I think 10 years is a reasonable working life, then you can buy time past that with good maintenance or repairs. First I’m hearing that any shade of sunbrella will fade that much. It was genuine sunbrella? On old canvas I’ve more likely had seams or stitching fail, zippers, clear vinyl, etc. My former canvas guy in RI is retired. I need to address my bimini. If you find someone you like, please pass along the referral.

 

Will do!

The guy that built this one was the guy that Maine Sail had suggested. He built the frame, the dodger, and the bimini, and did fantastic work. Sadly, his business is no more...

 

Sunbrella definitely fades, but most colors are unnoticeable because they don't change shade too much. Colors containing significant reds and yellows are the worse. Tan would be one of those colors. I've found cadet or charcoal gray to be the best at this - maybe because the human eye doesn't see gray with as much saturation to see the slight differences? Blue is probably similar.

The Caribe is full of yellow-loving French boats with very faded canvas.

Attached is a 2019 sunshade that has spent its entire life deployed 24/7 in the tropic sun. The upper portion is the inside that doesn't see any sunlight, and the lower portion is the outside that I've folded in for comparison. The fading is noticeable, but you really need to put the two right next to each other to see it. It isn't noticeable at all if there isn't an unfaded piece to compare with.

However, I don't know what this will look like in another 7 years. 13yrs is a long time to get out of canvas, and probably unreasonable in the tropics.

Mark

 

I'm a canvas pro located near Detroit.

10 years is a good guess. Canvas can live much longer if it's kept out of the sun, which largely defeats the purpose of the canvas. I commonly see 20-25 year old stuff here, where it's usually only up 6 months of the year.

 

The boat, and the canvas, are normally kept in Rhode Island, so I believe that they see similar use to what you see in Michigan.

I appreciate the feedback that 10 years is a good life for canvas. The bimini, which is stored under cover when not in use, still looks new!

 

My dodger was on the boat when I bought it 15 years ago. I had it "renewed" about 12 years ago (new windows, restitched, new zippers, etc.) and had windows replaced again a couple of years ago when one cracked. So easily 20+ years old. Shop said I would need a new one next time. Color is blue, but a shade darker than the common one. No obvious fading.

 

The bimini and dodger on my boat was/is 24 years old now/when the boat crash but the dodger into the ocean.

But that doesn't mean they were "free" all those years. For some reason the bimini and dodger sunbella didn't suffer from the sun as much as the sail cover that was starting to really look like Frankenstein's monster

 

Here for comparison, is the zip-in windshield that I store below, positioned on top of the dodger canvas. The Sunbrella has changed color after 13 seasons of use.

 

Nice pic!

I have "fun" trying to match colors when I need to patch older canvas.

 

Ha, ha, ha, that's a good one. I actually thought you were asking about canvas and I was going to offer you a few ways I was taught to lengthen the lifespan of real canvas. I guess that, barring some catastrophe that sends us back to the stone age, any information about that can fade away.

 

I got an estimate for the dodger replacement, it is A LOT more than I expected! 3-4 boat bux!!

 

Yes, it seem everything has about doubled in the last ten years. Or more. Inflation is insidious.

 

A boom tent will help with most of your canvass. a weekly wash with saltwater is highly recommended !

 

Sadly, that's about right.

I'm at about $2200 for small, basic dodger. Yours would be about 50% more, in the neighborhood of $3300.

Yes, the prices have roughly doubled in recent history. The price hike is not going to your canvas maker- my actual income has been sliding for about 4 years. I'm working more, and making less- it's the way of the 2020's.

 

This is a link to the sail and canvas shop I use for sail and canvas work in Amityville on Long Island. I can confirm Jim does good work. Prices quoted for dodgers are significantly lower than what you are talking about. Not sure if that page has been updated recently.

Services — Sailors Choice Inc.

Sail and Canvas solutions for all Long Island sailors

www.sailchoice.com

 

At Cape Canaveral, I only get about 7 years out of Sunbrella.

The canvas is out in the sun all the time, and summer is brutal.

 

And my toast color faded as much as yours.

 

I wonder if Aerospace 303 would help prevent fading. My canvas maker said it attracted dirt on sunbrella though. I use it on vinyl cushions that are left out all season, which are a smoother texture and do not see a dirt problem. Works better, when sprayed on a rag first and I try to get to it every 4-6 weeks. If sprayed directly to the vinyl, it gets blotchy.

 

I had been treating it with 303 (brand) High Tech Fabric Guard (product), to maintain it's ability to repel water. I believe that HTFG also is supposed to prevent fading.

 

I don’t think that product provides UV protection.

 

I think that your old canvas guy was wrong.
The solution to the price of new canvas is to buy a suitable sewing machine and make your own. It's not rocket science!

 

I think that your old canvas guy was wrong.
The solution to the price of new canvas is to buy a suitable sewing machine and make your own. It's not rocket science!

I don't know how big the savings are there. A Sailrite machine is $1,500. You aren't going to find canvas and raw material any less expensive than a professional canvas place (they may source it cheaper than you because of volume). So all you will save is the difference between professional labor minus $1,500.

That is assuming you value your own labor at $0, and there is no opportunity cost of you doing other things during this time.

And you get it right the first time.

Mark

 

The Admiral's parents were tailors for over 50 years. She will veto the purchase of any sewing machine.

Also, we have nowhere to either keep or use such a machine.

It ain't happenin'.

 

I’ve seen many DIY canvas jobs that were impressive, but very rarely as crisp and wrinkle free as a pro. We have a Sailrite machine and I’ve made all sorts of covers and bags. None of which needed to be taught and look wrinkle free, so I got away with it. The pros did my dodger and its literally tight as a drum.

 

There may be a slight degradation of the UV protective properties of the cloth after a lot of years. Dark colors start out with better UV blocking properties than light colors. Not sure if there is any difference in the degradation of UV protection between light and dark colors.

 

My dodger is an embarrassment. My bimini less so, but that's because it's fully covered by solar panels. The boat beside me is gorgeous. Why? Because in the Caribbean the sun eats everything except canvas covers. The Mason 44 beside me has covers for his dodger and only removes them when he's on the boat or goes out for a cruise. I'm going to get a new dodger this year and will make covers to keep the sun off it myself. It won't look fantastic for the months when I'm away from the boat, but it will help keep my dodger looking new and beautiful for decades.

 

Boom tent !