[Grant]

Wow that looks fantastic. I hope mine comes out half as nice.Thankyou so much thats great info and I'm excited to give this a try.If the bow cover comes out ok I may go for a custom cover like yours.
Where does one buy one of those old machines? Ebay I suppose? I don't think my machine could handle that.Although it did sew through 4 pieces of vinyl.Can I just fold the material underneath and sew to create that binding? Those buttons are pricey but would seem to be worth the cost I will be ordering some.Are the stainless?

[baitzor]

Re: Making a Bow cover and Top

[weddingshoesmaker2003]

Re: Making a Bow cover and Top [links]

[BrBoy]

Re: Making a Bow cover and Top [links]

[Kristen8Fuller]

Thankyou for the tips.Question for you silvertip.When you say sew a 1 inch hem is this where the buttons will poke through? Am I to make this with sewing on some extra fabric of what I have or should it be something special?
Thanks,Leo

[neofutur]

I am not an upholsterer either but I watched one once (while staying at a Holiday Inn express). He would sew the cover together oversize and pull it tight over the area and use big t-pins to pin it to the rubber seam around the boat to hold it tight. Then he could mark it usually the snaps with chalk and any darts needed. Then cut and sew the seams and darts and install the snaps. more

[jescro]

6. Will they use marine binding on the edges of the custom boat cover? If so, what kind?

[jayrod]

4. Make sure you get the longest warranty on craftsmanship you can find. Make sure they will stand behind their custom boat covers. You also need to make sure the fabric you pick carries an excellent warranty (5 years or longer). You don't want to have your fabric rot in 3 years. Saving a few bucks on less expensive fabric just isn't worth it in the long run.
here

[Bit-coin]

Final Tips about custom boat covers . . .

[P3]

1. What kind of thread will they be using?

[whitewillows55]

I bought a small pontoon boat recently and ordered a mooring cover for it. The dealer called late this morning saying the cover had come in. The cover is made by the boat's manufacturer, so it’s going to fit exactly. The female part of the snap receivers are stitched into the cover, of course. All that needs to be done is install the male part of the snap assemblies on the boat (we're talking drilling into bare aluminum here, not into fiberglass through gelcoat or anything like that). I can either take the boat into the dealer and have them do it…for a charge, of course…or I can do it myself and save the dough. here

[gtwickline]

I’m mechanically inclined and have the tools I’d need -- drill, power screw-driver, etc. I imagine the tricky part is getting all the snap receivers mounted in the exact position on the boat so that the cover fits nice and smooth without wrinkles. For those who have done this themselves, is there a trick to making things go smoothly, or is it just going to be a CF, will look like shit when I'm finished and I should just accept that from the get-go?

[DiabloD3]

[melvster]

here

[AStephen2011]

[links]

[kupan787]

In most cases, labor is going to be the determining cost factor of a Custom cover from a local shop. For example, building a Mooring cover for a 24’ Ski boat with a Wakeboard tower will take about 9 – 13 hours from start to finish. Every shop is going to have different variables for how they establish their labor rate. Depending on where your shop is located, you can anticipate spending between $60 – $125 an hour. The things that factor into labor rates include health care, retirement, and team wages, along with everyday business overhead, rent, utilities, tools, and maintenance. Finally, custom shops do hope to make a profit when all is said and done. more

[chernikov]

With OEM or semi-custom covers, your options improve; but they’re still pretty limited. Unless you’re buying a boat that already has an OEM Snap cover, you’re pretty much locked into Storage or Mooring covers. Prices for these range somewhere between $300 (for a Semi-custom cover like on iBoats.com) to upwards of $700 – $1200 (for the OEM cover at your dealership). These covers will deliver a slightly better quality than the generic out-of-the-box cover, but not by much. The manufacturer uses better material, but still cuts corners to ramp up production time. Since OEM’s are made for specific models, the fit for your boat will be much better than the generic. These covers will likely last somewhere between four and ten years, depending on exposure and the type of fabric used. Their warranties will often vary. [links]

[CheesyWizz9]

Just like every dock needs a boat, every boat needs a cover. When you’re on the hunt for a cover, there are a few different routes you can go. Deciding on that route will determine the cost, quality and craftsmanship of your cover. Let’s take a look at a few of these choices. here

[laczoka]

With material, there are many options and prices to go along with them. The higher price fabrics would be Sunbrella Supreme or Stamoid, and the lower tier is something like Surlast or Sunforger. This leaves Sunbrella, Top Gun, WeatherMax and host of others in the middle. In most cases, Sunbrella is both the the most widely requested and most commonly used. Snap covers are going to use less fabric than a Mooring cover, which usually requires about 18 – 20 yards, ranging anywhere from $15 – $33 per yard. A storage cover will require even more since they tend to be larger. [links]

[nybble41]

The thread choices may be the most important option in a cover. By using a good quality thread, a good portion of Boat Cover repairs will be eliminated. Unbounded thread will be the cheapest (and if your fabricator is using it, go somewhere else). Bonded Dacron, and PTFE are some other choices. The most important thing is to use the right thread for the right application, so make sure you are asking your fabricator what they intend to use to hold your cover together. You’ll want to know, just in case something ever happens to it. here