Messages

The deck is on the second floor, and the hot tub is under the deck. The customer wants an enclosure, (Sunbrella, no windows) and wants the panels to slide on a track like this:


Questions:

Can you do this with Sunbrella marine/awning fabric, or is it too stiff?
Also, where can I get this track and what is it called?
Finally, How would I fasten the bottom track to concrete?
Thanks in advance for any answers!
Jo

For a bimini, another aft bimini, and enclosure for a 26 ft. boat? The frame already exists, so this is just a fabrication of canvas. Enclosure includes the windshield with rollup center, two side curtains, then the two side curtains that zip to the aft bimini (these have windows with screens), an aft curtain with a zippered door and a large smile window with screen.

Would appreciate any feedback. This is only my second one, and I feel like I grossly undercharged for it.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks guys. Doyle, you are correct. Although I did staple everything, I still ended up sewing a pucker when going around the curve (it's almost a circle), and with the vinyl and sew foam, it got hard to manage the layers, know what I mean?
I did use registration marks, and always start at the center notch. That's why this was so frustrating. I've taken the thing apart like 4 times already (no small feat, as there are soo many stretchers!).
It's seaquest marine vinyl, so more of a firm, not stretchy feel.
And yes, by stretcher, I mean the fabric that is stapled to the frame between the foam pieces.
I really suck at this.

Ever go through a period where it seems like every job you get is a major challenge?
This one is a captains chair - lots of stretchers. Here is the original:


So I sewed up a new one. The puckers aren't really that noticeable until the stretchers are stapled down. Here's what it looks like in the worst area:



Now once I get the foam up under it, you can pull some of the wrinkles out, but not all. What's going wrong...the sewing or the stapling??

Mike, that was really what was at the crux of the matter. I had such a hard time sewing down the sleeve, remembering in the past that it wasn't always right the first time I did it. But the folks at Sailrite have done the best job so far in explaining the formula for easing up the pocket at the curves, so I'm pretty confident I have it right.
Here's the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2-rywqZrjY

One more question though, if you don't mind. If you are making a connecting piece for a bimini, in other words, another bimini that zips to the aft of the main one, should the aft flap of the main bimini be fitted or flat?

Thanks!

Thanks Brmax! That was the problem. It was my first time trying it that way, so I went back to sewing the sleeve down by itself first, and it worked just fine. Thanks again.

Thanks guys. Here's what's happening when I go to sew the sleeve onto the bimini:

http://postimg.org/image/r32pr2iv1/



There is so much fullness at the curve I would have to fold it! I've tried easing it but it can't be done. In this photo, the bimini and pocket are pretty much flat on either side of the curve. If I try to flatten out the curve, the edge of the pocket goes off the edge of the bimini. I just don't know what I did wrong.
Mike, I did do it the way you said, which is the way they say to do it on the Marine Canvas training videos, and I've not had a problem in the past, just now. Weird. Maybe it is me, and I should start all over?

Is there a formula for sewing down bimini sleeves? I've tried keeping the bimini and pocket flat, then folding the flap towards the center, but once I get to the curves, there is a lot of extra fabric on the sleeve. A lot. How do you guys do it? Thanks!

Jo

Thank you Chris. Sofa, this isn't the same stuff. This seems to be outdoor fabric, but the stuff on the table is really super soft, with a smooth almost invisible grain.

The customer is asking about Heritage fabric. Anyone ever heard of it? I did a google search, and I can find where chiro upholsterers use it in their business, but I can't figure out where to get the fabric.
The claim is that this is not a type of vinyl, but a fabric in it's own class. I've been using Naugahyde Sta-Soft, but the customer is requesting this. It seems to hold up well, as he brought me a table from the 90's and there are no rips or tears; it's just a little old looking.
I did read that it's more permeable than vinyl.

I do have a website and I'm the first business that pops up when you search boat covers in my town. Trouble is they're just not thinking about their boats in the winter. And of course I like Mike's page on the facebook  :). I get a few calls about cars every now and then, but the whole airbag in the seat thing scares me. I feel like I need another level of training to do these.
I wish there was some sort of product I could make and sell.

Thanks guys. Kody, I do target marinas, but the marinas are deserted in the winter. Everything closes until April. From April to September I'm absolutely swamped.
Covering restaurant booths is similar to boat seats - quick work with vinyl materials. And traditional upholstery isn't my thing. I even put out an ad in the fall offering Jeep zipper repair - something I said I would never do again! But nobody called. This is the worst winter I've had in the four years I've been in business.
Yes, sofadoc, punching a clock sucks. And I feel so nickel-and-dimed all of the time. Also, being sedentary at a desk is also killing me.

Hey guys, I'm miserable and I need help. Business slowed down so much for the winter that I had to take a 9-5 job. As you all can imagine, it's so hard to work for someone else after you've been your own boss.
My niche (determined by my customers, not me) is boat covers and marine upholstery. I live in Northeastern PA, and we have cold snowy winters. Everybody shrink wraps their boats at the end of October.
I've tried to offer discount incentives to anybody who thinks to take their seats out before they shrink wrap their boats. I sent out mailers to restaurants and doctor's offices offering my services. I got a few bites, but certainly not enough to sustain myself.
I've gotta get out of this job! What else can I do to drum up business?
Thanks in advance for any help.

Thanks guys. I'll probably order it online, as I may get distracted by the fuzzy dice.  :D

Darren, Yes! That would work! Where do you get it?