The Woven Revolution
May 1st, 2014
New vinyl flooring options have become wildly popular in exterior marine applications in just a few years. Will the trend last? When Bob Dylan sang “the times they are a’changin’,” he probably didn’t have exterior marine flooring fabrics in mind. Regardless, the times are a’changin’ for boat manufacturers, flooring designers and boating enthusiasts. Usually, not […]
The science of vinyl discoloration
May 1st, 2014
How it happens & how to prevent it Look around a typical marina during the summer months and you will see dozens of vessels—some new, some old, some big, some small, and perhaps a few that show signs of transient color changes in the PVC fabrics being used. For more than 50 years, PVC discoloration, […]
Step toward technology
May 1st, 2014
Darren Arthur runs his marine canvas shop with two employees—and he’s added an automated plotter-cutter system to improve productivity. The decision to buy a plotter-cutter system for my marine canvas shop was initially an overwhelming idea,” says Darren Arthur, owner of Nautilux Custom Canvas LLC in Hazlet, N.J. “I had never seen that type of […]
Vico Plastics
May 1st, 2014
Vico Plastics’ Boat Vent 3 (1a) has updated its Boat Vent II, which provided tented vents that helped prevent mildew and mold. Boat Vent 3 features four improvements: easier installation, more efficient venting, better grip and adjustability. Molded from UV-inhibited plastic, it can be installed to virtually any boat cover. Vico also introduces a new […]
FixnZip
May 1st, 2014
FixnZip works on zippers of all kinds with broken teeth. Available in three sizes, it is designed to apply to teeth or coil zippers, metal or plastic. It works on both open-ended and closed-ended zippers and can be started anywhere on the zipper. In the case of a zipper with missing teeth, the FixnZip realigns the […]
McMurdo Group
May 1st, 2014
Miami Beach-based McMurdo Group, a developer of end-to-end search and rescue (SAR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA) solutions, introduced a suite of Automatic Identification System (AIS) survival solutions for collision avoidance and man overboard (MOB) response. The solutions, which include AIS beacons, transponders, receivers and software, are automatic tracking systems used on boats and ships […]
Calling all dogs
May 1st, 2014
Here’s one more whistle calling for photos and stories of your shop dogs. Whether he or she fills a constabulary function or serves simply as your customer greeter, we’d love to meet them and feature them in a future issue of Marine Fabricator. Set your camera or phone to its highest resolution and snap away, […]
US Power Squadrons and BoatUS bestow Distinguished Civic Service Awards
May 1st, 2014
At the US Power Squadrons (USPS) Annual Meeting held recently in Jacksonville, Fla., five Squadrons from across the country and one District were honored with Distinguished Civic Service Awards. Sponsored by Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS), the awards are given annually to the USPS District and Squadrons in recognition of exceptional service […]
Larson offers new pontoons
May 1st, 2014
Little Falls, Minn.-based Larson Boat Group has launched a new line of pontoon boats, Escape by Larson. The difference starts at the “toons.” Traditional pontoons have round toons that plow through the water. The Larson Escape toons plane through the water. This is accomplished by an exclusive tapered tube technology. Constructed of heavy-duty aluminum, the […]