boats Archives | Page 2 of 3 | Chicago Marine Canvas

July 13, 2022November 30, 2023

Cruisers Yachts Full Bridge Enclosure and Aft Panels

On this Cruisers Yachts 3950 Aft Cabin we made a full bridge enclosure and aft panels. This project was made using Strataglass for the windows and Black Sunbrella Marine Fabric. Also, we made sure to design this enclosure with maximum visibility.

The project has a variety of different Strataglass windows including rollup windows and door panels. Throughout the project we used SolarFix thread. SolarFix thread is specifically made to be resistant to harmful UV rays and weathering. SolarFix thread also comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Rigid enclosures are made from a flexible glass like material, Strataglass, that provides clarity to your enclosure. There are different types of material thickness. Which allows for some windows to be rolled up, and other types to remain more glass like.

These enclosures are flexible to meet the shape of the boat. And can also store flat when not in use. Rigid enclosures are made high quality and can protect from 98% of harmful UV rays.

Strataglass is known for their flexible marine enclosure windows. The windows are highly durable and contain a scratch resistant coating. It should have a lifetime of 2-5 years when properly cleaned and used with the protective polish and protective cleaner.

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.

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.

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.

July 12, 2022December 7, 2023

Our Marine Fabricator Magazine Article

Recently, we got the privilege to be published in the Marine Fabricator Magazine about our new shop space!

“Adjusting to a Bigger Shop” discusses the challenges and benefits we faced when transitioning to a larger workspace here at Chicago Marine Canvas. Emphasizing the importance of planning and organizing when expanding, we had some considerations to think about. Workflow optimization, equipment upgrades, and employee training, all had to be thought of. When upgrading the number of floors, we are also upgrading our productivity too!

Click here to read it in full!

The magazine article highlights the real-life experiences of our fabricators who have successfully adjusted to a larger shop. Showcasing the positive impact it has on productivity, efficiency, and the ability to take on larger projects, our new shop has made many improvements. Ultimately, the article encourages other fabricators to carefully assess their needs and develop a strategic plan when transitioning to a bigger shop. It has led to significant growth opportunities for us and it can for you too!

June 15, 2022November 30, 2023

Dockside Decking and Infinity Carpeting

On this Cruisers Yacht we made correlating dockside decking and infinity carpeting.

Most places offer one service or the other, but here at Chicago Marine Canvas we offer both. By providing both we are able to make sure both the carpeting and decking perfectly match.

These floorings provide durability to protect your boat from external elements. These materials are waterproof and UV proof.

Dockside Decking is a polyethylene based; UV-resistant closed-cell PE/EVA foam product currently available in over 10 color patterns.

It’s a revolutionary non-skid marine flooring product designed for rugged marine environments.

It’s soft on your feet and provides excellent traction when wet or dry.

In addition to its good looks, Dockside Decking won’t absorb those troublesome liquids typically found on deck.

Such as motor oil, fish blood, red wine or beer! Lastly, it is easy to clean and is stain resistant.

Infinity Fabrics Luxury Woven Vinyl® is not only beautiful but it is very functional marine carpeting. It is featured in many 2015 boat models such as Brunswick Boat Group, Chaparral Boats, Cruiser Yachts, Marquis Yachts, Tiara Yachts, Tracker Marine, and many, many more…

Upgrading to Infinity Fabrics Luxury Woven Vinyl® carpeting has never been easier. We can pattern any boat’s interior or exterior and fit it with the carpeting via glue down, snaps or it can lay on its own. A common practice of boaters which current carpeting that fits well is having us cut the new carpeting based off the old. This not only saves you money but provides a great solution most of the time. There are new designs rolling out all the time and over 100 designs and patterns to choose from.

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.

June 13, 2022November 30, 2023

Cockpit Upholstery – Full Boat

August 17, 2018December 4, 2023

Sailboat: Dodger, Helm Cover, Winch Covers, Sail Cover

For this sailboat we created a custom dodger, helm cover, winch covers and sail cover.

Here at Chicago Marine Canvas, everything we do is custom. We use many cost-effective, labor-saving tools that help us speed up the process, therefore you save some money. This also helps us make sure that your cover will fit perfectly when it comes to install time!

The first thing we do to begin our process is journey out to your boat. Once we get there we use our 3D measuring device to take precise pinpoint measurements. After we gather all of those, we head back to our shop where our designer gets to work. We use CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) Software during our design process. On the computer we can see the thing we can see the design in 3D.

Making sure everything matched in color, we used Sunbrella fabric in the color toast. Sunbrella is one of our favorite marine fabrics to use when it comes to canvas, it comes with 10 year warranty. For all the things we sewed up for this job, we used SolarFix thread in clear, which has a lifetime guarantee. This means, no more restitching after your new canvas has been out in the sun for a few years! This thread will outlast the canvas it self!

We made sure to add leather reinforcement patches on the forward and aft areas of the dodger where there would be high amounts of friction on the sailboat. For the windows of this dodger we used Strataglass. Strataglass is the only vinyl on the market that offers a 2 year warranty if it is properly maintained and cleaned.

For this sailboat we also made matching winch covers out of sunbrella fabric as well as a matching helm cover!

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.

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.

September 15, 2017May 2, 2019

Full Enclosure & Sunpad

For this Sea Ray 500, the bridge was constricting the captain, so we raised the framing 6 inches for more headroom.

We also made a new aft frame for this boat so that the customers could have more shade with their new enclosure. We brought the pole out further towards the back of the boat, so that the bimini could be wider then their last cover.

After we did some adjustments on their framing, we went and took measurements with our 3d measuring device. Then our designer went back to the shop and started working his magic designing a custom enclosure.

Sea Ray 500 Custom Full Enclosure AFT View (Strataglass Roll Ups)

For this project we used Sunbrella fabric in Captains Navy, GORE tenara thread in black, Lenzip zippers. Both GORE tenara thread and Lenzip zippers have a lifetime warranty. That means they are guaranteed to last longer then your canvas and that the sun and water will not eat away at them!

For the forward windows we used Makrolon, which is made out of a polycarbanate that makes these windows semi-rigid! For the aft windows we used Strataglass. We did roll ups for some of the back windows for air flow when the cover is up. To ensure no water leakage in the roll up windows we used Lenzip’s waterproof chain zipper.

Sea Ray 500 Custom Sunpad

We also designed and sewed up four separate custom sunpads for this boat. We used Captains Navy Sunbrella upholstery fabric to match the new closure we created for them! These cushions have an Oyster Sunbrella piping around the edges to help create the illusion that these are all one long cushion! They also have two easily removable headrests that have pockets in the back of them for storage so that things don’t go flying away when you are out and about. They are attached to the boat with custom velcro straps that wrap around poles located down each side of the center of the boat. These cushions aren’t going anywhere but where the boat takes them!

Sea Ray 500 Custom Sunpad Detail Of Head Rest

They are made out of active foams dryfast foam. Dryfast foam is an open-cell foam that allows water to go through the foam instead of absorbing it like other foams. These cushions will get dry way quicker if they get wet out on the water or soaked after a rain storm. They also have a white screen on their underside to also help with water drainage along with a large horse shoe shaped zipper for easy removal if the customer wants to throw these in the wash at the end of the year.