The Time Standards Manual was developed in 1996 by the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA), a division of the Advanced Textiles Association, to serve as a benchmark that shop owners can use to set fabrication times, with which they can generate competitive labor costs. The manual is an ongoing project that continues to grow [...]

The annual call for listings in the Marine Fabricator 2021 Buyer’s Guide is now open. Thousands of companies turn to this annual guide to purchase products and services for their businesses. This comprehensive resource lists suppliers of fabric, film and foam; hardware and findings; end products and services; and equipment and tools. Current advertisers and [...]

Clever tips from marine fabricators Use these clever tool hacks from Faith Roberts, owner of Banner Canvas in Ham Lake, Minn., to streamline your shop and increase your efficiency.  Hack 1  Clear bins with labels help you see everything at a glance. It saves time and allows you to reorder supplies as needed. Hack 2  [...]

The annual call for listings in the Marine Fabricator 2020 Buyer’s Guide opens August 26. Thousands of companies turn to this annual guide to purchase products and services for their businesses. This comprehensive resource lists suppliers of fabric, film and foam; hardware and findings; end products and services; and equipment and tools. We need to [...]

Aqua-hued fabrics comein many patterns andoffer customers creativeoptions freshen up dated upholstery and other interior fabrications. Most interior fabrication projects occur on fixer-uppers. The vessel might be vintage or it might be less than ten years old. While I always welcome the challenge of doing a better design than the original, there is [...]

Building momentum in a business rarely just happens. Growing a business depends on an intentional effort, and in this issue of Marine Fabricator, readers will meet many successful business owners who are enjoying great momentum. And these owners are refining best practices as new projects come their way. Some best practices can appear obvious, like [...]

Modern, targeted cyberattacks can take any organization by surprise. And these targeted cyberattacks are increasingly widespread. CBS Money Watch reported in June 2015 that more than 80 percent of U.S. companies have been successfully hacked, according to a Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey. According to the CBS report, “Successful attacks by hackers involved [...]

Kathryn J. Maisto, MFC, uses her knowledge to craft interior and exterior applications on a variety of vessels. She says she enjoys turning challenges into opportunities. Kathryn J. Maisto, MFC, the owner and managing member of Fairwinds Canvas LLC and Canvas Training Center, says her commitment to continuous learning has kept her business [...]

Lady Marie is cocooned for the winter. The installation of the snow fly, from arrival to departure, took 29 minutes. Our winters in Fairbanks, Alaska, can be cold or very cold with lots of snow or little snow; it all depends. One condition we don’t see often is wind. In my 26 years [...]

There is still time to register for the 2017 MFA Conference in Jacksonville, Fla. The event, January 19-21, is designed to help marine fabricators cultivate industry connections while improving business efficiencies and revenue. The 2016 conference had one of the best attendance records ever, and a similar turnout is expected for the 2017 conference. The [...]