MANUFACTURING: Which boat cover fabric to use?
The boat cover protects your boat from the sun, dirt, and other attacks. If built in the right way, the bimini top guarantees a refreshed interior and shade during the blazing summer heat. Making or repairing your own bow or cockpit awning saves more money than buying a new boat awning. So this guide will tell you which boat cover fabric to use.
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Choosing a suitable boat cover fabric
Any type of material can do the trick, but it should be light and strong enough. We will often opt for a canvas. Sunbrella canvas acrylic stands out, for example, in this area because of its high resistance to mold (you will no longer need to perform a mold cleaning on the boat awning), water and UV rays. In addition, this material does not stretch or shrink. But you can also opt for other models according to your needs. The important thing is that the canvas is waterproof, UV and mildew resistant and strong enough not to tear when the boat is sailing. Polyester is a material often used by awning manufacturers because it meets these specifications.
How to sew boat cover fabric?
To sew your boat cover fabric, you need to :
- a V-69 polyester sailboat yarn : very resistant to salt water, mold and rough wear, it allows to make a real sailboat sun awning or motor boat;
- a number 18 needle;
- white chalk to mark the fabric without damaging it;
- a strong pair of scissors to cut the fabric;
- a stitch seam ripper to help correct errors;
- basting tape to precisely align and affix your fabric before sewing. This greatly reduces errors;
- a sewing machine ;
- awning glue boat that is resistant to water and sun (be careful, to glue a sun awning on a boat, you must choose a glue for flexible PVC and not for rigid PVC).
To know the entire process of making a boat cover, please read our article: How to make a boat cover?
Our advice to avoid measurement errors on the fabric for biminis
In order to select wisely boat cover fabric measurements, it is convenient to measure the width and length of the boat from side to side, whether semi-rigid or rigid. You simply have to subtract 5% from the measurement obtained to have the right width of your accessory. This will be used to ensure the installation of the mounting points and fixing for bimini top by suction cup or by awning glue. Record the measurements on a rough sketch of your boat for future reference.
Maintain and clean your boat cover fabric
After building a bimini or repairing a sun awning, the common question that arises is: how to maintain boat cover fabric? Essential, cleaning increases the lifespan of your awning or dodger for boat by removing dirt at regular intervals. For this, you must use a special sun awning cleaner.
Especially avoid using a washing machine or pressure washer to clean it. Also, wait until the boat cover fabric is dry before folding or storing it. This handling must then begin from the manufacture of a boat cover.
Finally, at the start of each season, it is recommended to waterproof the fabric for the boat cover. For this, you must use a quality waterproofing product.
NB: Be aware that if you prefer to buy a bimini, there are many manufacturers. You can opt for the Plastimo sailboat sun awning, the motorboat and sailboat sun awning Osculati or those of Orange Marine. They have the advantage of saving you considerable time! To help you choose the best awning for your boat, we recommend that you read our guide to boat covers. You can also try to find used boat covers on Amazon, Ebay et Ticketmaster.
Find out more about boat covers, biminis and roofs:
[Tutorial] How to make a bimini for your boat?
