Sponsored by the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA), the Fabrication Excellence Awards contest is designed to recognize excellence in marine fabrication. The entries are judged by a panel of certified marine professionals. Awards of Excellence and Outstanding Achievement Awards are given in each category.

The owner of a Ranger Tug wanted a full permanent top along with an enclosure on the aft deck, recalls Joshua Davis, owner of Hayden Island Canvas in Portland, Ore. Additionally, the client wanted extension awnings on the sides for more shade, and he wanted them to be angle adjustable.

Death and taxes may be certain, but for those who own boats, so is canvas damage. For many marine fabricators, the industry is becoming increasingly complex due to computerized patterning software, innovative high-tech materials and tools, and advanced methods for accomplishing just about anything. But most shops still have a hand in a part of the business that never really changes much: canvas repair.

After 20 years of teaching the of canvas-making and canvas for our customers, I have become a whistleblower on myself. Seeking humility requires a true confession, after all.

Remember that old saying “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life?” Well, when too many days in a row end with you only feeling the work and none of the play, it is time to change something. Consider starting this new year with a question: Are you mostly working or are you mostly playing?

If you read this magazine with any regularity, you will see many examples of excellence on these pages. These artistic fabricators are perfectionists when it comes to the art of canvas and upholstery for the marine industry. So as not to leave anyone out, I’ll refrain from naming names, but who are these people and how did they become such overachievers in the trade? Are they born with a gift that only some people get? Did their childhood environments lead them to excel at a level above us normies? Perhaps.