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Boat
Covers
If the cover is a coated fabric, regular rinsing with fresh wash
is normally all you need to do. To remove dirt and bird stains, use a
mild detergent and soft bristle brush. Do not use harsh cleaners or
brushes, since these will shorten the life of the fabric coatings. If
the coating is a woven acrylic material such as Sunbrella, see above for the latest cleaning recommendations.
Vinyl Windows
("Isinglass")
Top quality vinyl windows are surprisingly expensive. But
cared for properly, you should
get years of service from them if they were good
quality to begin with. The most common signs of degradation
are crazing or cracking, brownish discoloration or cloudiness, brittleness,
or surface chalkiness. When they start to go, they go
fast!
Why is this? From the moment it is made, vinyl constantly "evaporates"
plasticizers from the surface. Over time the vinyl exhausts it's internal
plasticizers, dries out, discolors, and finally becomes brittle.
Damage is hastened by contact with liquids such as harsh
cleaners and polishes. Polishing at this point has limited value in restoring the window- it
has literally dried out from the inside.
Proper care is essential
to long life. This includes regular rinsing of salt spray and
debris, periodic cleaning with a soft cloth (no paper towels), mild
detergent, and warm water. Heat
and harsh UV (sunlight) exposure hasten deterioration significantly.
Never use any kind of product with silicone in it on your windows,
and don't handle the glass with sunscreen on your hands.
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What
exactly is "Isinglass"?
"Isinglass"
(also spelled "eisenglass") is often misunderstood
as well as misspelled. Isinglass is a name that has been used
for centuries to refer to thin sheets of the soft
mineral "mica", which was used as windows in houses &
carriages, as well as naval ships of war. It let light in
while being flexible enough to withstand damaging vibration or
impact.
Today, the term is used generically to
refer to the clear window material, usually vinyl, found on boats. It's not some
mysterious specialty product, although good marine vinyl like coated
Strataglass is indeed specially manufactured for marine use.
So your vinyl windows aren't
technically "isinglass" (mica)- they're vinyl windows! |
Today's best marine vinyls
have specialty top coatings to reduce UV and scratch damage as well as plasticizer
migration,
but the top coatings need to be preserved to do their job. The best
prevention is to avoid scratching, rubbing, or folding the windows as
much as possible, to avoid harsh chemicals and brushes that destroy
the top coatings, and to periodically maintain a protective polish
with
a recommended product.
Keeping the windows
under cover, whether a whole boat cover or individual snap-on
covers, can extend their life considerably. If your boat's vinyl
windows will have full exposure for long periods, an investment
in canvas window covers will pay back many times over.
For non-Strataglass
vinyls, regularly applying a specialty vinyl
protectant like one of the 303 Aerospace products, Plexus, or
McGuiars will help.
Strataglass and O'Sea
coated clear vinyls are different from standard uncoated clear vinyl! They have a special coating that
requires special care. The Strataglass
company now requires use of
specific IMAR cleaning and polishing products to maintain the
warranty. Other products are no longer
recommended.
See new Strataglass
instructions here.
Zippers,
Snaps, and other fasteners
Zippers, snaps, and other fasteners carry strong loads. The less stress placed on them
during normal operation, the less frequently you’ll have to replace or repair them.
Good canvas design will have zippers out of sight behind the fabric
for sun protection.
Fasteners should be unsnapped by pulling as close to the fastener
itself as possible. Don't remove canvas by jerking one edge
of the material. This can damage the canvas as well as the fasteners. Use
a tool like the Top Snapper if possible.
If fasteners become difficult to work, lubricate them with a
commercial product such as Star Brite, IOSSO, etc. These
products contain special ingredients like Teflon. Or, you can get by
short term with Vaseline, WD-40, silicone spray, even ChapStik...!!
Whichever product you use, be sure not to contact the canvas or
any other surface besides the fastener. Silicone will damage the
water-repellent coating on Sunbrella, for instance, and it is terrible
for your vinyl windows. Broken or missing fasteners can usually be fixed with the proper tools and
parts. For larger/tougher jobs, a canvas shop has the
industrial-grade materials and tools of the trade to take care of you.
What's
the best way to store my canvas items?
If your canvas is not going to remain on the boat all season, it's
important to spend a minute to store it properly. Three main rules:
Clean, dry, and no creases! Clean the canvas and vinyl windows as
outlined elsewhere in these pages. Even though synthetic fabrics
themselves don't support mildew, humidity combined with chemicals in
the air and organic growths on the surfaces can lead to mildew,
mold, stains, marks, and worse... even ruining canvas in a single
season. And vinyl windows can stick together, or take a pattern from
another surface. So clean first, dry thoroughly, store in a well
ventilated area. Try to store large panels flat, with sheets of
paper or fabric between the panels so they don't stick together. It
is OK to roll a top or dodger, but watch those creases & folds!
Can
I do some canvas repairs myself?
Yes you can. First,
you can help avoid repairs in the first place by following a regular
maintenance program. Doing so can nearly double the useful life of
your expensive canvas items. Second, stay on top of small repairs
before they become big. For instance, stitching that is beginning to
deteriorate or pull apart can sometimes be fixed short-term by careful
use of a home sewing machine and proper materials.
Fastener replacement and
small sewing projects can also be very satisfying if you have the time
and patience. Major repairs to your canvas or covers are
usually best left to a professional canvas repair shop. A good repair
shop has the industrial-strength machines, materials, and experience
needed to make these repairs cost-effectively for you. If you aren't
sure, call us and we can discuss it with you.
Remember though, it's
often easier and cheaper to make money in your trade to pay for something than to learn a new
trade from scratch!
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How
long will it take to get my new canvas items?
That depends on several factors. Simple projects & repairs can
require only a few
days, more complex and larger projects can take weeks or longer.
Accurate scheduling is a constant challenge. In busy seasons
is not uncommon for canvas shops to be booked for months in advance. Material availability,
location of the boat, complexity of the job, other work being done on
the boat at the same time, and the weather all factor into the equation. We
will work out a schedule with you that meets your needs, and do our
best to meet that schedule. Remember, your canvas product is
hand-made to your specifications from raw materials, and is a one-of-a-kind item.
It will be worth waiting for! We work late and long to deliver your
project.
How
long will my new Sunbrella® canvas last?
Sunbrella now has a 10 year warranty. If you keep the fabric clean, replace worn/broken fasteners
and stitching as needed, and avoid excessive abrasive action
(including loose canvas flapping in the wind), you will get maximum life. Less
than good care and hard use will reduce the lifespan of your canvas
significantly, and these items are not covered under the warranty.
The stitching usually goes
first, because it is exposed to
abrasion, constant tension, flexing, pollution, sunlight UV rays, water,
cleaning agents, and being snagged with sharp
items. You should check the stitching
periodically by rubbing it with your fingernail in a high-wear area.
If the stitching starts to fall apart, have the item restitched
promptly. Once seams begin to loosen and part, the fabric will lose
it's shape and become difficult and expensive to salvage. One option to extend
thread life is to
use one of the Teflon (PTFE) threads (see next answer).
Proper tension and fit is also important- baggy, loose,
or torn tops that flap in the wind wear out much faster. Mold, moss, and
mildew from poor ventilation can also do much damage in a short time.
How
can I avoid the cost of re-stitching every few years?
Regardless of material
quality and craftsmanship, the thread is usually
the weakest link in the durability of a canvas product. At some point,
perhaps around halfway through the life of the canvas fabric, the
stitching will need to be re-done. The goal is to hold this off as
long as possible, or even avoid it entirely.
The best conventional
solution to this is to use high-tech PTFE threads
(PTFE is commonly known by the DuPont brand name Teflon®) like Tenara®,
Solar, Solar Fix, etc. These are guaranteed to last the life of the fabric in which it
they are used. Compared to the best bonded UVR 138 poly threads, PTFE thread
is more expensive, doesn't come in as many colors, can be tricky to
sew with, and is not quite as strong as heavy-duty 138 poly thread when both are new.
But after a few years, the poly thread loses much of it's strength,
while PTFE thread stays as strong as new. It's a wise investment that will pay for itself several times
over. whether you keep your boat a long time or sell it..
Why
do prices & designs vary between canvas shops?
There are differences in regional
costs of doing business, shop overhead, and shop efficiency. Reputable
shops also have the additional costs of insurance and the proper
business licenses to operate
legally. You do want someone to come back to if there's a problem,
right??
There is usually more than
one way to design and fabricate your project to give good results.
Every shop will have something different to offer. Each craftsman will
give you their unique blend of personal experiences, regional
techniques and materials to offer you their best solution. These may
vary for the same project because each project requires trade offs,
and those can be weighted differently by different shops. This can
actually be helpful if it makes you think.
Also, the quality of materials quoted for the job
can vary. For instance, good window vinyl is much
more expensive than cheap, and is a big part of the overall cost of a
job with windows. Cutting corners on vinyl quality can save hundreds of
dollars on the estimate, and the customer may not know the difference... at
first. But it shows up soon enough! There are many ways to cut
corners on fabrication, and most of them give an inferior result.
Stick with name brands that have stood the
test of time. It also pays to do business with a shop that will be in
business next year when you need a little repair work or that new
canvas item. A reputable shop will guide you to the best overall
solution for your specific needs, not necessarily the cheapest or the
most expensive.
Also, good canvaswork is
very labor-intensive. Patterning and measuring can be quite tricky. Any
experienced canvas shop will tell
you that no boat is made plumb, level, and square, which is why we do
new measurements and patterns for each job, even if we just finished one
"just like it". It's the difference in an "off the
rack" fit vs. a custom tailored suit.
Can't
I just buy a pre-made Bimini or cover?
Yes, pre-made covers and tops of several types are available
from marine stores, mail-order, and Internet vendors. Some of these (like sail
covers, dinghy covers, etc.) may be acceptable if your boat is a
common make & model, you have made no changes and added no
equipment, don't need to match
existing canvas, don't have any specific requirements, and are on a
strict budget.
However, these products
are generally mass-produced with inferior fabrics, hardware, and
construction, and are disposable, not really built to last. Knock-off copies of
brand names like Sunbrella and YKK are common. They are also generic
in fit, even by specific model & year, so they often don't look
right despite your best efforts. We see many of them fail within
a year, and they aren't worth repairing. They are made to a price;
after all, that's what you were looking for, right?!
Actually, the best pre-made covers &
tops can approach the cost of a locally-made custom job. If the budget is a
concern, discuss it with your local canvas shop; they may well be able
to work with you to make that "just for you" job
surprisingly affordable!
Can
you just copy my old canvas piece to make the new one?
We can do it, but it probably will not fit properly. New materials
have different characteristics than old materials. The old material
has had years of stretching and weathering, and supporting frames also
take a set, become loose, etc. The surest way to get a proper
fit with your new canvas is to make a new pattern using the actual
boat.
That's why we need access
to the boat in most cases to do our best work. The exception to this might be hatch covers, sail covers, or
other items that are non-tensioned.
Can
you make me a new top using the old side panels?
We can do it, but the best way to get a proper fit for a custom canvas soft enclosure is
to build from the top down, not the sides up. It is better to keep the
old top repaired until the top and sides can be done at the same time.
What's
the right type, weight, and size fabric for my canvas?
Different applications
and environments require different fabric and weight solutions. There
are many trade-offs between physical strength, weight, UV resistance,
water repellency, abrasion resistance, cost, colors, etc. That's why
we discuss your needs with you before making recommendations on the
right fabric, weight, and size.
Generally, fabric weight
is stated in ounces per square yard before coating and treatments are
applied. Heavy fabrics are not necessarily more durable than lighter ones. For
instance, a boat cover made with lightweight 6.5 oz polyester fabric
can be twice as strong as 10 oz cotton canvas, and also have better
abrasion resistance. To make it more complicated, marine fabric is sold by the running yard,
which is a yard long piece at whatever the production width is; this
could be 36", 46", 60", 65", 72", 80" wide or
more. The roll width of the fabric chosen will have design and
construction implications. Bottom line, modern materials have quite a
lot of variety and technology behind them, and require knowledge for best
application..
How
do I make the right choice for my new windows?
You have a lot of choices in today's marine window material. The right
choice for you depends on how you use your boat, and the budget for
the project. Good quality windows are possible in a range of prices if
properly designed. Your canvas shop should be knowledgeable about the
full range of options to give you the best answer for your particular
project.
Make sure your
marine fabricator takes the time to explain the benefits of each type
of window material, helps you choose the right system for your
specific needs, and creates a thoughtful design that gives you the
best overall results.
Flexible Windows are
typically made of clear vinyl, in thicknesses from .020 to .060, and in both roll and polished sheet forms. The general principle
is that the thicker materials are more optically true and last longer,
but cost more and are stiffer and harder to roll up in colder
temperatures.
Pressed/polished sheet material is significantly
better optical quality than rolled vinyl. The best quality
clear vinyls
available are Strataglass
and O'Sea
brands, which have proprietary anti-scratch & UV
protective coatings. They are more expensive than garden-variety vinyl, but once you've tried this
material, you will never go back. Top quality clear vinyl pays for itself over time
with much longer life.
Semi Rigid Windows
are typically polycarbonate or acrylic, from .030 to .080. They offer
superb optical characteristics, superior clarity with no wrinkles, no distortion.
Designing for ventilation openings etc. can be a challenge since
semi-rigid windows can't be rolled up, but if conditions allow, these
windows are the absolute ultimate experience.
The
basic materials used in these windows is either polycarbonate
or acrylic. Products from different mfrs. can have slightly
different characteristics.
Polycarbonate is sewable with the right
equipment, which gives you total flexibility in design, local
fabrication, and field reparability. Polycarbonate
also has 250 times the impact strength of float glass and 30 times
that of acrylic
The secret to getting a
good job with polycarbonate is first to use material with the special
protective hardcoat technology on both sides. These coatings offer
improved protection against the abrasion, chemical, and UV attacks
common in today's harsh marine environment.
The
second important consideration is careful fabrication by the canvas
shop. Excessive bending during fabricating (scoring & breaking
edges, etc) can cause micro-cracks in the protective coating later
that are not covered by warranty. And the corners should be radiused,
the edges sanded to prevent sharp edges from wearing through the
fabric. It's extra work but necessary to get the best results. Not
every shop has the knowledge, equipment, or experience to do this correctly.
Make sure you check this out carefully with anyone you are considering
for a polycarbonate window project.
The third
consideration is when in use, be sure not to bend the windows tightly,
to preserve the integrity of the coatings.
At Alameda Canvas we use
Makrolon sewable .060 polycarbonate and Rainier Industries (formerly Barrett
Bonded Windows) .80 bonded polycarbonate or acrylic windows as shop standards.
Acrylic is naturally
resistant to UV, and small scratches can be buffed out to restore the
original appearance. Acrylic is more brittle than polycarbonate, and
some acrylics are also coated. Since acrylic used in marine
windows by nature cannot be sewn, the windows are bonded to the
fabric with adhesives. This usually takes special processes and is the
method used by Rainier Bonded Windows and EZ2CY, etc. We currently do
not fabricate acrylic windows in-house.
Is
stainless steel really "stainless"?
Actually, no. There are two main types of stainless steel commonly
used in marine applications; 304 and 316. Both resist most oxidizing
acids and can withstand all ordinary rusting. However, they both will
tarnish!
Type 304, or one of its modifications, has
slightly higher strength and wear resistance than type 316, and is
used for components where both strength and corrosion
resistance are needed.
Type 316 has molybdenum
added to increase
corrosion
resistance, but it
is still not resistant to warm sea water. In many marine environments
316 does exhibit surface corrosion, usually visible as brown staining.
This is particularly associated with crevices and rough surface
finish.
To care for stainless
tubing & fittings, rinse with fresh water when possible,
especially in cracks & crevices. Don't use harsh chemicals or abrasives
on it, and clean when needed with your favorite marine metal polish.
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