As you read this, I hope you’ve written down and are applying the goals you targeted for 2015.

During the past few years, there have been a large number of new fasteners and fittings made available in the industry. I have found a number of them very applicable to the marine fabrication industry. With the import items from New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Holland, to name just a few, the U.S. market has [...]

Photo 1: From left: The author's grandmother, Elizabeth "Nana" Granewitsch, sisters Abigail Granewitsch and Henrietta Granewitsch, and rowing companions Frank Felkner and Robert Bruce Crisswell. Whether these are your early years as a fabricator or you are a seasoned “salty dog,” we all are walking a road with a unique language and set [...]

With access to better fabrics and accessories, fabricators are crafting boat cushions that look great and perform well. Boat cushion design is leaving the Dark Ages, where basic vinyls, color and patterns have reigned supreme. “Over the past 10 years, fashion and design have become more prevalent in the marine industry,” says Patty Mastrandrea, a [...]

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, [...]

Our retro sport top on an old Lyman boat. As with all wood boats, repairs are in progress. Years ago, sport tops with tails were considered the norm. In those days, we fabricated them with vinyl that had a denim backing. Most of the frames were vinyl-covered galvanized pipe, not stainless as is [...]

San Francisco fabricator Liz Diaz scores high-profile job designing and building course markers for 2013 America’s Cup races. By Jim Tarbox Even on the water, the old real-estate adage holds true: It’s all about location, location, location. Or in the case of San Francisco Bay MFC Liz Diaz, it’s the corollary “being in the right [...]

Photo 1: Seating area before As a general upholstery shop that also does marine work rather than a marine canvas specialist, Trevor and I are constantly asked to do all types of jobs, which can be nice for handling the off-season or weathering recessions. One week we can be working on custom helm [...]

This project won an Award of Excellence in the Sailboat Exterior category of the Industrial Fabrics Association International's International Achievement Awards (IAA). The USCGC Eagle is a very active vessel. She needed protection at the Mid Deck from rain and sun while underway and while entertaining guests worldwide. The purpose is to provide rain and [...]

Interior shot of a recent Hood Bimini Enclosure. Notice the clean uncluttered look and maximum visibility made possible by our large binder. At Hood Canvas, we have a unique method of fabrication that we teach to our students. Many shops around the world are now using our specialized large binder in their shops [...]