This is where the placement of the new design is going to go on the seat back. Designing new graphics into an upholstery job doesn’t have to be the most dreaded portion of the job; it actually can be the most rewarding. You just need to get comfortable doing some custom work, so [...]

Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, makers of Sunbrella® fabrics, completed the makeover of a 43-foot Hans Christian, Galatea sailboat, in Olympia, Wash. The Galatea makeover has been documented on a progressive blog that shows video shorts, photography and featured entries from those involved in the project. Online webisodes document the entire makeover process. The first webisode [...]

A fleet of new CW Hood Wasque 26s with Hood Navy tops on the hard in Marblehead, Mass. We made a trip to my brother Chris Hood’s business, CW Hood Yachts, in Marblehead, Mass. Chris was refitting an older Wasque 32 and needed a frame, Navy top and side curtains made up. We [...]

The finished bench seats in a 1957 FeatherCraft. If you do any upholstery in the marine industry you will use a pleated vinyl at some point. Customers often request that I not use pleated because they want something that is easier to wipe clean and doesn’t have all the grooves in it. But [...]

Organize zippers on a Lazy Susan for easy access. Problem Zippers are cumbersome to organize and store, and are hard to access easily. Solution Organize and store zippers of various lengths on a hanging Lazy Susan, allowing easy access to sizes and colors. Process andwich a bearing assembly between a round piece of plywood (approximately [...]

In March of 2010, we received a phone call from the City Marina and Boatyard in downtown Charleston asking if it was OK to give our company’s name and email address to the owners of a boat that would be arriving in Charleston in a few weeks. I was told that it was a sailboat [...]

After Project: All canvas eventually wears, and my customer badly needed a mooring cover for the spring season. We decided on Top Notch fabric to replace the existing cover, which had stretched over the years. The two-piece design simplifies installation and offers coverage to the bow forward of the windshield and the cockpit. [...]

A 13-foot-long Hood bimini installed on a Trawler in Marblehead, Mass. Bimini top: Start to finish At Hood Canvas, we start the process of fabricating our “Flat Liner” biminis by setting up the frame with stanchion bars at each end. Then we run a strap from the aft bow to the forward bow, [...]

Use rain gutters as storage for ends of tables and next to sewing machines. Problem Small tools and marking pens are often hard to find and can get misplaced around the shop or under projects on the work table. Solution Build a simple storage compartment with lengths of vinyl gutter and end caps for holding [...]

An investment in new canvas above and below deck is a cost-effective way for boat owner to have the feeling of a new boat at a fraction of the cost. In today’s business climate, everyone is looking for growth opportunities, including marine fabricators who have felt the effects of consumers holding on to [...]