, I buy most of my supplies from Challenge Sailcloth.  (Google them for website)  The have a great catalogue of sail making supplies, including threads. Contact them and get their catalogue.

You didn't mention how big your sailboat is and that makes all the difference.  Sails for a 20 footer is a complete world of difference when compared to sails for a 60 footer.  Size 92 thread would work for the 20 footer, but size 138 or 207 may be necessary for 60 footer.  The machines to handle that thread difference are very different in cost and performance and are pretty much not interchangeable.  For example, a Bernina 217n (Adler 1217 and Chandler 1217 are rebadged Bernina 217n's) could just barely handle the size 92 thread. But they would do a beautiful job.  If you need to sew size 138 thread, then we're talking Adler 166 or 266.  These Adler's are not toys.  They are serious machines.  They are not what I would call portable.
You should reconsider the portable machines.  I frequently see people who bought them and they are not happy campers.  Typically they make easy work difficult.  Same with the Consew 146 zigzags. The one I had was an absolute bear to try to get work done.  I'd have to retime it every week.  The Bernina 217n's are phenomenal machines.  I've had one for about 10 years and only retimed it once. Great machine but will not sew 138 thread, and isn't that happy sewing size 92 thread.
Most of the zigzag machines most people try to use to repair sails and sew Sunbrella were actually designed to make braziers not sails, so be careful of what you choose.

I'm going to start a list of machines which can handle the size 138 thread and add to it periodically:
Seiko SKZ series
Adler 525 series
MINERVA 525
Pfaff 138 and 908

I've seen table tops sag in high humidity areas.  I usually just mount a piece of angle iron. to the bottom side of the tabletop.

I have been able to remove scratches from the bobbin case as well as the hook on my machines.  If the scratch appears deep, I start with 800 grit wet and dry sandpaper and wet sand to remove the scratch.  When the scratch is mostly removed, I switch to 1500 grit and then to 2000 grit to fully remove the scratch or to render it no longer problematic. Next, I use metal polish and a soft cloth to make the effected area shine like chrome!  Works perfect to date.  This technique can also help a baulky machine sew quite well.  YMMV.

The last time I checked with Bainbridge, they had a "minimum dollar order amount" which made doing business with them out of the question.