Marine canvas
Encyclopedia
Marine canvas refers to a varied array of materials and substrates used in the fabrication and production of awnings, covers, tarps, sunshades, signs and banners for the advertising, boating,,trucking,,tenting,,structural and medical industry.
Marine canvas a catch all phrase that covers hundreds of materials IE: Acrylics, PVC coated polyester vinyls, silicon treated substrates and many coated meshes suitable for outdoors use. Most ¨Marine Canvas¨ materials offer UV,U VB, and to some extent a water resistance or are water proof. One of the most popular fabrics used today is solution dyed acrylic such as Sunbrella. Today's fabrics will last for many years before subsiding to the harsh UV rays. UV damages varnish (causes degradation, loss of color and elasticity and finally cracking and peeling) and the materials with which sails are made (often Dacron today). To avoid constant boat repair, covers are fabricated for all sails that are left outside, and all bright work, or highly varnished wood. Hatches are covered for indoor sun protection and winches are covered to protect them from deterioration of airborne particles and rain.
Other marine canvas includes bimini
s and dodger
s and similar enclosures that protect some part or section of a boat
from the weather and/or to create a more comfortable environment for the boat owner.
In some instances, these covers are purely created to add to the aesthetics of the motor or sail boat.
The design of these covers requires the fabricator to either pattern
the object being covered, by creating template
s out of disposable
paper or plastic that are laid directly onto the area or object, or by laying the fabric to be used directly onto the object and fitting it. Marks for seams, fasteners and chafe protection are then applied to the pattern, and then transferred to the fabric, or directly onto the fabric.
Many American marine canvas
fabricators use an Acrylic fabric as well as those listed above. The lighter color materials reflect heat and sunlight and provides more cooling as any darker materials does the opposite and will produce a hotter environment but a darker shade.
The thread used to stitch marine type canvas has often been Polyester thread with sizes ranging from #69, #92, #138 but with the popularity of PTFE threads that offer protection from the effects of UV, acids and many chemicals, Polyester thread is becoming more of a standby due to the far greater resistance of PTFE to ultraviolet radiation and the cost effectiveness of PTFE to the final product. Nylon is never used as it usually doesn't last longer than six months in direct sunlight. Polyester threads V138 can last many years in the northern portions of the United States and of course all of Canada.
Marine canvas a catch all phrase that covers hundreds of materials IE: Acrylics, PVC coated polyester vinyls, silicon treated substrates and many coated meshes suitable for outdoors use. Most ¨Marine Canvas¨ materials offer UV,U VB, and to some extent a water resistance or are water proof. One of the most popular fabrics used today is solution dyed acrylic such as Sunbrella. Today's fabrics will last for many years before subsiding to the harsh UV rays. UV damages varnish (causes degradation, loss of color and elasticity and finally cracking and peeling) and the materials with which sails are made (often Dacron today). To avoid constant boat repair, covers are fabricated for all sails that are left outside, and all bright work, or highly varnished wood. Hatches are covered for indoor sun protection and winches are covered to protect them from deterioration of airborne particles and rain.
Other marine canvas includes bimini
Bimini top
A Bimini top is an open-front canvas top for the cockpit of a boat, usually supported by a metal frame. Most Bimini's can be collapsed when not in use, and raised again if shade or shelter from rain is desired. Bimini tops differ from dodgers in that dodgers include protection in front and on the...
s and dodger
Dodger
Dodger is a term used in sailing and sailboats. It is a frame-supported canvas structure providing a helmsman and other occupants of a sailboat partial protection from harsh weather and seas. It covers part of the cockpit and the entrance into the interior of the sailboat...
s and similar enclosures that protect some part or section of a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
from the weather and/or to create a more comfortable environment for the boat owner.
In some instances, these covers are purely created to add to the aesthetics of the motor or sail boat.
The design of these covers requires the fabricator to either pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
the object being covered, by creating template
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
s out of disposable
Disposable
A disposable is a product designed for cheapness and short-term convenience rather than medium to long-term durability, with most products only intended for single use. The term is also sometimes used for products that may last several months to distinguish from similar products that last...
paper or plastic that are laid directly onto the area or object, or by laying the fabric to be used directly onto the object and fitting it. Marks for seams, fasteners and chafe protection are then applied to the pattern, and then transferred to the fabric, or directly onto the fabric.
Many American marine canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
fabricators use an Acrylic fabric as well as those listed above. The lighter color materials reflect heat and sunlight and provides more cooling as any darker materials does the opposite and will produce a hotter environment but a darker shade.
The thread used to stitch marine type canvas has often been Polyester thread with sizes ranging from #69, #92, #138 but with the popularity of PTFE threads that offer protection from the effects of UV, acids and many chemicals, Polyester thread is becoming more of a standby due to the far greater resistance of PTFE to ultraviolet radiation and the cost effectiveness of PTFE to the final product. Nylon is never used as it usually doesn't last longer than six months in direct sunlight. Polyester threads V138 can last many years in the northern portions of the United States and of course all of Canada.