Vince Innocenzi, Author at Chicago Marine Canvas | Custom Boat Covers

August 16, 2018December 4, 2023

Bertram 30′ Custom Full Enclosure

For this refurbished Bertram 30′ we created a custom full enclosure to keep this boat dry no matter what the weather has in store for you.

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use many labor-saving, cost-effective tools that help us speed up our process. We first go out to your boat to take precise measurements using our 3D measuring device. Then we head back to the shop and start our design process. We do all of our design work on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) Software. Here we can visually see how the new enclosure will look, before we even begin the sewing process, that way we can make any custom adjustments you want. After that, we send the design to our plotter, which is another one of or labor-saving tools, that quickly draws out all the pieces of your new enclosure. This saves our seamstress so much time while also making sure everything is precisely cut and drawn to the right size.

For this enclosure, we used Stamoid fabric in white. Stamoid is UV, water, and fold resistant. It’s very easy to clean with just water! Check out this video to see Stamoids performance testing videos! For thread we used Solar Fix which is a PTFE or a Polytetrafluoroethylene type of thread, which is also known as teflon, that is guaranteed for life! That means you can say goodbye to repairs that involve restitching. With this thread, your seams will last a lifetime! Solarfix doesn’t get eaten by the sunlight, salt water, or other outside elements. For the glass on this enclosure we used Strataglass. For some tips on how to clean strataglass to maintain its life check out this link.

July 5, 2018December 4, 2023

Custom Quad Sunpads

This SeaRay Sedan Bridge 390 had lots of deck space so we went a head and designed four custom sunpads to fit the bow of the boat.

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas, everything we do is custom! So we can make anything you have in mind when it comes to design and functionality. Did your last sunpad get taken away by the Chicago winds!? We can make sure your new sunpad is securely attached to your boat so you wont have to worry about it being gone when you come back to your boat! Is your sunpad looking drab? We have access to lots of fun patterns that can make your boat look chic out on the water this year.

The first step to our process is going out to your boat to take measurements. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use a lot of labor-saving, cost-effective tools. Our 3D measuring device is one of those tools! We quickly measure your boat and then head back to the shop to start our design process. We do all of our design work on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) software. Once we finish that up, we send everything over to our plotter, another one of our cost-effective, labor-saving tools. Our plotter draws out the pattern of your new sunpads perfectly!

For these sunpads we used Sunbrella upholstery fabric in the pattern Adaptation Stone! We can make sunpads out of any material you’d prefer, but we recommend using Sunbrellla upholstery fabric because it’s softer on your skin, easy to clean in a washing machine, and has many different designs and colors available! Sunbrella upholstery fabric comes with a 5 year warranty. For thread we used Solar Fix which is a PTFE or a Polytetrafluoroethylene type of thread, which is also known as teflon, that is guaranteed for life! That means you can say goodbye to repairs that involve restitching. This thread doesn’t get eaten by the sunlight, salt water, or other outside elements.

We used DriFast foam for these sunpads. Drifast foam is a firm open celled foam that is very porous. It allows water to run through it easily, instead of absorbing it like other closed cell foams. It even keeps you cool when you are on it due to the open cells of the foam allowing air to move freely through the foam. This foam is antimicrobial which helps prevent microorganism growth which happens in wet areas.

January 2, 2018December 4, 2023

Regal Cockpit Cover

It’s important to keep your boat covered all year round when it isn’t in use, to protect your interior upholstery, flooring, and your electronics. This customer called us up needing a new cockpit cover for their Regal to match their bimini top.

We aren’t your typical boat shop, here at Chicago Marine Canvas all of our covers, biminis, enclosures, upholstery work, and flooring is custom made to fit your boat perfectly. That means for all of our jobs we have to have access to your boat. We start off each project by going out to your boat and using one of our many labor-saving, cost effective tools, our 3D measuring device. Nothing can slow us down with this tool! We can quickly take measurements of your boat rain or shine! After we gather the measurements for your new cover, we head back to the shop so we can start our design process! All of our work is done on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) software. We can easily see the end product using this tool, making sure all of your design needs are met for you and your boat. Once we finalize the design, we send the pattern for your new cover over to our plotter. Our plotter is another one of our labor-saving, cost-effective tools we use here at Chicago Marine Canvas. It quickly draws out each piece perfectly that our seamstress needs to draw out. Then all of the pieces get cut out and our seamstress can start to sew it all together.

On this Regal, we used Sunbrella fabric in navy for its new cockpit cover. We love using Sunbrella fabric for cockpit covers! It is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty! To sew this all up we used Sunstop polyester thread in black. Then we bound the new cover in 1 inch Sunbrella binding in navy to ensure that all the ends are securely covered so this cover will last and won’t fray! We also added a Boat Vent II to the center of this cover to help prevent pooling, create airflow, and reduce mildew. This cover was attached to the boat with DOT snap fasteners so it wont blow away!!! We also did custom boot flaps with velcro around each pole for the framing to ensure a perfect fit and to prevent water from getting in at those areas!

If you are looking for a custom cover with a perfect fit, give us a ring this winter so we can help keep your boat dry all year round! Our shop is open all year, which can help you be prepared when it’s time for your boat to get in the water at the beginning of the season!

December 7, 2017December 4, 2023

Dodger Window Replacement

One of the services we offer here at Chicago Marine Canvas is window replacements. If your windows have yellowed, fogged up, cracked, shrunk, or expanded over time, replacing the glass can fix those issues. This sale boat owner contacted us about foggy, yellowed windows that he needed replaced. One of the first things we do before doing a window replacement is assess the quality level of the canvas. “How many years does it have left? What is your budget?” We have different qualities of glass that we recommend for different quality of canvas. This dodger was in great shape, so we recommended that the customer use a high quality glass that will last as long as their dodger.

For window replacements we usually take the window panel, or dodger in this case, back to the shop and carefully cut out the glass. Then we go back to the boat and snap it back on the boat. After it’s all snapped on, without the old windows, we use one of our labor-saving, cost-effective tools, our 3D measuring device and take measurements of your windows. Once we gather all of our needed measurements, we take off the dodger, and head back to the shop with it. Then our designer gets to work and designs the new windows using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, so we can make sure everything looks right. Then we send the designs of the new windows over to our plotter. Our plotter is another one of our labor-saving, cost-effective tools we use here at Chicago Marine Canvas. It quickly draws out whatever we design on the computer perfectly, saving us time and you money at the end of the day! After that, our seamstress cuts out the new windows and gets to work!

For these windows we use Strataglass. Strataglass is one of our favorite products when it comes to glass for canvas that is brand new, or in great shape, like this dodger was. It’s the only glass on the market that offers a 2 year warranty! With proper care these windows will outlast its warranty, just make sure that you rinse them with water after you go out on the water, or after your boat has been on the dock to help extend the life of your new windows. Be sure to remove any sunscreen, harmful liquids, or sprays that may accidentally get on the surface.

If your dodger, or enclosure is in need of a window replacement give us a call today! Chicago Marine Canvas is open all year long, ensuring our customers that their boat will be ready to go once the next season begins!

November 24, 2017December 4, 2023

Woven Vinyl Flooring

One of the things we offer here at Chicago Marine Canvas is luxury flooring. Now a days with technological advances in textiles, people aren’t putting regular pile carpet on their boats anymore. It doesn’t last as long, it easily gets moldy, it retains water, gets dirty fast, and doesn’t seem to last long. The product we use is by a company named Infinity which produces a woven vinyl flooring.

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas, we use lots of labor-saving, cost-effective tools which helps us lower the cost of our services we offer to our customers. One of those tools we use is our 3D measuring device. We use this to take all of our measurements quickly and efficiently. When it comes to flooring we head out to your boat and map out the whole flooring area that you want covered, making sure that we get the tightest fit possible, so that your new flooring looks how it should, like it was custom made for your boat. After we gather all of our measurements needed, we head back to the shop and start the design process. All of our design work is done on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) software. This allows us to see the end product ahead of time, allowing us to make any minor adjustments we may need to before we go out to install your new product. It really helps us speed up the install process because it cuts our installs down to a one time thing instead of a multiple trip one. After we do all of our design work on the computer,mapping out your new custom flooring we send our design over to our plotter and draw out a template. Our plotter is another one of our special tools we use here at Chicago Marine Canvas. It helps us quickly and precisely draw out whatever we need it to, that way everything is perfect! Once our templates are all drawn out, we cut them to size and lay out your new flooring. We make sure the pattern is all going the right way, so everything will look nice and neat once we install the new flooring on your boat. We trace out the pieces of the flooring, and then we cut it all out using our electric cutting knife. The pattern picked out for this boat is called Boucle #9.Then we bind all the edges of the flooring with Sunbrella binding in charcoal grey. After that we roll it up and bring it back out to your boat for installation.

Infinity Woven Vinyl comes with a 10 year warranty. This product is 100% recyclable and is certifiably green! It is anti-mircobial allowing no bacterial or mold growth. It is soil and stain resistant. It doesn’t get trashed by bird or spider defecation and is easy to clean!

November 14, 2017December 4, 2023

Sundancer Custom Sunpad

We did a full enclosure for this Sundancer 300 in the beginning of this summer. After their enclosure was finished, they were out crusin’ and lost their sunpad! It flew off their boat, so we got to make them a new custom sunpad!

Everything we create here at Chicago Marine Canvas is custom made. That means we can make you whatever your heart desires. Maybe your last sunpad didn’t have enough straps to secure it to your boat, so you lost it on one ride like this customer…we can take that into consideration on your new custom sunpad!

We start off all of our jobs by going on site to your boat to take measurements. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use lots of labor-saving, cost-effective tools. Our 3D measuring device is one of those tools! We can quickly measure your boat then head back to the shop. At the shop our designer gets to work. We do all of our design work on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) software. After we finish up all the design work, we send everything over to our plotter, another one of our cost-effective, labor-saving tools. Our plotter can draw out the pattern for your new sunpad in minutes instead of us taking hours to do it by hand. This way everything comes out perfectly and its done quickly and efficiently!

For this sunpad we used Sunbrella upholstery fabric in the color flagship silver. Sunbrella is a fade resistant canvas we use on most for most of our jobs, and it comes with a 10 year warranty. We used foam from active foam for this project, we chose Dryfast 4048. Dryfast foam is a open cell foam that is extremely porous allowing water to go through the foam, instead of retaining it like a sponge like other foams. On the underside of the cushion we did a white screen with a large u shaped chain zipper for easy removal of the foam. That way you can easily wash your new sunpad cover if it gets dirty when you are using it this year! For thread we used SunStop in white and black. We created custom straps for this sunpad to attach to the boat. For this we used 2″ webbing that way the straps were secure and wouldn’t rip through the fabric. We also added a large pocket all along the back of the head rest for small things like cell phones, sun screen or anything else you want to keep secure when you are out on the water!

November 14, 2017December 4, 2023

Cruisers Rogue 3175

This Cruisers Rogue 3175 was in need of a new bimini. Biminis are great for keeping you out of the sun when you are out on the water, they even keep you dry if you get caught out in a storm.

All of our covers, biminis, enclosures, and upholstery work is custom made. We work this way because each boat has different framing which means each boat is different and we want your new canvas to fit like a glove!

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use a bunch of labor-saving, cost-effective tools. The first step of our process involves us going to to your boat and taking measurements with our 3D measuring device. Using this tool speeds up our measuring process so we have more time to work on your custom design!

After we gather all the measurements, we go back to the shop and upload them to the computer. We do all of our design work using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) software, that way we can make all the proper adjustments a head of time, as well as see visually how the design is going to turn out.

Once we finalize the design, we send over all the pieces of your new cover to our plotter. Our plotter draws out all of the pieces of your cover. This is another one of our labor-saving, cost-effective tools. With our plotter we can quickly draw out new designs in minutes rather then hours. This saves us time and you money in the end. After our plotter is finished, our seamstress cuts everything out, and begins the sewing process.

For this bimini we used Sunbrella fabric in black. We love using Sunbrella fabric! It is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty! To sew everything up we used GORE Tenara thread in black. GORE Tenara thread has a lifetime warranty! That means you can say good-bye to restitching and repairs! This thread doesn’t get eaten by the sun, water, or exposure to other outside elements. We used Lenzip zippers for this bimini. Lenzip also has a lifetime guarantee on zippers. No more zipper teeth breaking, no more zippers loosing their zip! We finished off this bimini with Sunbrella black binding to make sure theres no fraying of any canvas, that way it lasts!

November 14, 2017December 4, 2023

Sundancer 270

This Sundancer 270 was in need of a new cockpit cover. They contacted us because we specialize in custom covers!

We start off each new job by talking with you about what you need when it comes to your new cover. Then we head out to your boat and start our design process. All of our covers are custom, so that your new canvas fits like a glove, especially hand crafted for you! Once we travel out on your boat, we use our 3D measuring device to take precise measurements quickly and efficiently. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use a lot of labor-saving, cost-effective tools. After we gather all of our measurements we head back to the shop and let our designer get to work.

Sundancer 270 Cockpit Cover By Chicago Marine Canvas

We design all of our covers on the computer using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. This way we can create a 3D version of your cover, making sure everything looks perfect before we sew it up! After we finish up all the design work, we head over to our plotter and have everything drawn out. Our plotter is another one of our cost-effective, labor-saving tools. It speeds up our patterning process which saves us time and you money in the long run. After everything is all drawn out, our seamstress cuts everything out and then sews everything together.

This cover was fabricated using Sunbrella fabric in Teal Tweed.We love using Sunbrella fabric! It is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty! We backed the front of the cover wit a fabric called Evolution, that way if there was any rubbing from the windshield, it wouldn’t rip through this families new cover. We used Sunstop T135 in black thread to sew this up, along with black binding around all the edges. Then we also created boots for each of the poles for the framing around the boat. We did custom cuffs, and flaps around each pole to ensure its security and waterproofness. To ensure no mold or mildew, along with proper airflow when the cover is up, we installed a Boat Vent II in the back of the boat. It helps prop the boat cover up which helps prevent pooling so that water rolls off of your cover instead of sitting on it when it gets wet. We secured this cover to the boat using DOT snap fasteners in black.

November 8, 2017December 4, 2023

Sabre Hardtop Aft Enclosure

The owner of a 42′ Sabre Hardtop Express contacted us about needing their aft enclosure replaced. Their makrolon windows had been slightly discolored but more importantly, their canvas had lost its durability and waterproofness.

When we do a job, we first head out to the location of the boat to take custom measurements using our 3d measuring device. This device is cost-effective and labor-saving. We can measure a boat quickly even if there are high Chicago winds. After we gather all of our measurements and think about all of your design needs, we head back to our shop to start designing your new cover. This is yet another thing that sets us apart from your typical canvas shop. We do all of our design work using CAD (computer aided design) software on the computer. This way we can see exactly what the cover will look like before its on your boat, making sure we get all the details right the first time around!

For this aft enclosure, we used Sunbrella fabric in toast. Sunbrella fabric has a 10 year warranty. For the glass we used Makrolon. Makrolon is a semi-rigid polycarbonate. Makrolon makes your new cover look modern and slick, with no sagging windows due to temperature changes throughout the year. To sew everything together we used GORE tenara
thread in clear. GORE tenara thread has a lifetime guarantee, meaning it will outlast your canvas! If you get your new cover sewn up with GORE tenara thread, you can say good bye to repairs and hello to high-quality craftsmanship! For attaching the panels together we used Lenzip zippers in beige. Lenzip zippers have a life-time guarantee!

This cover has all hidden kedar track that was sewn to the top of the panels, which attached to the hard top creating a water tight seal from panel to hardtop. All of the snaps are hidden as well, and are on a separate flap on the bottom inside of each panel.

November 8, 2017December 4, 2023

Outdoor Kitchen Cover

When it comes to custom outdoor kitchen areas, we are the right company to call. Why? Because we only create custom covers, meaning we can basically make whatever you want! For this outdoor kitchen area we created a custom slip cover.

Our process starts out by us traveling out to your home to take measurements with our 3d measuring device. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use lots of labor-saving, cost-effective tools that save us time, and you money.

After we gather the measurements, we head back to our shop and we start the design process. Here we make sure to accommodate to any needs while making sure to execute the right design for your outdoor area.

Once our design process is all done, we draw out all the pieces of your new cover using our plotter, which is another one of our labor-saving, cost-effective tools that we use here in the shop. After that, our seamstress cuts everything out, and starts sewing it all together.

For this outdoor cover we used SeaMark fabric in Navy. SeaMark fabric is a combination of a woven acrylic facing with a textured marine grade vinyl backing on the inside. SeaMark is extremely colorfast, fade resistant, and durable because of its vinyl backing. The strength of this fabric allows it to withstand the toughest conditions, even the winds here in the windy city! It is salt, moisture, sun, wind, and temperature resistant. SeaMark fabric has a 5 year warranty.

We used SolarFix thread in black to sew up this cover. SolarFix is a 100 percent PTFE (PolyTetraFlouroEthylene) fiber. It has a lifetime warranty, meaning no more restitching repairs once your cover has been out in the elements for a few years. This will save you time, and money in the end!

Along the bottom edge of this cover we added 1 1/2 inch webbing for durability to ensure that the fasteners we attached to this cover, wouldn’t rip through the fabric in high winds.

In the back area, and on the side we added 2 Lenzip zippers. Lenzip has a lifetime guarantee as well. We added these two zippers into the design to help ensure that the customer will get their cover on and off with ease.

So if you have a different outdoor area, that you can’t seem to find a cover for, give us a call and well help keep your investment clean and dry all year round!