Canvas Work Needed: San Francisco Bay

[Dustymc]

I need all new canvas for my new old money pit boat. Any recommendations?

[fstbttms]

Kissinger Canvas- 925.825.6734

Pacific Coast Canvas- 510.521.1829

[imagine2frolic]

I have used Elizabeth from North Beach Canvas on Pier 40 in the city. I have used her twice. The first time there was a mistake, and she promptly took care of it. The second time I was shopping around, and everyone who was giving me quotes commented on the goodwork they would be copying. So I went back to Elizabeth, and she even beat all other quotes by a good margin with out knowing the other quotes.........i2f

[rover88]

We needed a new bimini, so we went to the local canvas guy. He quoted us a price equal to that of a decent used car. We bought a walking foot sewing machine instead, plus Sunbrella material and zippers. Total cost less than he quoted and we have a nice bimini and sewing machine as a bonus!! It took an entire weekend to make, but the real bonus was that we had fun doing it, not to mention the satisfaction!!

There is a good machine for sail on ebay for under $400 now Reliable Barracuda Model 2000U Walking Foot Sewing Mach - eBay (item 360318165401 end time Nov-16-10 16:28:15 PST)

It may not be an option for you, but sewing is not brain surgery and Sailrite (no affiliation here) offers everything you need - including video instruction.

[seagypsy2012]

my dad made his first dinghy sail from a nylon 2-man tent. works great !! anyone can do anything if he wants to badly enough.

[IlveFrchPlynsia]

I see that this is an old post but I would like to recommend The Canvas Works in Sausalito, CA. When my boat needed any work in the bay area, this place was the only place that was responsive. Came to my boat, gave me the quote, got the work done as they promised. It is a very professional outfit which unfortunately I can't say that about many marine places in the bay area. They made our cockpit cushions and did fantastic job. Now we are having them make new bimini. Highly recommend.

The Canvas Works
41 Liberty Ship Way
Suite C (end of pier)
Sausalito, California 94965
415-331-6527
Boat Canvas Covers San Francisco - The Canvas Works, Sausalito

[bony]

Hi,
Thought I might add my two cents worth to this thread.

After renovating my little 20 foot boat I received a nasty shock when I was quoted almost $1000 here in Australia to have a simple basic canvas cockpit cover made, but after shopping around I soon came to the conclusion that I could easily make the cover myself on an industrial sewing machine, if only I had one. Looking around for a suitable machine I soon found that even used industrial machines can be quite expensive and therefore defeated the purpose. However, in the end I did solve the problem and was very pleased with the result. For those interested in doing the same here's how I did it -

After some research I discovered that the best machine I needed to sew my canvas cover (without going industrial) was a 'Singer 201', the same as your dear granny's old treadly machine! My granny and her machine are long gone so I bought a used one off ebay for $150. The model I got was a "Singer 201K", (the 201 model is reckoned by some as "the best sewing machine ever made"). It was an electric machine but can be also used with the old treadle mechanism as well. It's quiet, has a beautifully smooth action, and I found it to be more than adequate to handle the thick material. It sewed normally through six layers of the canvas I used.

Some info on this model can be found here -

SINGER 201, SINGER 201K

Now, I'd only ever used a sewing machine to hem a couple of pairs of jeans so I was a bit of a novice. I found great advice from watching some sewing videos on youtube, especially this one below which shows how to do the necessary seams when sewing boat cover canvas. -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BvIr1mNYiE

Armed with the right machine, all the necessaries, and the right knowledge, I began by making a pattern to work from. I did this using a heavy plastic sheeting, taped it to the boat and cut it to the required shape taking care to have it fitting nicely around corners etc. I found the whole process to be quite enjoyable and was highly satisfied with the end product A photo of the pattern and finished cover can be seen below.

The products I used for my cover were as follows -

Material : WeatherMax 80. (Polyester type canvas similar to Sunbrella but probably a bit lighter, it is weatherproof, strong, and long lasting).
Sewing thread: Sunstop size 92 Bonded UV Polyester thread.
Sewing machine needle: Schmetz No.18
I also used -
1 white, material marking pencil,
1 roll of 1/2 inch double-sided adhesive hemming tape.
1 good sharp pair of scissors
21 Stainless steel Press Stud Snaps
1 Press Stud Snap setting hand tool
11 Bunjee cord loops with buttons

Cost all up, INCLUDING THE SEWING MACHINE, was under $600

P.S. In the photos you will also see my boat's new bowrail. The situation was similar, outlandish prices quoted to have one professionly made so I decided to make my own. The result speaks for itself, and I'm glad I made the decision. How I went about contructing the bowrail is a story I'll tell some other time.

Regards,
bony.

[AuroraGH]

Starbucks in Sausalito by Schoonmakers is probably the best. They're not cheap - but they are absolutely first rate.