Conference vicki::boats

    Canvas by Basil is located just off Rt 106 next door to Zachary's
    watering hole. He's a good guy, efficient, and if you go to him, you'll
    notice that he doesn't dicker on the price. Period. Just accept his bid
    and compare it with others. If he's close, try him. 

Village Canvas out of Meridith, around to the right by Jackson 
Star Market, did an excellect job on a bow and cockpit cover on 
our new 19' bowrider, about $450. Trexler's, who we bought the 
boat from, also uses them.  

    What an idiot.   I left the anchor locker hatch open all winter
    (for ventilation), and the weight of the snow on the tarp caused
    the sticking-up hatch to slice an 8" tear in my mooring canvas.
    (The $20 cheap blue tarp withstood it fine!).
    
    What is the simplest way to fix it myself?  Is there a tape that
    will deal with exposed conditions?   Other methods?
    

    
    Jim,
    
    	Last fall I had my cover "fixed up". It's final downfall was
    a seam near the windshield letting go at about 65 MPH. I had two
    tears in it already. An upholstery place in Lowell did a good job
    restitching all the seams and using a reinforced vinyl-type material
    to patch the tears. I can't really recommend him as I think, in
    hindsight that his price was quite steep, but maybe the guy in 
    Maynard would do such repairs for a reasonable price.
    
    	The repairs appear stronger than the original canvas and hopefully
    I'll get a couple more years use from my present cover. 
    
    	I had tried blue ?duct?/vinyl tape on the tears, but the sun, wind
    and weather kept that solution from remaining in place for much more
    than a couple of weeks.
    
    Rick

    Unfortunately,  the best way to repair a canvas is by stitching
    a patch onto it. I've got some thats in need of repair.
    
    Its the boat cover.  At the price of canvas today, i'll repair
    it.
    
    JIm.

    Rather than try a mickey mouse repair yourself, you may be able
    to have it properly repaired inexpensively at a trim shop.  Last
    summer we had the mooring cover for my father's boat completely
    restitched for $35 at a place up in Laconia.  I forget the name
    of the place, but I'm going up this weekend and could check if
    you'd like.
    
    Rick

Anybody have a snap tool for installing snap fasteners on canvas that they wanna
loan out?  I need to put a few snaps in key places on my boat canvas.  The canvas
is slightly big, and has a bungee drawstring that doesn't hold on too well when
it's really windy.  Also since it's a little too big, when it rains some water
accumulates near the rear seat area.  I do have a bow stick, but a couple of
snaps would solve my problem (I think).

...Roger...

    re: .8 I have one but Maryland's a little far to drive to borrow it. It
    was only a couple of $ at the supply house (nylon gizmo and a 3 in.
    steel rod with tip). Drill old rivets out and use this thing with a
    little hammer and it works fine. Of course, it's a little late I guess
    with this info.
    
    My question: How does one stretch a backdrop (roof to stern) canvas?
    I'd like to get thru the summer with what came with it when I purchased
    (2nd hand). The canvas is shrunk to point that I can barely get all the
    snaps on using plyers to pull it. It will never do like this once the
    boat goes in the water. The upper canvas is a convertible roof. Is
    there some magic to making these old pieces fit?

    Once you get the canvas installed it should equalize tension and relax
    a little. Warm sunny days make it stretch very easily. One thing to
    remember is to put it back up regularly and don't wait until it gets
    cold at night to do it as it will shrink with the cold.
    
    Wayne

    Thanks for the offer, Al.  I'm still kicking around the possibilities,
    but it looks like a trip to the local store is going to solve my
    problem.  I have a grommet tool, but not a snap tool.  Oh well, I kinda
    figured it wouldn't be too much, I was just being lazy.  :-)
    
    ...Roger...

Mod's note: I've taken the base note posted by the author, broken it 
            up into several specific questions, and moved each question
            to the appropriate existing topic.   /Rick

================================================================================
Note 999.0               1st boat that belongs to ME...                  1 reply
MR4DEC::FBUTLER                                      54 lines  26-JUN-1992 08:03
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Well, after hours of pouring over this notes conference, I've
	finally taken the plunge.  A low end plunge, but for me, still
	a plunge.  

	Last night I bought a 1976 Grady White Bowrider hull (model 178)
	that has been stripped (no motor, no carpet, no seats, etc.) I
	specifically chose this route because I enjoy "projects".  The 
	hull came with a Shoreliner trailer that has been rebuilt (new 
	bearings, tires, paint, bearing buddies, lights etc.)  My usage
	will include fishing, both salt and fresh, and family outings.

	So.  Now the fun begins.  It's obvious that the folks that part-
	icipate in this conference have a wealth of knowledge and as you
	can imagine, I have a "wealth" of questions which I will try to
	keep somewhat organized...

	Cosmetics:
	The boat has no canvas, but does come with the frame (questionable
	integrity).  Should I contact Grady White, or go to someone who
	does marine canvas work?

	Looking forward your responses, (even from those that think/know 
	I'm nuts)...

	Jim
    

    Okay, since no one else came up with an idea to stretch old vinyl
    coated canvas, I invented my own method.
    
    Buy some webbing strap and make snap "extenders" with a snap kit. I use
    these on those snaps which are about a 1/4" too far away from their
    mates.

    Does anyone have a recommendation for canvas work in the Greater
    Boston Area (possibly including So. N.H)?
    
    The Boston Yellow Pages has a bunch of listings under Canvas, but 
    very few mention repairs, and one of those (Carl's Canvas in
    Somerville) has a disconnected number.
    

    Jim, you finally getting around to fixing that small hole from last
    April ?  (Re: 935.4)
    
    I don't know how close you are to Nashua but I've had good luck with
    Mike's Custom Kanvas in Nashua.  (603-880-7998).  It's a small place 
    so they may be flexible enough that you could bring it up and wait
    while they sew a patch on.
    Wayne

    Actually, it's not only that, but I'm been toying with moving up and
    taking advantage of the low prices on the used boat market.  Several of
    the boats I've looked at have been in excellent condition but with full
    camper canvas in lousy condition.   Not only does the stitching seem to
    dissolve over time, but the plastic windows yellow and crack.
    
    So I'm trying to find out if these things can be repaired or replaced
    piecemeal (i.e. with zippers etc moved over from the old canvas so
    they'll fit without starting from scratch with the whole mess).
    
    I'm also trying to generally educate myself as to what this kind of
    work costs.  The sellers of these boats act like canvas repair is no
    big deal, and I'm sure that's not the case.
    

    I had new canvas made this spring. The name of the business is
    Custom Canvas in Lynn. His name is Gary. He did a real nice 
    job on a Bimini Top and clear front and side curtains. He
    custom fit it to the boat.
    
    Bruce

  I'm pleased with Johnson Canvas on Rt9 in Auburn (if that's considered
Boston area)...

Al

    I ran across an article in Chesapeake Bay magazine(Sep '90) that talks
    about maintenace of Sunbrella.:
     
    1. Manual - "Brush off loose dirt with fine-bristled, soft brush, soak
    the fabric for 20 mins in 4 oz. bleach and an equal amount of Ivory
    Flakes in one gallon of warm water. Air dry."
    
    2. Automatic - "Use only the cold cycle with 4 times the amount of
    bleach and double the soap flakes."
     
     
    General caviats appear to be around the stiching where soaking for any
    length of time claims decay.
     
    This article points out that Sunbrella is just a brand of acrylic
    covers. I presume that one might get as good a cover under a different
    brand name for less money.