Boat Upholstery
Chicago Marine Canvas is an internationally acclaimed boat upholstery shop, known for its exceptional craftsmanship. We have received prestigious awards for our expertise in providing superior interior and exterior marine upholstery work. Whether you have a yacht or a boat, we offer comprehensive services tailored to meet your specific needs and requirements.
Chicago Marine Canvas can assist with recovering your existing boat seats or completely overhauling your interior or exterior upholstery. Contact us to work with our experts and make your dreams a reality.
Our specialties:
We work on all boat and yacht upholstery including:
- Sailboats
- Sea Ray
- Formula Boat
- Tiara Yachts
- Carver Yachts
- Cruisers Yachts
- Bayliner Yachts
- And many more
Fabric
At Chicago Marine Canvas, we use top-quality upholstery materials to achieve a top-quality look. We use fabric, vinyl, and faux leather specifically designed for marine applications. They are resistant to abrasions, harsh weather conditions, mold and mildew. They provide optimal protection while maintaining their pristine condition.
Most marine upholstery uses marine grade vinyl, which is an excellent option for exterior seating. There are other options available, such as Sunbrella upholstery fabric and a new fabric called Silvertex.
From basic canvas fabrics to designer upholstery fabrics like intricate jacquards, Sunbrella has thousands of quality upholstery fabrics to choose from to create a look all your own. These fabrics stand up to life on the water with a luxuriously soft touch that’s fade-resistant and easy to clean.
Silvertex is a coated fabric that is engineered, tested and certified to resist the toughest conditions in marine environments. Anti-stain treatment, impermeability, UV-resistance, Cold Crack and Mildew resistance ensure durability.
Silvertex is found on many of the new yacht models that you might have seen at the Chicago Boat Show. It’s becoming an extremely popular option with the recent shift to a more contemporary design in today’s yachts.
Upholstery Framing
Just like when building a home, the foundation is one of the most important aspects of your boat’s upholstery. Marine lumber, which is treated for outdoor environments, makes up most marine upholstery frames. With time, moisture will break down the wood, causing it to crack and crumble. Sometimes an original frame can be reused but you never want to reupholster a piece with a rotted-out frame.
Painting wood will help extend the life of a wooden frame, but for marine applications, we prefer a synthetic frame such as King StarBoard®. Use the original marine-grade high-density polyethylene sheet and the industry standard. It is the product of a proprietary process called K-Stran™, the most advanced manufacturing process for superior flatness and consistency. An environmentally stabilized frame, King StarBoard® can withstand the harshest marine conditions. It will not warp, rot, or delaminate when exposed to humidity or water. King StarBoard® is easy to fabricate with standard woodworking tools and requires little or no finishing.
Foam
Foam is another factor often overlooked in the upholstery process. The foam density and quality make up the kind of cushion you’ll have. The quality determines how the foam regains its shape or “memory.” Sometimes a cushion may feel hard, but you’re actually “bottoming out” and feeling the frame underneath. This means you would want a denser foam that will hold you up off the wooden or plastic bottom.
A popular option for exterior upholstered pieces such as sunpads is Dri-Fast® foam. Dri-Fast® is an open cell polyurethane foam that is uniquely designed to let moisture drain through, so seats will dry faster. Dri-Fast® cushioning “breathes,” keeping moisture at bay and reducing the formation of mold. Made from a polymer that incorporates an anti-microbial additive, Dri-Fast® resists mildew, mold and odor.
Recent Awards
- 2021 – Marine Fabricators Association – Outstanding Achievement Award – 1964 Chris Craft Constellation Restoration
- 2019 – Industrial Fabrics Association International – Best in Class Marine: A “Skater” With Style
- 2019 – Industrial Fabrics Association International – Award of Excellence Marine Exterior Upholstery
- 2019 – Marine Fabricators Association – Outstanding Achievement Marine Exterior Upholstery
- 2018 – Industrial Fabrics Association International – Award of Excellence Marine Exterior – Saved by the Baja
- 2018 – Marine Fabricators Association – Outstanding Achievement Award – Saved by the Baja
