Custom Marine Canvas wins 2013 IAA Award of Excellence

Published On: November 22, 2013Categories: Industry News, Projects

This project won an Award of Excellence in the Sailboat Exterior category of the Industrial Fabrics Association International’s International Achievement Awards (IAA).

The USCGC Eagle is a very active vessel. She needed protection at the Mid Deck from rain and sun while underway and while entertaining guests worldwide.

The purpose is to provide rain and sun protection to the main area of the vessel. The crew requested a white canopy that could stay clean and be easy and quick to put up and take down.

Standing and running rigging had to be accommodated, and because of the variety of positions of the boarding gangway, we installed several openings that would not compromise the structural integrity of the overall awning. The 80-foot by 40-foot area had to be covered by the awning, built in two sections because of the mast and rigging. The biggest challenge was to get these two sections to line up, despite interruptions, in a strong and seemingly seamless manner.

Untrained crew were able to deploy and stow the awning quickly and easily. The chosen fabric was lighter to put up, smaller to stow and much more dimensionally stable than the previous iteration. The job was bigger than our shop could handle on the table. We were able to move off-site to a sail loft floor for the layout. We hustled to get this project done during our busiest month of the year in the two weeks between order time and the vessel’s departure for New Orleans to begin the OpSail 2012 tour. The Eagle was able to entertain her distinguished visitors easily, in comfort and style. We received rave reviews from the crew.