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

November 1, 2017December 4, 2023

Donzi 3250 LXC Cockpit Cover

This Donzi 3250 LXC was in need of a new cockpit cover so they gave us a call! We start out all of our jobs by first going out to your boat take measurements so we can begin our process. Here at our shop we use a lot of labor-saving, cost-effective tools. When we go out to take measurements we use our 3d measuring device to digitally map out your boat. Since all boats are slightly different because of framing and other attachments, this makes it quick, and easy for us to gather our measurements as well as map out the small differences that makes your boat slightly unique then another one.

After we gather all of our measurements from your boat, we head back to the shop to start our design process. When we get to this point we upload our measurements we just gathered into our CAD software program and start making the perfect custom cover for you! After our designer finishes your custom cover, we send it over to our plotter which draws it out for our seamstress, saving us time and you money! Then we cut out your new cover and our seamstress starts sewing it up.
For this cockpit cover we used Sunbrella fabric in black. Sunbrella is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty. We used GORE Tenara thread in black to sew this cover up. GORE Tenara has a lifetime guarantee, which means that this thread will outlast your canvas! No more sun-eaten threads on your new cover, which means no more restitching or repairs!!! Then we used a Boat Vent II to help hold the cover up to prevent pooling, as well as bring some air flow into the boat when the cover is up, to prevent mold and mildew if the interior ever gets wet!

October 24, 2017November 22, 2023

International Achievement Award

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Chicago Marine Canvas
www.chicagomarinecanvas.com
(312)-487-1133

Chicago Marine Canvas Wins 2017 International Achievement Award

(New Orleans, LA – Sept. 28, 2017) – Chicago Marine Canvas, Chicago, Illinois, was recognized with the 2017 International Achievement Award (IAA) for design excellence in specialty fabrics applications.

Chicago Marine Canvas received an Award of Excellence for its Blarney Island: Keeping the Customers Warm project. The project was recognized in the competition’s Powerboat-Rigid Enclosures category.

For seven decades, IAA has recognized excellence in design and innovation, highlighting truly spectacular work in the specialty fabrics and technical textiles industry. The International Achievement Awards competition is sponsored by IFAI, a not-for-profit trade association who’s over 1,600 member companies represent the growing international specialty fabrics and technical textiles marketplace.

IFAI received a total of 235 entries from 11 countries that were submitted for 42 categories in this year’s competition. Winners were selected based on complexity, design, workmanship, uniqueness and function. Judges included industry experts, editors, architects, educators and design professionals who were chosen for their knowledge in a particular field of study or product area.

All entries receive prominent recognition at the IFAI Expo, the largest specialty fabrics tradeshow in the Americas. Winners receive additional publicity through coverage in IFAI magazines and press releases distributed to media professionals.

For photos and a detailed project description, visit https://iaa.ifai.com/awards/177746/.

We aren’t your typical canvas shop. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we use lots of labor-saving, cost-effective tools! For all of our jobs we use our 3d measuring device to help save us time and you money. We do all custom cockpit covers, full enclosures, upholstery work, canvas repairs, zipper replacements, window replacements and vinyl flooring. After we gather our measurements, we go back to the office and pop on the computer and start our design process using our CAD (Computer-Aided Design) program. Here we can easily customize your cover adding windows, zippers and fasteners. Our CAD program takes into consideration the relaxation of the fabric and other variables which would take days, and multiple trips out to your boat to figure out manually. At the end of your experience with us, your cover will fit your boat perfectly. We promise to deliver these solutions on time and within budget!

We work on Sea Ray, Rinker, Regal, Tiara, Maxum, Four Winns, Baja, Cruisers Yatchs, Wellcraft boats and more!!

Need a new cover? Want all of the upholstery redone on your boat? Is your canvas in great shape but your windows aren’t? Do you have a few zippers falling off of your cover? Bimini in need of restitching? Give us a call! 312-487-1133

October 12, 2017December 4, 2023

Rinker Fiesta Vee 270

To protect the interior of your boat, it is important to have a waterproof cover. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we do custom covers for every boat, because every boat is different and we want your cover to fit tight so there is no room for water leaks when a rain storm comes. This is a Rinker Fiesta Vee 270 and we fabricated a custom cover for it this summer.

We start off our process by going out on site to the boat to take measurements. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we have a lot of cost-effective, labor-saving tools that help cut your covers cost down while making sure it is the perfect fit! For measuring we use a portable 3d measuring device. After we gather all the measurements needed we head back to the shop to start the design process. For this cover our designer made sure to make cut outs for all the framing on this boat, leaving it up to our seamstress to make individual boots for each pole, along with velcro straps to assure the cover isn’t going anywhere in these Chicago winds. After we do all of our design work we head over to our plotter which draws out all of the pieces of your cover we just finished up. This is another one of our labor-saving tools. Our plotter can quickly draw out all of our patterned pieces for your new cover, instead of us having to do it all by hand! After everything is drawn out, we hand it all over to our seamstress so she can begin her process. She starts off by cutting everything out and then looking at the pattern to figure out the best way to sew everything together. After that, she organizes all the pieces and gets to work.

For this cover we used Sunbrella fabric in the color doubonette tweed. We love using Sunbrella fabric! It is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty! To sew everything together we used GORE tenara thread in black. GORE tenara is another favorite product of ours. It is UV, salt water, chemical and extreme weather resistant! It has a lifetime guarantee, which means, all of your seams will outlast your canvas! We also installed a Boat Vent II in the middle of this cover so that all water that hits it, runs off!

We used DOT snaps in burgundy to blend into this cover, as well as stay puts all along the back.

October 10, 2017December 4, 2023

70′ Hatteras

Visiting Chicago from Florida for the summer. This 70′ Hatteras lost its bimini somewhere from Traverse City to Chicago. We got to create a custom bimini for this boat to help bring the shade back into these boaters lives!

Our first step when we get a job is going on site to take measurements. We bring our 3d measuring device which is labor-saving and cost-effective. It saves us time measuring which saves you money at the end of the day on your new custom cover. After we gather all of our measurements we need and take lots of detailed photos we head back to the shop. We do all of our design work on the computer so we can physically see what we are creating, as well as be super accurate. This helps save us trips when we go to fit the new cover onto your boat. After we do all the design work we then bring it over to our plotter. This is another one of our tools that is labor-saving. Instead of us hand drawing out all of our designs, our plotter does it for us, quickly and efficiently. Then we hand all of our plotted fabric over to our seamstress, who cuts everything out and then starts the fabrication process.

For this 70′ Hatteras bimini cover 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! To sew this up we used GORE tenara thread in clear. GORE tenara UV, saltwater, chemical, and extreme weather resistant. It is backed by a lifetime guarantee. We used lenzip zippers which also have a lifetime guarantee.

We installed this cover on the day the Cubs won the world series! Go Cubs GO!

October 10, 2017December 4, 2023

Mediterranean Mainship

This 1989 open Mediterranean Mainship was in need of some protection from the rain, so we created it a cockpit cover using some of our favorite products.

We start out all of our projects by going on site to the boat. We bring out our special 3d device to take measurements. Our 3d measuring device is cost-effective and labor-saving. It saves us time taking measurements which in the end saves you money on your new cover! After we gather our measurements we need we head back to the shop. We upload all of our measurements we gathered and start working on the design process. We do all of our design work on the computer, creating a 3d design so we can see what the end product will look like. This way we can make sure to make any adjustments, or special needs that your cover may need on there instead of making multiple trips out to your boat. In this case we knew where all the poles for the framing of this boat were located, so during the design process we made sure to include them. After we finish the design process, we bring the design to our plotter, which is also a labor-saving, cost-effective tool we use here at Chicago Marine Canvas. It helps us save time by drawing out the patterned pieces of your new cover quickly, instead of us having to do it by hand. Then we hand everything over to our seamstress, who cuts out all the pieces and starts sewing them together.

For this Mediterranean Mainship we used Sunbrella canvas in black along with black Sunbrella binding. Sunbrella canvas is one of our favorite products to use to create a new boat canvas for our clientele. It is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty. To sew everything together we used GORE tenara thread which is UV, chemical, saltwater and extreme weather resistant. It has a lifetime guarantee and is great for outdoor applications. This thread will outlast your canvas. Our designer made sure to include all the locations of where the framing poles were, so we could make boots that wrapped around each pole, helping prevent water leakage from getting to the interior of this boat. We created custom boots and flaps using Sunbrella and velcro so that the cover would be nice and secure onto the boat. We attached the cover using DOT snaps in black, attaching from the top of the windshield to the back of the boat. We also used Boat Vent II to help with water runoff as well as ventilation in the boat. while your cover is up.

October 9, 2017December 4, 2023

Carver Flybridge

This summer at Chicago Yacht Works we designed a new flybridge enclosure for this 2000 Carver 530 Voyager Pilothouse. We love working with Chicago Yacht Works because we can work on the boats all year

Since all boats are sightly different, we do only custom enclosures. Everyone has different framing, and other minor add ons. No boat is the same to us! The first step of our process is heading out to the boat with our 3d measuring device. It is cost-effective and labor-saving because it saves us time taking measurements and saves you money in the end. After we take measurements we head back to the shop to start doing design work on the computer. Our designer makes sure to meet all of your boats needs. Then we head the design over to the plotting machine which is another cost-effective, labor-saving device. The plotter draws out all the pieces of your new enclosure instead of us having to draw it out by hand. Then we hand everything over to our seamstress who cuts everything out, and then sews it all together.

For this cover we used linen tweed sunbrella fabric, GORE tenara thread in clear. Sunbrella is a fade resistant canvas we use on most of our covers, and it comes with a 10 year warranty. GORE tenara thread has a lifetime warranty.

The forward windows of this enclosure we used makrolon, which is a semi-rigid polycarbonate. It’s great of how clean it makes your new cover look. There is no sagging with makrolon, and no stretching and shrinking of glass, which is a issue here in Chicago due to the extreme hot summers and the extreme cold winters. For the Aft panels we used strataglass. Strataglass is the only vinyl on the market that comes with a two year warranty after install.

We used Lenzip zippers on this enclosure which also has a lifetime guarantee. We even used their waterproof zipper for the roll up on the port and star side of the enclosure to ensure air flow while the enclosure is up!

October 9, 2017December 4, 2023

Outdoor Kitchen Cover

If you have a custom outdoor kitchen space you may be in need of one of our custom covers. Due to the different shapes, set ups and materials used, you may be unable to find one that will work with your custom design.

With a custom cover from us, we make sure that your piece is totally covered and secured to the space. This is a great way to keep snow, rain, and debris off of a piece like this so it will last you many years through each change of the seasons.

We always start off by coming out to your space and taking measurements with our 3d measuring device. This machine helps save us time and you money due to how quick and efficient the process is. After that we go back to the shop and do some design work on the computer, making sure we have all of your requests and needs in mind. Once we finish the design work, we plot out all of the fabric pieces with a plotter we have here in the shop, which also saves us time and you money!

Custom Outdoor Kitchen Cover Close Up

For this cover we used K Tex fabric in grey, Sunguard grey thread, and grey chain zippers. K Tex is a vinyl coated fabric that helps reassure that if water or snow sits on this fabric, it wont go through it. That way what is underneath this cover stays dry and safe from the outside elements.

We used a fastener called twist the dot on this cover. The pieces attach to the outdoor kitchen themselves and then are secured to the cover. This way the cover wont fly away in high winds. We also added two zippers on each corner for easy on/off access to the kitchen area. As well as two zippers near the grill area, if these customers want to use their grill while keeping the rest of the kitchen covered.

September 25, 2017December 4, 2023

31st Harbor Shade Sails

Custom shade sails are a great way to keep you cool all summer. At the 31st Harbor in Chicago we replaced their old shade sails and made some brand new ones.

We start off every project by going on site to do custom measurements with our 3d measuring device. This tool is great because it saves us time, which at the end of the day saves you money. It is quicker and more efficient then doing measurements by hand, especially on a project this size that could have possibly taken hours to measure due to the wind speeds and how high we would have had to have gone to measure at the tops of these structures. After we got our measurements, we head back to the shop to do some design work on the computer. Once we got the designs all figured out we started plotting them out with our plotter!

We fabricated these out of Polyfab, which is a commonly used shade sail material. Their line called Comtex is perfect for medium residential projects as well as large scale commercial ones. It is a high strength fabric that can reduce 90% of UV rays. Comtex is made from virgin resins and has one of the best UV stabilizers that are both lead and heavy metal free.

We also used GORE tenara thread, which has a life time guarantee. This means that the thread we used will outlast the fabric itself. It doesn’t get effected by the elements like other threads.

Along with the GORE tenara we used Polyfab’s shade sail 2″ edge webbing all around the edges of the shade sails. This is a polyester webbing that has a breaking strength of 4,700 pound force.

Polyfab Comtex has a 10 year limited warranty. This means if your shade sail is installed properly it should last you ten years. The care for this product requires a mild dish soap and a low pressure water hose. Using any other kind of chemicals on this product can deteriorate the UV stabilizers as well as the fabric itself, this will void it’s warranty.

September 22, 2017December 4, 2023

Sea Ray Full Enclosure

Sea Ray 460 Full Enclosure

This winter we did a full enclosure for this Sea Ray 460 at Chicago Yacht Works.

We love doing jobs like this during the winter because we can really take our time to make sure that everything is perfect for when the boat hits the water in the summer!

When we do custom enclosures we always save you some time and money by using our 3d measuring device to take measurements of your boat. Then we custom design your new cover to tailor to your boats specifications. Here at Chicago Marine Canvas we want your new cover to fit like a glove! We also want to help you keep your boat dry along with it looking nice and modern!

For this Sea Ray we used Sunbrella fabric in marine blue along with GORE tenara thread in black. For all of our enclosure we suggest that you use GORE tenara thread because it has a lifetime guarantee. That means that your thread will outlast your canvas. This also means that your seams won’t need repairs the whole time you have this canvas. GORE tenara won’t get eaten by the sun or other elements, which is why we encourage our customers allow us to fabricate their new cover with this high quality thread! Say good-bye to repairs and hello to high quality!

For the forward windows of this Sea Ray we used makrolon which is a semi-rigid polycarbonate. This material is great because it looks as if the windows are extensions of the actual boat windshield. Since it is a semi-rigid material there is no window stretching or contracting due to temperature changes in between seasons.

For the aft windows we used strataglass. As of September 1,strataglass is the only vinyl on the market that has a two year warranty. For all these panels to stay together we used Lenzip zippers in black which have a lifetime guarantee.

September 19, 2017December 4, 2023

Seafox 256 Cockpit Cover

We fabricated a custom cockpit cover for this Seafox 256 fishing boat.

For all of our work we create, we have to go out on site to take custom measurements. We do this with our 3d measuring device, which is quick and efficient. It saves us time and you money on your new custom cover. Then we head back to the shop and we start designing your cover on the computer. We make sure that we have covered all of your concerns and needs due to every boat being different. After we finish up the designing process we have our plotter draw out all the pieces of fabric, then we hand everything over to our seamstress and the cover is assembled.

Since the Seafox 256 is more of a fishing boat, we made a cockpit cover that attached onto the top of the windshield with DOT fasteners and then extended over and down the back of the captains chair. Now all of this Seafox’s upholstery is protected from rain and other elements all season long while on the water.

This cockpit cover is fabricated out of Sunbrella fabric in cadet grey with GORE tenara thread in grey. GORE tenara thread has a lifetime guarantee which means it won’t get eaten by the sun. Sunbrella fabric is fade resistant and has a 10 year warranty.

Since this cover sits against the captains chair we added a soft fabric called evolution which is easy to clean. It adds protection to the boat cover so it wont rub up against the seat causing any wear and tear to this boast upholstery work. Evolution is also mold and mildew resistant and dries quickly if ever wet!

We used grey DOT snaps to secure this cover onto this boat. No wind will be ripping off this cover this summer!