Bowpads and Sunpads Archives | Chicago Marine Canvas

November 8, 2023November 21, 2023

Triple Tapered Sunpads

Recently, Chicago Marine Canvas had the opportunity to work on this Sea Ray Sundancer 370, pictured on the right. The Sea Ray Sundancer 370 is one of the newest members of the award-winning Sundancer family that blends the properties of a cruiser, bowrider, and coupe into one sleek vessel. While the Sea Ray Sundancer 370 already offers impressive amenities and innovative technology, Chicago Marine Canvas was able to upgrade this vessel and take it to another level. The addition of custom made triple tapered sun pads fit in perfectly with the rest of the Sea Ray Sundancer 370’s aesthetic details.

This project, like many others, came with its own set of challenges but you can count on Chicago Marine Canvas to have the right tools and skills to bring your boating ideas to life! As shown on the left, the triple tapered sun pads had to be precisely cut and measured to perfectly fit around the three windows located on the Sea Ray Sundancer 370’s bow. Using a 3D portable printer, Chicago Marine Canvas was able to achieve this and maximize space, which is exactly what the customer wanted. Not only do the triple tapered sun pads fit like a glove, but they are also made from Serge Ferrari Batyline Elios upholstery fabric in the color “Spring.” Serge Ferrari Batyline Elios has exceptional abrasion, UV, and mold resistance while also being waterproof and easy to clean.

While Chicago Marine Canvas has done many custom made sun pads in the past, this project called for a more unique approach. What do you see when you look over at the picture on the right? At first glance, these may appear to be just three standard sun pads, right? Look closely! We tapered the foam from 3” on the inside to 6” on the outside to create a flat surface on a convex fiberglass topside. This ensures that whoever lays on these custom made triple tapered sun pads, does not slide off the boat. Another neat feature is the Solarfix PTFE thread used to sew these triple tapered sun pads, which is commonly used in marine upholstery due to its multiple high-quality properties. Solarfix PTFE thread is known for being exceptionally UV light and chemical resistant. This guarantees that the sun pads will be long lasting and safe to maintain with most cleaners.

Nothing’s worse than trying to relax on a beautiful sunny day with a cool drink in hand but having nowhere to set it down in between sips. Except maybe having your phone, keys, or other valuables fall into the water because you didn’t have a secure spot to set them down. What if you want a place to rest your head? Perhaps you could use any old pillow. Well, when you choose to get custom made sun pads by Chicago Marine Canvas, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Check out the custom headrests and pockets behind the headrests on these triple tapered sun pads. There are also built-in cupholders in the headrests which can be omitted or added based on your preferences.

July 15, 2022November 30, 2023

Double Sunpads – Sea Ray Sundancer 40

These double sun pads were made for a 2004 Sea Ray Sundancer 40 using Sunbrella’s Adaptation Indigo fabric. Which comes with a 5-year warranty.

It was also made with Dri-Fast Foam that causes it to dry very fast. Since 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.

Having double sunpads instead of one giant one makes it easy to move and store. Since the sunpads are fully customizable, we have had customers make one, two, and three for this type of boat.

These sun pads have built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″.

It has integrated pockets and cup holders in the headrest to hold drinks, phones, and other valuables. No more having to worry about your phone sliding into the water while you’re relaxing.

July 15, 2022November 30, 2023

Double Sunpads – Chapparral 330 Signature

On this 2018 Chapparral Signature 330 we made double sunpads using Spectrum Sand Sunbrella Fabric and SolarFix thread.

These sun pads have built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″.

Two sets of Cup holders, and pockets, were added onto the headrest to keep valuables in place when relaxing.

Sunbrella fabrics are highly durable and resistant to abrasions, weather, mold and mildew. And all Sunbrella fabrics come with a 5-year warranty.

Check out our page here to learn more about how to keep your fabric looking new and the cleaning process.

July 13, 2022November 30, 2023

Double Sunpads – Sea Ray Sundancer 420

On this 2005 Sea Ray Sundancer 420 we made double sunpads using Cabana Classic Sunbrella upholstery fabric.

Sunbrella fabrics are highly durable and resistant to abrasions, weather, mold and mildew. And all Sunbrella fabrics come with a 5-year warranty.

Check out our page here to learn more about how to keep your fabric looking new and the cleaning process.

These sun pads have built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″.

Cup holders and pockets were added onto the headrest to keep valuables in place when relaxing.

June 13, 2022November 30, 2023

Quilted Sun Pad

This project was customized to perfectly fit the costumer’s boat and vision. For this sun pad we used Sunbrella Horizon fabric along with a quilted pattern. There are over 50 standard quilting patterns available to choose from.

This sun pad has built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″. We also have custom foam cutting which is able to level the pads on a convex bow.

Sunpads can be made with either vinyl or upholstery fabrics. Both options offer many benefits. Sunbrella is known for having high quality worry-free fabric.

The fabrics are durable and perfect for indoor and outdoor projects. Sunbrella fabrics are resistant to abrasions, weather, mold and mildew.

Sunbrella has won many awards for their fabric designs. They offer hundreds of colors, and a wide range of patterns. While the fabrics are comfortable and durable, they are also very easy to clean.

May 26, 2022December 4, 2023

Custom Sun Pads

These sun pads were installed just in time for Memorial Day at the Hammond Marina in Indiana. This project was customized to perfectly fit the costumer’s boat and vision.

These sun pads were made using Sunbrella’s Adaptation Indigo fabric, which comes with a 5-year warranty. It was also made with Dri-Fast Foam that causes it to dry very fast. Since 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.

These sun pads have built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″. It has integrated pockets and cup holders in the headrest to hold drinks, phones, and other valuables. No more having to worry about your phone sliding into the water while you’re relaxing.

May 19, 2022December 4, 2023

Custom Sunpads / Bow Pads Features

The Sunpads are made with a Dri-Fast foam, that causes it to dry very fast. Since 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. After a hard morning rain, Sunpads will be dried out by the afternoon which means no more soggy Sunpads!

Nothing is better than built in pockets, which is why Custom Sunpads have pockets along the sides to hold your valuables. No more having to worry about your phone sliding into the water while you’re relaxing.

Built in headrests help with max comfort while relaxing on Sunpads. Sunpads are made with 3″ tampered foam, whereas the head rests are elevated to 6″. We also have custom foam cutting which is able to level the pads on a convex bow.

The Sunpads are made with a high-quality fabric from Sunbrella. When using a fabric with a pattern, fabric pattern matching is done to keep the Sunpad’s design visually aligned and flowing at the seams and edges. Little details like this are important to ensure that the product is not only high quality, but visually appealing. The image pictured shows our commonly made Sunpads. But we are able to make all different types which are featured on our Bow Pads page.

We all know that Chicago is known for being windy, that’s why we make sure that the Sunpads are securely attached to the boats.

August 17, 2018December 4, 2023

Reclining Dual Sunpads

We created some custom reclining dual sunpads we created for this Cruisers Yacht 390 SC just in time for the Chicago Air and Water Show!!! The Chicago Air and Water Show is the largest free show, of its kind in the country! It happens right on and above Lake Michigan at North Ave. Beach.

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas, we can create anything quickly and efficiently many of our labor-saving tools. We start off all of our projects by going on site to take pinpoint measurements with our 3D measuring device. After we gather the measurements, we head back to our shop and start our design process. We do all of our design work using CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) Software. This allows us to visually see the piece on hand, before we start to psychically put it together. For these sunpads, the customers wanted something that could lay completely flat, as well as sit up to watch the show in front of them.

For these sunpads we used Sunbrella upholstery fabric in Adaptation Indigo. Sunbrella upholstery fabrics come with a 5 year limited warranty and is super easy to clean! upholstery fabric is easy to clean! You can brush off any loose debris before it becomes embedded into the fabric. If you spill anything on the fabric, you can spot clean it before stains set by blotting the spill with a dry cloth. For more information on how to clean up other spills click this link! The bottom layer of these sunpads are fabricated out of a white screen that helps with water drainage. So when it rains, your sunpads wont stay wet, the water will drain out of the bottom easily!

We also used Drifast foam for these two sunpads. Drifast is a open celled foam that allows water to flow through it instead of absorbing it. So if it rains, these cushions will dry out faster then others with different foam. To ensure that your sunpads wont go flying off your boat when cruising on Lake Michigan we attached a kedar track to the front and sides of these sunpads.

These two sunpads can lay completely flat, and recline up into three different positions. If you have a flat deck where your sunpad would sit, these recliners can be custom made for your boat.

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.

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!

Category: Bowpads and Sunpads