Stretched Sunbrella?

[Tori]

My Sunbrella boom tent cover I had made last year has stretched some due to wind and rain. Is there any way to tighten it back up some? I have just been taking it off and hand cleaning and laying it on the deck to dry every few months, however the windward side has stretched quite a bit. Any suggestions?

[St. Elsewhere]

The nature of Sunbrella is that it gets loose when it is wet and cool, but shrinks when it is warm and dry. It seems counterintuitive, but that is its nature. You can adjust attachments for one extreme, but then need to be prepared for the other.

[Tori]

No that makes sense and it does that but several areas are very stretched even when hot and dry out even after adjustments. I was wondering about washing/ drying to tighten weave back up kinda like denim does? Maybe sounds silly...the Bimini and foredeck cover not as stretched as the boom tent

[DDM]

Originally Posted by Tori

No that makes sense and it does that but several areas are very stretched even when hot and dry out even after adjustments. I was wondering about washing/ drying to tighten weave back up kinda like denim does? Maybe sounds silly...the Bimini and foredeck cover not as stretched as the boom tent

Holy thread Necromancing but what have you tried in the end, and how did it fair over the years?

[Pete7]

Tori last logged into the forum in 2013, so I don't think resurrecting a very old thread will result in an answer. Why not post about your problem.

Pete

[JPA Cate]

It IS an old thread, but no harm.

I have washed and dried Sunbrella, and it doesn't change it. If the Sunbrella has really stretched too much, I would take up a little more in the seams, or make a pleat, or a dart, stitched down both sides to take up what needs to be tightened. It is pretty easy to sew only 3 layers of Sunbrella on a regular sewing machine. Even doable by hand, with a good glover's needle or a sail needle.

Ann