Chickamauga Lake
Canvas & Upholstery
CLC&U Policies
This is what you can expect from CLC&U
Below, you will find a thumbnail outline of our policies as well as a detailed discussion on each policy. These are designed to protect both of us and presented here so that you will know what to expect when dealing with us. For that reason, it is a good idea to read all of this... to that end it is written in plain English rather than "legalese". Feel free to ask questions.
THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION as of 11/08/2024
Policies &
Standards,
Pro-Tips and Views
MARINE UPHOLSTERY
Proprietary VInyl
PLAN A: (EXACT MATCH of your boat's upholstery vinyl)
As a rule, the exact pattern of your boat's upholstery is owned by your boat's maker. Morbern, Spradling, Naugahyde, Nautolex, Enduratex, Ship2Shore, Stamoid, Omnova, Sunbrella, and others make vinyls patterns that we can buy and other patterns that no one can buy except your boat's manufacturer do not permit them to sell to anyone but their dealers. This means that even though their vinyls are made by the same coated textile manufacturers that we buy our cover material from, we CANNOT buy from the stock still controlled by your boat's manufacturer. Neither can you. It has to come through your boat's manufacturer.
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If your boat is old enough that the manufacturer no longer supports parts for it, then your only hope for an exact match is to get the name of your vinyl's manufacturer, their SKU number for the pattern and color of the cover they used on your hull (You will probably need your Hull ID#) SOMETIMES a quick search of certain Close-Out suppliers of OEM overruns and close-outs, will yield successful results; sometimes;
IF <—— (big “IF”) If you have all of the above and an original Parts List for your boat.
As a boat owner, YOU can get these things better than I can. If a dealer or the manufacturer will not help you, they will not help you upholsterer.​​
PLAN B: (accept a close vinyl that does not match)
There are three factors that define any marine vinyl pattern: COLOR, GLOSS/SHEEN, and GRAIN. SOMETIMES, in order to define a propriatery vinyl, then only change ONE of those factors. For example, we might be able to get your exact color and grain pattern, but what is available is glossy whereas you boat had a matte (dull) finish. Sometimes the Color and Sheen are identical, but the grain is different. Then it's a matter of "two out of three ain't bad" ESPECIALLY if the color is right or very close.
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Remember, too, that the EXACT vinyl, fresh off the roll, will be a different dye-lot. Even the same dye-lot might look very different from vinyl that has been exposed to the elements for years. You might notice that the very vinyl on your seats has different colors where it is not exposed.
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On occasion, before I understood that the deck was stacked, I have spent two hours trying to "find a matching vinyl" for a client. (once you start looking it is hard to give up.) I had a boatowner confess that they had spent 15 hours before they found something close. I cannot imagine it being worth $1,300+ to pay us to TRY, and yet FAIL, to find an exact match.
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That's why we don't do it. If, AFTER you have tried to get the maker, pattern and color-name from the boat maker's parts list for your boats's HID#, IF you want to bring a removable seat to our shop and look through the samples, you are welcome to do so.
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Every professional Marine Upholsterer believes it is better for you to be satisfied with our best choice OR to reupholster, for example, ALL the seats.​
CLEAN CANVAS
Might be extra
Your upholstery and canvas will not look it's best if the boat is dirty. We are happy to clean it BUT we charge the same for cleaning as we do for sewing. Cleaning is NOT included in your estimate.
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ALSO, If you are wanting to have canvas repairs done, please understand that the grit embedded in your canvas wreaks havoc on the gears of our sewing machines. Therefore, if you bring a cover to us to re-sew, we charge between $350 and $450 to launder your cover and waterproof it. The repairs themselves cost $94/ hour. Plus Sales Tax... which leads us to our next point...
Most Boatowners are relatively unaware of the best practice to keep their canvas clean. Here is a link to Glen Raven's instruction for cleaning Sunbrella. Glen Raven is the Mill in North Carolina that weaves Sunbrella.
​Some Canvas professionals recommend Murphy's Oil Soap.
DO NOT use a pressure washer on Marine Canvas. EVER!
CLC&U cannot work on dirty canvas. If you bring it to us without cleaning it, we will charge $500 to launder the canvas and treat it with Silicone BEFORE doing the repair.
GRIT from dirty canvas quickly wears out a sewing machine's fine gears. ​​
OUR PRICES
Are They Too High?
The answer, in a word, is "sure". The price of EVERYTHING seems too high, including our business insurance, our shop overhead, and our household expenses. Tariffs currently threaten to raise our operating costs again. Typically, we do this work because we have a kind of obsession with making things look great. That's what your boat wants. It gives us immediate personal satisfaction to see your smile of approval and receive a 5* review.
We are craftspersons with a rare skills that we trade our income. Custom marine upholstery and canvas fabrication is our trade. Historically, craftsmen and artists are not the highest paid people in the world. The phrase "starving artist" is not a new cliché. Neither is the saying that "The cobblers children wear no shoes". Please do not insult us by saying that there is someone cheaper out there. They probably know what their work is worth. We do too.
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For example, failed seams in boat upholstery typically come from failed polyester thread in curved seams, often where there is welting (cording) sewn in. If you are old enough, you can understand what we call "postage stamping" (failure because of too many holes) That is a workmanship issue.
Here is a business issue related to cheaper work; A large spool of Sungard Polyester thread costs about $33. It is warranted to last 5 years under harsh conditions (exposed to water, sun & bleach) At CLC&U we use PTFE thread. A small spool is $225 but PTFE lasts a lifetime. It's the thread they use to sew Kevlar vests! It might add $15 to your job, but it's the best $15 you spend
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All prices quoted during the process of contracting with CLC&U are quoted without sales tax added and include a 3-1/2% discount. You may pay with cash or check and keep the discount. We accept credit & debit cards but the 3-1/2% discount is lost for you. We calculate the 3-1/2% then add sales tax too.
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There is one last factor that comes up, behind the scenes, among Marine Fabricator Professionals... Forgive me for sharing it:
Without exception our clients own a boat.
For the most part, we don't. We should not be asked to lower our prices.​​​​​​
CANVAS REPAIRS
Dirty Boats & Canvas
CLEANING VINYL UPHOLSTERY
Mildew and Pinking
We are asked often about what to use to clean vinyl upholstery. The best product we have found which is bleach-free and will not harm anything in the river is Iosso Mold & Mildew Stain Remover.