solarfix Archives | Page 3 of 3 | Chicago Marine Canvas

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 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!