How did you get started? Our company was started in 1987 by my mother, Linda Rhoades, out of her home on the river in east Fort Myers, thus inspiring the name Riverside Covers. Like many canvas fabricators, skills of the trade were taught to the next generation. I began learning from my mother at a [...]

Describe your shop layout. Our shop consists of four and a half 5,000-square-foot bays. The machine shop and metal fabrication area occupies one bay. The canvas shop occupies one bay. The CAD and cutting department, along with the woodworking area, occupies a full bay, and the upholstery/interior department is in a bay. The showroom, offices, [...]

What unique design elements are built into your products? We are always finding or trying to find new and better ways to produce our products. We never stop thinking. How did your shop get started? That’s a long story. In 2004, two people I worked with asked me to go into business with them and [...]

Marine fabricators have one thing in common: a desire to maximize their shop layouts and rack space to optimize profits, inventory and shop efficiencies. For many fabricators, breaking away from the “buying bulk” philosophy means streamlining production processes. For others, having plenty of stock on hand may mean higher degrees of product selection for their [...]

“It’s usually after I’ve banged my head a few times when facing a problem that I think: There’s got to be an easier way,” says Keith Purves, MFC, owner of Riverside Covers in Ft. Myers, Fla. “And then I just try it.” Keith Purves, MFC, owner of Riverside Covers in Ft. Myers, Fla. [...]

Grass roots I worked for a small sail loft and canvas shop during high school and college while I studied engineering. After getting married, I wanted a more steady career because the sail making and design path I chose was very time and travel intensive. I took what I knew and started Nautilux Custom Canvas [...]

Three simple tools aid fabricating efficiency. By Mark Hood Adjuster buckle An adjuster buckle used for tensioning hold-down straps can be used as a handy ½-inch guide for adding the hem allowance to the edge of patterns. Homasote tables A layer of Homasote wrapped with a wide, heavy duty truck cover vinyl makes a handy [...]

Today’s marine fabricators are expanding their sewing repertoire by utilizing up-to-date sewing techniques and incorporating regular machine maintenance to provide the highest quality end products their customers deserve. Take Eric Walton, owner of Custom Canvas Alaska LLC, of Fairbanks, for example. Back in 1969, when Walton was a college freshman, he had a part-time job [...]

Home decor fabrics, including cotton, linen and silk, offer an array of colors, textures and prints, and have a softer, more luxurious feel, which can reflect a customer's tastes and preferences. Boat interior and upholstery work runs the gamut from utilitarian deck cushions on recreational boats to high-fashion staterooms on yachts with round-the-clock [...]

The drainable marine cushion foam from Wm. T. Burnett & Co. is a popular option for consistently wet marine applications. Since the mid-20th century, foam has been used in marine applications to stiffen, strengthen and soften everything from seat cushions to headliners to beds. Knowing foam options, properties and applications of each type [...]