March 1, 2020
By Clint Halladay Here in Salt Lake City, Utah, towboats are king. We have a few lakes with cruisers, but for the most part, it’s day trips to the lake to play. We have one of the highest boat ownerships per capita in the country. Because of this, we have some of the biggest towboat …
By Terri Madden In the January/February 2020 Marine Fabricator article “Part One: Fabricating knee-rise contour cushions,” I walked you through the steps to fabricate hi/lo knee-rise marine seating independent of a firm base. To achieve a similar stylish and impressive result, you can also fabricate this type of seating using a wood or PVC base. …
January 1, 2020
By Terri Madden Stylish, durable hi-lo/knee-rise contour cushions have become extremely popular. Executing these successfully can elevate your company. However, a project with contour cushions has a high degree of difficulty and requires expertise in specific techniques that can easily consume more hours than estimated. It’s a delicate dance to fabricate seating that is not …
By Rob Kotowski At Lake Shore Boat Top Co. in St. Clair Shores, Mich., we fabricate custom marine canvas year-round. Our customers come to us for high-quality marine fabrication, and we depend on our staff to help provide new ideas to make every boat truly a work of art. We treat our flooring the same …
By Larry Oxenham Succession planning can be a tricky matter, especially if you’re passing your business on to a family member. Sometimes keeping it in the family is viable, but not in every case. If it comes time to sell the business instead, you should be armed with some strategies for getting what it’s really …
September 1, 2019
Simplifying employee training and complicated patterning By Broc Wodzien Grand Traverse Canvas Works, in Traverse City, Mich., has had many wonderful employees over the past 30-plus years. Our shop has grown from just my mother, Mary Wodzien, using the skills she learned at her stepfather’s canvas shop, to a staff of 16 employees. Growing and …
By Terri Madden I moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1995 with a degree in textile design and experience in custom fabrication for residential spaces, leather bags and apparel. Fortunately, my brother-in-law had a fledgling canvas business specializing in exterior marine fabrication that desperately needed skilled employees. I was fascinated to learn about materials that …
July 1, 2019
By Terri Madden Recently, Sand Sea and Air welcomed a 134-foot luxury motor yacht built in 1988 to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was designed to cruise in lavish comfort and classic elegance. The large exterior deck cushions below the bridge were located in an ideal space for lounging while cruising, yet over time, some …
By Kathryn J. Maisto, MFC Whether your business is merchandising, servicing or manufacturing in the marine canvas industry, owners of small businesses often share the same primary concerns: how to keep busy in the off-season and how to effectively hire, train and retain quality employees without breaking the bank. But knowing the warning signs of …
Details and quality make the difference. By Dave Elliott, MFC As a founding member of the Australian Marine Fabricators Association (MFA), I’ve spent many years talking to and mentoring other fabricators, as well as doing presentations in the U.S. and Australia for our industry. My general observation is that trimmers and upholsterers lack business knowledge …