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 [...]

I would like to share some tips Trevor and I have found useful in our shop in order to work more efficiently and reduce unnecessary stress. All of our systems have evolved from one principle: Don’t reinvent the wheel! Enough thought and planning goes into each custom job that you need to keep the number [...]

Turn on the radio, read the newspaper, or watch the evening news and you’d be hard-pressed not to find articles and news segments discussing the ongoing financial woes our nation is facing. Many financial aficionados will agree the past two years will go into the economic history books as unforgettable, as progress toward a renewed [...]

Fabricators have seen growth in on-site repair work and see it as more than just a trend. Moving large boats from the marina to a shop can be prohibitively expensive, and many small shops don't have room for a large vessel. Shop owners have also seen a greater willingness among owners of smaller boats [...]

Sam Sloan, Ron Russell and Rich Ludwig in the Sloan Machinery booth at the MFA National Convention at Cape Coral, Fla., earlier this year. At Hood Canvas, as with all fabrication shops, the single-needle walking-foot sewing machine is the backbone of our business. Every shop has its favorite brand of machine and has [...]

I zoomed in on the mezzanine seating area in this photo for the basis of my drawing. We will never know the true total, but sometimes I wonder how many jobs are lost just because a customer couldn’t envision a project? I think fabricators and designers take their own visualization skills for granted [...]

There is a discernible difference in the techniques used by fabricators for large vessels as compared to smaller recreational craft, including scale, expense and scheduling. Photo: CHRISTO303 When you think about ocean, lake or river cruise lines, what comes to mind? Luxury travel, certainly. Beautiful, natural surroundings, definitely. And the ships themselves: large, [...]

At Hood Canvas, as with any marine canvas shop, we like our tops to be tight and wrinkle-free. To accomplish this, certain rules must be followed in order to get consistent results, regardless of fabrication style. Fabric terminology Getting tops to fit correctly with the proper tension requires an even pull of the fabric fore [...]

Photo 1 In our first how-to article, we demonstrated Trevor’s method for fabricating cushions from scratch by making new patterns. We discussed how this strategy gives the fabricator total control over the quality of the finished product; however, it is labor intensive and also requires all new materials, which can make it cost-prohibitive [...]