Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer repair?

Yes we can often help you get more life out of your canvas if it is still in overall good shape. We can patch your canvas, replace broken zippers, replace clear panels (most of the time, depending on original construction), restitch failing stitching, and much more. We request you bring your marine canvas in cleaned of debris and dirt. We can also come to the boat if moored in our service area and remove/reinstall your canvas repair for a fee.

What Thread do you use?

On new projects we use Solarfix PTFE Thread. PTFE threads are the best available and will last the life of your project. That doesn’t mean they can’t be ripped out, just they won’t uv fade or lose strength. Many people reference Gore-Tex thread. Gore-tex is a fabric membrane group of products. The Gore company makes a PTFE thread called Tenara. We have tried all the PTFE threads on the market, and we think not only does Solarfix sew the best, it looks the best.

On repairs that already have polyester thread, or specific case projects we will use UV resistant polyester thread

What clear material do you use?

There is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about the clear products available for the marine enclosure. Isinglass or eisenglass being the first and most often used term. This is an old term that is just generic for soft vinyl. The clear materials available break down into 3 categories.

Soft vinyls (isinglass): These come in a few varieties and many thicknesses. Rolled goods without any coatings, press and polished sheet goods with better clarity but no coating, and press and polished sheets with UV, chemical and scratch resistant coatings. We only use 40 mil O’Sea marine or Strataglass on our new projects unless specifically requested. These are coated sheet goods and the best available soft vinyl currently. We will use the lesser products for repair as requested by the customer.

Polycarbonate: This material comes in many varieties. A generic term often used but which is actually a brand name for GE is LEXAN. More commonly in the marine industry you will come across the brand Makrolon. Polycarbonates have excellent clarity and impact resistance, hence why they are used in aircraft windshields, and the auto industry for headlights. However without coatings they yellow and craze. Modern coatings have helped minimize this alot. Makrolon has been renamed TUFFAK and comes in many varieties. There are uncoated and coated versions along with different thickness. Most shops are still using AR2 due to cost which is not meant for marine applications but for flat glazing applications. The best sew-able version is Marine 5 tuffak in 60 mil thickness. This was engineered specifically for the marine industry and to be used in curved applications without the coating failing. This is all we use currently for our hard clear panels since it is the best.

Acrylics: Another hard plastic with excellent clarity. Not sew-able, only able to be bonded/glued. It doesn’t yellow like polycarbonate but it cracks easy. There are modified impact versions, but we have seen so many cracked versions of these on enclosures we have repaired, we simply do not trust using it around the NW.

How do I clean/care for my marine canvas, and what is my canvas made out of?

See our care section. Simply washing your canvas with a mild soap and water can help it last much longer, by removing contaminants and dirt. Most marine canvas is an acrylic woven canvas like Sunbrella, Recacril, or Tempotest. Top Gun and Stamoid are coated products often used by our shop also. Many factory canvas covers are made out of a woven polyester to reduce cost. We don’t make covers out these fabrics for the most part, since the cost savings over time aren’t worth it.

Do you work on tents, tent trailers, convertible car tops, or awnings?

Sorry, for a multitude of reasons we do not work on these items. Usually a specialized shop that works on these items is your best bet.

How do your enclosures and covers differ from other shops?

It starts with materials. We use only the best rated materials in the industry. We also have determined through years of experience and use what products work best for boating in the NW. We like to stick to the forefront of products and methods available in the industry. You want to be able to see out of your enclosure, so we use the best coated soft clear vinyls sheets available and the best coated polycarbonate available. Most shops use vinyl that comes on a roll. These products have their place, but in our enclosures they don’t start off clear enough, and aren’t coated to help give a longer life. We use Tuffak (formerly Makrolon) Marine 5 polycarbonate for our semi-rigid panels, which was specifically engineered for marine enclosures, not to be confused with Tuffak AR2. AR2 is a similar product but is meant to be used in flat applications. The coating may fail prematurely if used in curved applications. Our standard thread is a PTFE thread called Solarfix in our tops and enclosures, that will not rot or fade. We will still occasionally use Sunguard polyester thread to match previous projects/repairs done in polyester already.

We pattern all our tops and enclosures on your specific boat. After we have fabricated it we then install any fasteners for your project at the boat. This ensures the best fit. We drill, countersink, and properly seal all our fasteners in your boat. Many shops skip some of these steps or simply don’t know how to properly put a fastener into a boat. Our panels, covers, tops and reinforcement pieces are cut in a very specific manner. Thus, fabric yield isn’t our main concern, the best way to cut it out of the fabric roll is. We build our panels with a triple ply construction method that is far superior to other methods used. While this uses more material, it also ensures the panels last a long time, shrink less, and resist the snaps pulling out/wearing through prematurely.

We calculate and bend our frames for what works best on your boat. We use round stainless steel tubing and fittings for our frames, in 7/8”, 1” (most common), and 1 1/4”. We take into account the proper amount of runoff, and strong frame geometry.

Will you work with material I already have or want to purchase myself?

Due to problems in the past we usually will not. In the extremely rare case we do agree to use your materials, we only discount our price based on what our current high volume cost is to buy these materials .

Do you do stainless steel work like bow rails, handrails, towers, davits, or welding?

Short answer is no. Our benders are set up to bend boat frames only. WE do make custom handrails for dodgers and our tops, but outsource the welded part of those jobs. We might be able to bend simple things in single plane, but we are very limited and our bender can only bend up to a 90 degree bend. If you are a do it yourself type of person we can bend a boat frame for you.