Choose from 30 different solid color options, including the newest colors: Mint, Olive and Desert Marine. Photo: Big Z Fabric AquaGuard® Marine Upholstery Vinyl is a waterproof fabric with a fine-grain texture and UV resistance equal to or greater than 650 hours. It is fire-resistant, anti-fungal and mildew-resistant. Big Z Fabric offers 100,000 double rubs [...]

Great Lakes Boat Top in Vonore, Tenn., hosted the Southeast Regional Workshop in 2024. Registration is now open for the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) 2025 regional workshops. The Southwest Regional Workshop will run Sept. 12-13, 2025, at Paul’s Custom Canvas in Denver, Co. The Great Lakes/Northeast Regional Workshop will take place Oct. 3-4, 2025, at [...]

As I write this, I have a bottle of unscented lotion nearby. I have a fresh tattoo on my right forearm that complicates typing. What does a tattoo have to do with marine fabrication businesses? Allow me to explain. I spent years planning this distracting itch on my arm. I thought of the idea while [...]

All calendar events are subject to change. Please check websites for updated information. Sept. 12-13, 2025MFA SouthwestRegional WorkshopPaul’s Custom CanvasDenver, Co.textiles.org/marineworkshops Oct. 3-4, 2025MFA Great Lakes/Northeast Regional WorkshopPrecision Custom CanvasSt. Catherines, Ont., Canadatextiles.org/marineworkshops Nov. 5-7, 2025Advanced Textiles ExpoIndiana Convention CenterIndianapolis, Ind.advancedtextilesexpo.com Jan. 8-10, 2026Marine Fabricators ConferenceHyatt Regency SavannahSavannah, Ga.textiles.org/marineconference

Sunbrella® Horizon® marine vinyl is engineered to maximize durability, stretch and recovery, fade resistance and reduce pink staining, so it needs replacement less frequently. Photo: Sunbrella Driven by ethics, increasingly stringent regulations and demand by customers, marine fabricators continue to fine-tune their raw materials, products and practices to be gentler on the environment. Some industry [...]

Like everything else COVID-19 hit, the pandemic delivered a blow to workplace leadership development. At the same time, the pressure on leaders to deliver outstanding results hasn’t abated, often leaving millennials who are stepping into more senior roles—and Gen Zers who will begin doing so—struggling to develop their “managerial instincts.” Today’s leaders not only need [...]

A wall displaying nearly 30 years of industry awards marks the entrance to Mike’s Marine Custom Canvas in Virginia Beach, Va.—a testament to the shop’s history of quality and craftsmanship.  An idea sparked during a conversation between Dan Johnson, owner of Mike’s Marine Custom Canvas, and an industry colleague at a Marine Fabricators Conference helped solve [...]

ID 339327683 © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com. I have been sewing for the better part of 52 years. My dad started a custom canvas company in 1963, when I was a teenager, and I eventually went to work with him. That is where I really started learning about sewing machines. Over time I learned how to [...]

As the recruiting manager for Made in the Shade Tent Rentals, I embody the first hurdle on the road to employment. If 100 people apply for one job, close to a quarter will make it to the first interview with me over the phone.Of that quarter, fewer than half will make it to an in-person [...]