When securing one thing to another thing, the project often dictates the method, which is why in most shops you’ll find an array of attachment tools and hardware. Still, some are relied on more than others, inspiring us to wonder—what fasteners and attachment tools can’t marine fabricators do without? Here’s what they told us.

Vince Innocenzi’s Chicago Marine Canvas business started with a coincidence. A boat owner himself, he noticed that the boat in a neighboring slip at the marina had been uncovered for months. At the time, he was working as a banker, with a side business importing patio furniture and selling it online. He also was starting to offer custom cushions for the patio furniture.

Most people that have a boat have fabulous homes and have worked with designers,” says John Kelly, interior designer and president of WBC Design in West Berlin, N.J. “So, they want the same look and comfort in their boats that they have in their homes.”

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.

Where do you begin when you have a blank slate? We recently had a 1949 Shepherd 18 come through our shop. The client had undertaken a full restoration of the vessel and wanted to add aft bench seating. Many of us do a lot of upholstery recovering—copying the old to create the new—but what do you do when you have no seat structure?

Most everyone is familiar with the term patterning: as in to make a pattern of something. Basic patterning requires a material with which to create the pattern such as a clear plastic like Canvex®, Tyvek® or even cardboard. After the basic/general pattern is made, the final shape is drawn onto the pattern by connecting lines and reference marks made during the patterning process. Then, the pattern is trimmed to shape. The pattern is then transferred onto the finish-fabric (e.g., Sunbrella®, Stamoid®, WeatherMAX®) for trimming. Once the shape has been trimmed to size, reference marks for zippers, darts, cutouts, reinforcements, etc. can be transferred to the finish-fabric as well. Then, it’s on to the sewing stage where the fabric pieces are sewn to one another and trimmings are added such as binding, reinforcements, Velcro®, zippers, cutouts, flaps or clear vinyl glass.