Custom Canvas of Charleston

We cover it all

Custom Canvas of Charleston is an award winning member of the Marine Fabricators Association. We are a true custom shop, located in Charleston,S.C.. We fabricate custom boat covers, enclosures, dodgers, biminis, cushions and just about anything that has material on a boat except a sail. We do make sail covers, just not the sails. We even make our own stainless steel frames so that we know the foundation of your canvas is correct before we even start.

We make custom furniture cushions, specializing in exterior cushions made of SUNBRELLA material and E Z Dri foam. We make pet beds and bean bag chairs also made of Sunbrella. If you can imagine it, we can sew it. We've made motorcycle covers and motorcycle seats. We do truck tarps, both solid vinyl and mesh. We've made indoor play areas for children ( you know, the kind that you must remove your shoes before you go in). We've also made black out shades and sleeping berth curtains for the Coast Guard. We can cover all types and sizes of machinery.

We pride ourselves in making a quality product at a fair price. Check out the following pages and see if there is anything that might interest you. If so, give us a call. If you don't see what you are looking for, but have an idea for something that you have never seen done before, that's the kind of challenge we enjoy. E-mail us with the details. Thanks for checking out our site.

Custom Canvas of Charleston Inc.

This was a total refit of all 54 exterior cushions on a three-year-old Perini Navi 190ft sailing yacht while in port in Charleston, S.C. Although the cushions were only three years old, they had 10 years of wear because this boat “chased summer” around the world. The project included cushions for the bow seat, welted helm seats and backs, two large settees on the bridge deck, sunbathing cushions by the hot tub,large curved backs and seat cushions on two seating areas on the main deck, curved backs and cushions in two seating areas on aft deck, folding cushions on storage boxes and cushions on two tenders.

Unlike many boats that Custom Canvas of Charleston works on, this boat was used every day. The client requested that the cushions be comfortable, durable, perfectly made to look like the original and done in the month that they were to be in port. The client also asked that all cushions be taken off the yacht and moved to our shop right away so other work could be done on the boat.

The client had three other requests concerning the construction and design of the cushions. First, the cushions needed to be all white. Second, the seams needed to be done differently because originally each seam allowance was folded in and stitched with no fabric behind them, letting water go right into the foam inside the cushions. Third, the cushions needed to be attached with tabs and snaps so they would not move around while the yacht was underway.

This project was probably the most complex Custom Canvas of Charleston has ever done in terms of sheer volume and timing of the entire project. In addition, some of the cushions, especially the tufted helm seats and the large curved backs that mounted onto stainless steel supports made in Italy, were unique in their design and required extra time and planning.

Another thing that made this job particularly complex was the job of managing all the cushions in the shop in terms of keeping track of all the pieces of each cushion. Many of the cushions were different only by fractions of an inch so numbering was the best way to keep track of everything. Each piece of each cushion was numbered so everything could be matched up at the end. Each piece was also labeled on the bottom with its placement on the boat. This was done as the cushions were removed from the yacht.

Sewing the covers for the cushions was time consuming and complex because of the way that the covers had to be installed on some of the seats and backs and the way every seam had to be folded and topstitched perfectly.

The best result of this project was that the customers, the captain and his wife (they were also members of the family that owns the boat), were extremely happy. The cushions made the boat look refreshed and new (along with all the varnish work they were having done). They were very happy with the fit, the feel and the fact that the foam now stays dry and the cushions don’t move around.

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

It took a long time planning this project. Our client was restoring a 28 Bertram from the ground up. The boat was stripped to a bare hull, then refitted with a rebuilt engine, new electronics, an aluminum superstructure and a fiberglass hardtop. The easy part of this job was the enclosure. Our client insisted upon a Barrett Bonded Window enclosure, and after seeing the results, you must agree that he was right. It took a little engineering to enable all three windows to flip up at the same time, especially since they are approx 60 inches high. Snow white Stamoid material and Tenara thread complete the image he wanted.

Click on an image below

... and last month's project

These clients were new to the Lowcountry, and wanted to get their new boat set up correctly the first time. We started from scratch, new dodger, connector and bimini. The clear vinyl was of .40 ga. Strataglass and everything was held together with Tenara thread. We fabricated all of the frames out of 1" stainless tubing w/ stainless fittings. The bimini was the hardest frame we have made, notice the way the aft bow is narrower than the next 2. We had such fun doing the bimini frame that we did it twice, but that's a story for Charlie to tell. Make sure Sharon is there when he's telling it ! Great people to work with.

...and taking it to the next level

A 3 sided porch enclosure with sliding Barrett panels

A 36 Tiara enclosure with a sliding door

Some other jobs we are proud of ...

Check out this new product from some local people here in Charleston.  They've come up with a unique and simple way to make sure the kids stay safe when around your boat. We are proud to be associated with them and recommend them highly.

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