Making a choice can be hard when there are endless options, and that’s exactly how it can feel for customers trying to select fabrics and materials for an upholstery project, including proper colors, textures and materials.

It’s best for a marine shop to have an established plan for helping guide customers through this process. I’ll begin with the basics and run through the process we use at Marine Tops Unlimited to get from the starting line to the finish line of materials selections, so we can progress to the starting line of working on the project.

Establish the project scope

Let’s set the scene: John and Jane Doe walk into our shop. They have a 1998 Baja .38 Special performance boat. The Doe family is looking for all-new upholstery in the cockpit of the boat and want to change the colors and design of the cockpit upholstery.

One of the first things we do is talk about the scope of the project and their rough ideas. This helps us create a quote as a starting point to ensure this is something they want to move forward with and will fit their budget. We don’t want to waste hours discussing all the options only to have them decide their budget was only 20% of the quote we gave them.

Once the Does agree to the cost of the project and the approximate timeline to complete it, we go onboard their vessel with them. This gives us a chance to talk in person with them about color choices, texture, design changes etc. while we’re looking at the lines of the boat, and the colors and textures of things such as canvas, flooring and anything else that could affect the choices they are going to make. During this time, we routinely use a phone, tablet or laptop to search the internet for similar boats or previous projects of ours to compare and use for inspiration.

Narrow down and document

The first and most important step is to nail down the design details of the upholstery project. Are we using the existing foam, or will we be crafting new foam for the upholstery? Will we be moving, adding or getting rid of any seams to add more color, mimic some lines on the boat or simplify the project? Will we be changing anything else about the project? What other thoughts or concerns does the Doe family have?

We listen to the customers throughout this process and offer guidance on best practices, current industry trends and our general ideas; however, at the end of the day, the choices must be theirs. Now here comes the important reason we like to give customers a quote and have them agree on it before any of this process begins: Once we start narrowing down a game plan, the next step is to physically draw on the existing vinyl.

We start laying out any new seams by roughly drawing them in and write the color we are going with on each panel. This will help the Does visualize the details and help us remember which colors go where once the upholstery pieces come out of the boat and we start taking them apart. For customers who have a tough time visualizing things, we sometimes take pictures and use computer software to mockup the colors, or simply print out the pictures and use a colored pencil to mockup a design.

At this point in the process, we take pictures, more pictures, then take pictures of the pictures! You can never have too many pictures to reference at any point during the project and to see exactly how pieces go back into the boat for complicated projects.

Agree on materials

Once we have a general design plan, we start to introduce materials options and talk about fabrics, colors, textures etc. We find it works best to bring the samples right onto the boat to select colors that match the boat and textures that complement the rest of the aesthetic. We offer our expertise and opinions but again, it’s important to allow the customers to make the final decisions.

As all the selections and plans come together, we document everything on the work order. At the end of the process, we update the work order to include all the information on the various materials selected and any notes to go along with that. Then we update any pricing that may have changed on the order and collect a deposit from the customers. With the deposit shown on the work order, we send a PDF copy to the customers so there is written proof of the materials they selected just in case it becomes an issue down the line. And now the easy part finally arrives—we start the project!

Set yourself up for success

Of course, none of this happens in any sort of smooth process if you don’t have yourself and your shop set up for success. This means having the proper material samples in your shop, organized in a way that helps you easily sort through them. It also means having the necessary expertise and knowledge of the available materials, techniques and any limitations you or your shop might have.

We’ve spent a lot of time in our slower season reaching out to our main distributors to acquire sample books for various upholstery items they carry. Over the years, we have decided which vinyls and other fabrics we prefer to work with, and now feature those items in our showroom. We have also brought in labeled foam samples with different densities and thicknesses in case new foam is needed for a project. Lastly, we keep ourselves informed and knowledgeable about all the new products and techniques used in our industry by attending events such as the MFA Conference and MFA Regional Workshops to see other upholstery shops, watch and learn from seminars, and talk to other fabricators about industry trends.

Having an organized shop and process not only looks professional, it also speeds up the already long and detailed process of picking fabrics and materials for the project. One other important point to remember is if the client is a couple, make sure both people are present when the decisions are being made. This can save you from wasting your precious time and gives everyone a chance to weigh in and be heard. 

Kyle Van Damme, MFC, is a third-generation owner of Marine Tops Unlimited based in Omro, Wis. He is a current MFA board member and an active member of other canvas organizations. In his free time, he coaches track and field at an NCAA Division 3 university. He and his wife Brittany welcomed a little baby boy in late June who might become a fourth-generation marine fabricator.