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Cotton Canvas Lifetime

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Capt. Kurt
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185 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/07/2006 : 13:16:57

I am thinking of having a basic boat cover made to protect from sun damage. I priced out cotton canvas vs acrylic sunbrella and its 1/4 of the price.

I'm in Az, and dont need rainsnow protection only UV. Anyone know how well 10oz cotton canvas will last in full sun (i.e. years)? Is there a way to treat it to last longer?

Thanks!
Kurt

#818 C250WK 'Tortuga'

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 01/07/2006 13:26:09

JohnMD
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USA
207 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2006 : 14:52:46

We made our own cover (we own an industrial machine) out of Sunbrella. We live in North Texas, so, we also were worried mainly about protection from the sun. Sunbrella was specifically made for awnings and covers, so, we chose to use it. It cost more, but, my thinking is that it will also last much longer. My wife doesn't want to make another cover for a long, long, long time. (yup, she's standing behind me). Just peeked under the cover yesterday. Sure is nice to have a clean, shiny boat to sail on.

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
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185 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2006 : 15:24:35

Is it a necesity to use an industrial machine to sew 10oz material? Could it be done with a standard sewing machine?

Also, John do you have a pic of your cover? My wife will be sewing it and needs some ideas on how to make the thing. Does yours go over the lifelines or under?

Thanks,
Kurt

#818 C250WK 'Tortuga'

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 01/07/2006 15:27:40

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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3323 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2006 : 16:35:57

On the "Big Cat" at the Texas coast we had a huge canvas covering the cabin - within a couple of months it was black with mildew and mold.

Probably the reason that sunbrella is better...
Derek

Edited by - on

At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2006 : 20:28:24

Sunbrella costs more in the short term, but is virtually indestructible, thus cheaper in the long term...it will last many years.

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Al
Captain

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USA
269 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2006 : 23:10:37

There are several choices priced between Sunbrella and canvas. For a project like this I'd contact Sailrite. Here's a link to some of the fabrics they carry http://secure.sailrite.com/items.asp?CartId={38540E49-1178-4361-EVEREST891B-63F17C4F9CCC}& Cc=FABRIC& Bc=
Call or email them, tell them what you're doing and your budget, and they'll guide you through it, including if your machine is up to it, even down to what thread to use.

Having said that, I needed a quick over the boom bimini, so I got a 8 x 10 painter's drop cloth at Home Depot last year. It's cotton duck and was only a few bucks. I used it as a "working template", figuring I'd just rough it out, learn what I didn't like about it, then reproduce it with better material with hems, grommets, etc.

Well, it works great, so I got ten yards of white rip-stop polyester (more UV resistant than nylon, but too thin for a boat cover) on ebay for $25, and as soon as I make enough room on my garage floor, I'll stitch it up.

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mday
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197 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2006 : 01:01:09

Kurt,

I don't know how long plain canvas would last in our sun and heat .... but I suspect it wouldn't hold up very well. After 5 years in Pleasant Harbor Marina, I've had to replace all my boat canvas from the original package with the boat (I assume this was a Catalina provided option, since it was in my price list) .... sail cover, hatch cover, bimini cover, and wheel cover were all falling apart. I chose sunbrella with a local provider, and it seems much heavier and more rugged than the original covers from Catalina. My jib even showed signs of deterioration from sun exposure, and I had a sunbrella edge sewn on it for some protection as well.

If the Admiral is going to do some canvas work, I'd recommend Sunbrella or similar protected fabric. I can't imagine the stuff I have could be sewn on a standard sewing machine .... it seems very heavy ... but I'll check with the Admiral here ... who is the expert in these matters.

BTW, We found that it wasn't that much more $$$ to have someone do the work versus the price of the fabric alone ..... especially if they have the heavy duty machinery for the job.

Max

PS You should be out sailing Tortuga rather than covering her up.

Edited by - on

danandlu
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USA
175 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2006 : 01:36:03

What about the material they use in new construction to wrap houses, Tyvek?

http://www.tyvek.com/na/covers/english/

Edited by - danandlu on 01/08/2006 01:38:42

JohnMD
Navigator

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USA
207 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2006 : 02:02:09

My wife says it would be really, really hard on a standard sewing machine. We made our cover to go under the lifelines. I was afraid that going over them would cause the fabric to chafe thru. Also, my wife used a cheap and very large tarp we got from Harbor Freight and cut it up to make a template. We got the Sunbrella wholesale from a company called Astrup. It was pretty reasonable. Boat stays very dry and clean. I'll try to put up a picture tomorrow. We used velcro where the cover has to wrap around something.

Edited by - JohnMD on 01/08/2006 02:16:12

JohnMD
Navigator

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USA
207 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2006 : 02:13:15

Found a picture of the cover:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6df26b3127cce96f8f13ddfeb00000016102AZOGbFmzcsZ

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
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185 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2006 : 09:17:46

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice, we decided to bite the bullet and go the Sunbrella route and have one made.

Max, you make a good point about sailing instead of covering! With 2 little ones, I dont get to use her as much as I'd hoped. As you can see below I'm a little short handed on deck.. :) Since I dont get out to the boat too often it kills me to know Tortuga is rotting away most of the time in the hot sun... When the kids grow up in a few years the boat will get ALOT more use!

Kurt
#818 C250WK 'Tortuga'

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