A newly installed three-piece custom AquaMat® set that was made from Teak II Slate AquaWeave™ on a 2008 Formula 27PC. In our second year of business at River Custom Canvas LLC, we were looking for an add-on product to offer customers and recognized a demand for marine flooring. We met with vendors at the Miami [...]

A picture of the finished product. Making a choice can be hard when there are endless options, and that’s exactly how it can feel for customers trying to select fabrics and materials for an upholstery project, including proper colors, textures and materials. It’s best for a marine shop to have an established plan for helping [...]

This dash and helm pod cover was a 2021 MFA Award of Excellence winner. Helm pod covers are padded with a very thin layer of foam, if any. This one has foam with 1.5 density and a 70 ILD. Foam is everywhere. It is in engines, rugs, mattresses, boat seats and most things we interact [...]

Padded bumper side wall panels create a cozy setting, and the large horizontal vinyl wall panels in the main salon of this Bertram 50 give it a modern touch. Photo: Bertram Yachts. By Terri Madden and Alayna Wool Wall panels and headliners make a statement when entering the saloon of a yacht. Much like the [...]

By Mark Hood, MFC This photo shows the shell pattern salon cushions on an old Jarvis Newman powerboat. This Downeast classic style boat was owned by the author’s brother for many years. Compartment cushions can be challenging to fabricate. In this article, we will go step-by-step to fabricate a sample compartment cushion with a knee [...]

Take the project space into consideration when offering recommendations to your customers, especially the size and repeat of materials with large patterns. by Terri Madden and Alayna Wool A frequent challenge of our job as marine fabricators is making new marine interiors look like they could be featured in a Hollywood movie. Custom jobs require [...]

L-sofa before and after. It's important to evaluate whether items should be transported to the shop or completed on-site due to vessel constraints. By Terri Madden and Alayna Wool Before signing a client contract for a new interior project, it’s important to consider any unforeseen obstacles you might encounter on the job. This will help [...]

by Terri Madden  The familiar adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is especially apt when it comes to a project board, a visual summary of all of a project’s components. A project board confirms that you have understood your customer’s requests, and it helps your staff understand and correctly fabricate the details for [...]

By Terri Madden The COVID-19 pandemic offers opportunities and challenges. Hood Canvas LLC (above) and Signature CanvasMakers (below) are providing PPE to meet community needs and provide income to employees. When I moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and registered my business 23 years ago, I had only $2,000 in my pocket. It bought me [...]

New trends in marine upholstery. By Terri Madden Marine fabricators can find the latest design innovations for marine canvas and upholstery by attending any of the top U.S. boat shows sponsored annually by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). It is an ideal way for fabricators to glimpse the newest innovations in design, construction, equipment [...]