This is a quick, easy, and cheap project if you have any scraps of canvas left over from earlier canvaswork projects. Lifeline cushions are tubular foam with canvas covers that fit over the lifelines that run along the sides of the cockpit. They’re great as headrests when laying back in the cockpit seats while you…
Tag: Sunbrella
How to Make a Mainsail Cover
Summer Dance didn’t have much in the way of canvaswork when we bought her: an original mainsail cover and an old outboard engine cover that also looked pretty ghetto. Besides being 1980’s brown in color, the canvas of the mainsail cover was faded and shredded in places, much of the stitching had disintegrated, and the…
Sew Your Own Winch Covers From Scraps
Do you keep your lovingly maintained sailboat in a slip or on a mooring ball but want to protect your hard work from the elements as much as possible? Covers on your winches can protect the plated parts from corrosion, plastic parts from UV damage, bearings and pawls from rainwater and salt water spray, and keep…
No Furler? Make a Foredeck Sail Bag
If you have a headsail furler on your sailboat, this project will probably be of little interest to you. But if you have hank-on headsails and want convenient protection for them like the sacrificial covers on furled headsails, read on. A foredeck sail bag is something of a luxury for the trailer sailor. It’s not necessary…
A Hotknife for the Rest of Us
When I made my first canvas project, a mainsail cover, I cut out the pieces using scissors as usual. Later, when I made the cabin cushion covers, I discovered how much better a hotknife works for cutting synthetic marine canvas like Sunbrella. Instead of the edges unravelling, they fused solid. That not only makes them…
Make This Companionway Hatch Cover In Under a Day
If you leave your sailboat exposed to the elements for long periods of time or if you just want to keep your brightwork bright, it helps to cover the main hatch to reduce damage from UV rays, rain and snow, and bird droppings. Making one isn’t hard and you can do it in less than…
Keep Often Used Items Handy with Snap-on Gear Bags
Storage solutions are some of the most sought after and popular projects among trailer sailors. Space is at a premium and if you load your sailboat with all the supplies, foodstuffs, and conveniences you want for a weekend of cruising, there isn’t much spare space left.
How to Sew Cabin Cushion Covers
One of the many things that Catalina Yachts did right in their boats was the upholstery: tough fabrics and bomber construction. You have to forgive the colors and patterns. Fashion is, well, fashion. It comes and goes and comes again.
Crib Board Storage Solutions
I have a love/hate relationship with crib boards. I like their classic functionality and love the look of well-finished natural wood. They’re a pain to remove and replace but they’re more of a pain to store safely when the companionway is open. They’re in the way practically anywhere you set them.
The $tingy Sailor 