Fabricating a bimini top visor
Published On: March 1, 2010Categories: Features, How-To ArticlesIn our shop, we fabricate bimini top visors to a finished width of 2 1/2 inches. The actual finished width a particular shop uses does not matter for the purpose of this article. Visors are a relatively basic component in the fabrication of all tops that require the attachment of another top or enclosure panel. [...]
Zippy zipper storage
Published On: January 1, 2010Categories: How-To Articles, In the ShopUse a clear storage tote to hold and dispense zipper chain easily. Proble Zipper chain, sold in 100-yard lengths, is packaged on a cardboard sleeve that is hard to use and store. Solution Store zipper chain, with the cardboard sleeve removed, in a clear storage tote with a hole cut into the lid. How Purchase [...]
Starting an upholstery job
Published On: January 1, 2010Categories: Features, How-To ArticlesWhen planning your design, keep in mind that you want the lines of the upholstery to look like they have been well thought out from the beginning, not thrown in as an afterthought. There are three types of customers. Those that have very specific ideas of what they want done; those that have [...]
Cutting tips for semi-rigid enclosures
Published On: January 1, 2010Categories: Features, How-To ArticlesSemi-rigid enclosures have become a growing market over the past 10 years. The majority of these enclosures are bonded panels that are fabricated by EZ2CY and Rainier Industries. These enclosures are usually sold to the upper tier of boat owners and are generally out of reach, price wise, for the average customer. In recent years, [...]
Fabricating an enclosure
Published On: January 1, 2010Categories: Features, How-To ArticlesA finished bimini enclosure from the inside. Note the clean look with no zippers, the "smile" zippers showing and the "no gap" corners. This is just one way of many to fabricate enclosures that produce quality results. My wife Deb and I have run Hood Canvas for the better part of 30 years. [...]
Proper frame design
Published On: September 1, 2009Categories: Features, How-To ArticlesThe frame is the foundation of your boat top. It supports the canvas top and all other canvas that will be attached to the top. The frame adds tightness to the canvas, which helps water runoff and the tight look of a good top. A strong frame shapes your top and counteracts the effects of [...]
Keeping fabric and equipment clean
Published On: September 1, 2009Categories: Features, How-To Articles, In the ShopIndustry experts tell their procedures for keeping fabric and equipment clean and functioning properly. Quality-conscious fabricators demand top-quality components for their end products. Boat owners will insist that fabricators use high-quality, durable materials. The weakest link in any marine product is the quality of the materials that go into making it. With a little investigation [...]
Upholstery shop creates custom pontoon cover
Published On: July 1, 2009Categories: Features, How-To Articles, ProjectsOne man takes on a pontoon cover that combines size with detailing. The customer knew exactly what he wanted when he showed up at Bud’s Upholstery in Signal Hill, Calif., towing a well-kept 2006 Odyssey Tri-Toon. Before “The stock boat cover on my Odyssey is getting tired,” he said. “I’d like a new, [...]
Triangulation increases productivity and profits
Published On: May 1, 2009Categories: Features, How-To Articles, In the ShopIt's all in the numbers. Triangulation can be an effective tool to increase your productivity and profit margin. Every canvas installer should familiarize themselves with triangulation. As long as you are able to read a tape measure, you can understand how to use triangulation fairly easily. Once an installer understands what triangulation can do, they [...]
What to do when pollution lands on your work
Published On: September 1, 2008Categories: Features, How-To Articles, In the ShopNot long after she and her husband bought their Florida canvas business, a mystery confronted Rebecca Hillan of T&C Canvas Inc. in Fort Myers, Fla. One of her customers lugged his year-old boat cover into the shop. The fabric layers were delaminating, actually separating from one another. “It was coming apart in our hands,” Hillan [...]