ID 173732994 © Svetlanais | Dreamstime.com Zippers can feel like a wild beast that can never be tamed,” says Mike Boatman, owner of Boatman Marine Canvas in Oklahoma City, Okla. “When you start working with zippers for the first time, you find out really quick that it’s not as simple as sewing the zipper onto [...]

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 MFA recognizes two Awards of Distinction, chosen from the Award of [...]

Charlton’s Marine Canvas is seeing strong demand for sunfly shades, which are becoming increasingly popular with customers who desire more shade on their boats but don’t want a permanent structure that gets in the way. Photo: Charlton’s Marine Canvas The owner of a Ranger Tug wanted a full permanent top along with an enclosure on [...]

ID 211011275 © Valiantsin Suprunovich | Dreamstime.com 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 [...]

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 and change [...]

The right industrial sewing machine can make or break a shop owner’s success in the exacting, often fast-paced world of marine fabrication. Making the correct choice can streamline production, increase profitability and minimize unnecessary stress. Photo: © Evgeniy Parilov | Dreamstime.com Every fabrication shop owner knows that choosing the right industrial sewing machine can make [...]

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.  Stayput [...]

Since 2018, Chicago Marine Canvas has outgrown three locations and expanded its staff. Owner Vince Innocenzi’s pride in his company’s projects extends to aesthetics. “You want to protect the boat and its occupants, but…you want to make it look beautiful.” The enclosure shown won an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2023 MFA Fabrication Excellence Awards. [...]

A Costa Marine fabric design on a Viking ship. Fabricator Donna Costa says there’s a trend these days toward gray fabrics, both light and dark. Photo: Costa Marine Canvas and Enclosures Most people that have a boat have fabulous homes and have worked with designers,” says John Kelly, interior designer and president of WBC Design [...]

This project was fabricated by Canvas Girl, a canvas shop in Key West, Fla., that involved a helm enclosure with snaps, DOT fasteners and straps. Shop owner Jen Jarland says, “It takes a lot of different body actions to accomplish this kind of install.” Photo: Canvas Girl Sewing techniques and fabric expertise are obvious critical [...]