The Northeast Canvas Products Association celebrates its 100th anniversary
February 20th, 2020
The Northeast Canvas Products Association (NECPA) celebrated its 100th anniversary on January 16-18 in Worcester, Mass. The conference event included a full slate of Friday seminars presented by NECPA in conjunction with the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) and the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA), divisions of IFAI, plus a full Expo day with more than […]
Manufacturing for Good Booth volunteers sew bags for Raintree Children and Family Services
September 29th, 2017
Christine Gerard (left), IFAI division supervisor, and Whitney Armentor (right), Raintree Development Coordinator, are pictured at IFAI Expo 2017 in the Manufacturing for Good Booth. Several companies contributed supplies, equipment and labor to sew 70 large tote bags for young people who receive services at Raintree Children and Family Services. Raintree is a nonprofit that […]
A passion for boats and design
September 1st, 2017
Mark Merritt, owner of Central Florida Canvas in Leesburg, Fla., is a fifth-generation Floridian. He has spent most of his career working in the marine business starting with building fiberglass boats in the mid-1980s to becoming a certified marine mechanic. He established Central Florida Canvas in 2003 and fabricates a wide range of custom-built canvas […]
Semi-mobile marine canvas company makes quality a priority
July 1st, 2017
Charlie and Marcia Kees are the owners of Mister Sew-N-Sew Custom Boat Canvas. Based in Waterford, N.Y., the marine fabrication business designs and sews boat covers and marine upholstery for a variety of makes and models of boats. From bimini covers to mooring covers to camper-style marine covers, all custom work is professionally designed and […]
MFA Southwest Regional Workshop Wrap up
October 4th, 2016
If you weren’t at the MFA Southwest Regional Workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, you really missed out. MFA marine shops: Sharps Tarps and Sewlong Custom Covers hosted the one-and-half day event that took place on September 23-24, 2016. There were 40 in attendance. The event started out with a meet and greet at Legend’s […]
2016 MFA Time Standards Manual
January 1st, 2016
The Time Standards Manual was developed in 1996 by the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA), a division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International, to serve as a benchmark shop owners can use to set fabrication times, with which they can generate competitive labor costs. The manual is an ongoing project that will grow and change organically […]
MFA Fabrication Excellence Awards accepting submissions
September 23rd, 2015
Get recognized for your hard work throughout the year by entering the 2016 Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) Fabrication Excellence Awards. The MFA will accept entry submissions through Oct. 30, 2015. Winners will be mentioned in Marine Fabricator magazine, will receive recognition on the MFA website and will participate in the awards ceremony dinner at the […]
Call for entries: MFA Fabrication Excellence Awards
September 4th, 2015
Entry submissions for the 2016 MFA Fabrication Excellence Awards, presented by IFAI’s Marine Fabricators Association, are due Oct. 30, 2015. Projects can be submitted into eight different categories: Powerboat Exterior-Rigid Enclosures; Powerboat-Soft Enclosures; Dodgers with Extensions; Marine Interior Upholstery; Marine Exterior Upholstery; Tops and Enclosures; Travel/Full Covers; and Miscellaneous (any marine fabric project not covered […]
MFA member Don Racine dies at 61
April 21st, 2015
Don Racine, a longtime Marine Fabricators Association member and supporter, died on April 18 as the result of a heart attack. He was 61. Racine was a frequent presenter at MFA conventions, workshops and IFAI Expo. He was also a regular featured author of instructional techniques in Marine Fabricator magazine and was a past winner […]