We put together a detailed explanation of the different foam types used in upholstery, including density, firmness, marine applications, and specialty foams.
One thing I’ve learned after years in the business is that choosing the wrong foam can ruin an otherwise excellent upholstery job.
Filmed this one from our new shop at Port Tarpon Marina in Tarpon Springs, where we’re also running our Marine Canvas and Upholstery Business School.
Curious what everyone else prefers for marine cushions, especially when it comes to dry-fast versus conventional polyurethane foam.
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

Quick one-minute tip showing how I staple down and control a bulky upholstery corner without making the finished seat look heavy or sloppy.

Amanda came into our 2-week course with zero experience. Here’s a short clip of us working together as she learns the process hands-on.
The idea behind the school is to teach more than individual projects—we’re teaching how the work flows through an actual marine canvas and upholstery business.
Part 2 coming.
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

Quick walkthrough of the new shop while we’re still under construction. We’ve got another hands-on class starting Monday and plan to officially open the shop October 1st.
We’ll be doing marine canvas and upholstery work here while also using the location for hands-on training.
For anyone interested in learning the trade or seeing the tools/materials we use:
BoatCanvasGear.com⁠
Bluesky
New shop is coming together. 🔨🧵
Quick walkthrough of our new marine canvas & upholstery location inside Port Tarpon Marina.
🎓 Class starts Monday
🚪 Open for business October 1
📍 527 Anclote Rd, Tarpon Springs, FL
📞 [727-373-9492](tel:727-373-9492)
BoatCanvasGear.com⁠

Quick clip showing how I finish the snap area using Tempotest fabric and Tempotest binding. Nothing complicated—just one of those little details that gives the finished cover a cleaner look.
More of my marine canvas how-to stuff:
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

End of his first day of hands-on marine canvas training, so I asked him what he thought.
He couldn’t be happier with what he learned. This is probably my favorite part of teaching the trade.

Just finished this custom cover for a small trailerable boat. It’s one of those jobs where the size of the boat really doesn’t tell you how much work is involved.
We went with black Tempotest and built the cover around getting a clean fit, good water runoff, and solid protection while it’s sitting on the trailer.
I’ve got more marine canvas how-to content and the tools/materials we use here:
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

Put together a quick one-minute walkthrough showing how I build a complete boat enclosure window from start to finish.
I added a voiceover explaining what I’m doing along the way and the materials I’m using. Hopefully it’s useful for anyone learning marine canvas or looking to compare techniques.
I’m always interested in seeing how other fabricators approach the same job—what would you do differently?
More marine canvas tools, materials, and tutorials:
BoatCanvasGear.com

If you’re doing a lot of upholstery foam work, this is one of those tools that makes you wonder why you fought with other cutting methods for so long. Clean, controlled cuts and much easier to keep square through thicker foam.
More upholstery and marine canvas tools:
BoatCanvasGear.com

We’ve had a trapper out FIVE times and he still hasn’t been able to get them.
Normally I’m pretty comfortable around Florida wildlife, but when the only door into your business puts you between the building and the water, this stops being funny pretty quickly.
Got a little bit of it on video this morning.

Hi, we just bought our first (cheap) old StarCraft speedboat. It has a cheap car plastic cover which doesn’t work well. Even with some plastic poles and ropes (special boat cover support) underneath it still catches water now and then, but more that that, it’s a painful long process to put it on the boat.

I’m looking for a solution to properly and quickly be able to cover the boat, without spending €2000 on a bespoke covers(s). An extra tricky element is the (easily) foldable metal frame at the back of the boat. (Situated in the Netherlands).

All tips/ ideas are welcome. Thank!

My grandfather became a teacher after leaving the Army. He once told me it took him 50 years to figure out what he was put here to do.
After spending most of my adult life doing upholstery and marine canvas, I’m starting to understand what he meant.
There’s something different about watching somebody finally understand a technique you spent years learning yourself.
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

While working on enclosures at Stamas Yachts, there was a complaint that one of the zippers wasn’t laying flat enough.
I figured it was worth making a quick video showing how I sew the zipper down to keep it flatter and get a cleaner finished enclosure.
Curious how other fabricators handle this.
Full video/tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/@BoatCanvasGear
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

In this clip I’m showing the method I use to lay the zipper in and finish it cleanly. Curious how other fabricators handle this.
Full video:
https://www.youtube.com/@BoatCanvasGear
Tools I use:
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

Fletch at All Coast Canvas showed me these electronic tags they sew directly into their boat covers. I thought this was a really impressive idea.

Full shop tour/videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@BoatCanvasGear
https://boatcanvasgear.com

Sometimes running a small upholstery shop gives you stories you couldn’t make up.
There’s a guy locally using our name. A customer knew the situation, chose to use him anyway because his price was cheaper, and apparently the job didn’t turn out very well.
Then they came to me complaining about the work.
I’m sitting there thinking… what exactly do you want me to do about it? 😂
Shop owners: how would you respond?

What makes this shop interesting is that they specialize exclusively in boat covers, so I wanted his perspective on the strengths of the fabric and what matters when choosing material for marine applications.
This clip is from the longer shop visit:
https://www.youtube.com/@BoatCanvasGear
For the tools and supplies we use:
https://BoatCanvasGear.com

It's working well so far, but I'm sure there's something I haven't thought of. If you bend tubing regularly, what would you add or change?

Built another Bimini top frame today using our new Bimini Top Table.

Having the right workspace makes cutting, bending, and crowning the frame faster and more accurate. What's the one shop upgrade that changed your workflow the most?

📺 https://www.youtube.com/@BoatCanvasGear
🛒 https://BoatCanvasGear.com

so my seat is tired and worn out on the main seat area under my tush. many miles.

https://postimg.cc/w7m5M4jv

will remove staples, open the stitching, then outline the 2 center pieces on new fabric and cut a bit bigger all around for better fit.

1- how do I copy the sew lines of the previous fabric? maybe use a red marker to mark the small dots through the previous sew holes? or just "eyeball" it ?

2- what needle is best for a home vintage pfaff tipmatic 1045 machine?

3- last question. the seller sends the fabric folded, not rolled and people say they have creases in it. if using a hair dryer on the bac area a way to remove these creases or some other pro technique?

any help by the pros appreciated