Sometimes it's economical to hire a professional for boat canvas work. For example, certain projects are too large and complicated to be done well by one person using a small sewing machine on a boat's deck or down below at the salon table. A cockpit's spray shield, aka dodger, is one such project.
Our dodger, a combination of Sunbrella, vinyl glass panels, zippers and Velcro, was original to the boat and very well made, but it was almost eight years old. It had weathered snow, persistent dampness and mildew in the Pacific Northwest, and a couple years of intense heat and UV exposure as we moved south. Not to mention the occasional fecal assaults by incontinent boobies. I had regularly replaced the Velcro as it wore out, but the Sunbrella fabric underneath the Velcro was losing its integrity from all the new needle holes I had to make. The vinyl glass was intact but becoming progressively more opaque from UV exposure. I had begun to patch areas of Sunbrella along the bottom port side of the dodger where stress and late afternoon sun seemed to be causing some damage. Finally, when we were in Mazatlan this past summer, the Sunbrella fabric along the top of the dodger, where it was stretched taut and got the most UV exposure, began to pull apart. I was able to patch that area too, but the whole dodger was becoming fragile and the need for repairs was accelerating.
Clearly, it was time to replace the dodger but its size and complexity were beyond my abilities as well as my inventory of canvas tools and fabric. GB and I were interested in adding a couple of new features to the design that complicated things even more. Plus, about 11 years ago GB had unwisely insisted that I repair and redesign the dodger on our first sailboat, and the result was such a fiasco, so utterly full of fail, that I damn near killed the man and I am not lying.
So: good thing we were in Mazatlan when the dodger died. Because:
The canvas shop that had made our fine dinghy chaps back in late 2007 cheerfully accepted our request
to rebuild our poor dodger in the same general design, but with a zippered opening in the center vinyl glass panel (for improved air flow into the cockpit on hot days) and with snap-on Sunbrella covers (to extend the life of the shiny new vinyl glass). Pedro Moreno and his partner Ruben of Upholstery Mazatlan (telephone 52-669-982-2760, email: figueroa72@prodigy.net.mx) came out to our boat, examined the dodger, and discussed what we wanted (why yes, they speak better English than we speak Spanish). They gave us a brief-but-complete handwritten estimate, took the old dodger away with them, and started work with I don't know how many people back at their shop. Pedro and Ruben came back twice to the boat to fit and fine-tune the dodger at various stages of fabrication. 
Upon final installation they attached the snap-on Sunbrella covers by inserting the snaps with the greatest snap-setting tool I have ever seen: this bad boy inserted snaps into multiple layers of Sunbrella like a hole punch going through a single sheet of paper, and was about as fast. I coveted this tool - that is, until I saw how much something like that costs. You definitely need to be in the canvas business to justify the expense of this beast.
Anyway we were happy to do business with Pedro and Ruben again, the new dodger looks great and we're very happy with the new features. We expect to be under the hot sun for quite some time, so if we get 6 years of use out of this new dodger before it needs replacing, we'll call it an excellent product. Oh - and the price for this fancy new dodger of ours? It was Pedro's original estimate of 9500 pesos - in October 2009, about $730 US. Individual results may vary of course, but if you have a challenging canvas project and happen to be in the neighborhood, consider letting the professionals at Upholstery Mazatlan handle it. It just might save your marriage.
m
As Karen S. Lipe wrote in her "Big Book of Boat Canvas" (International Marine pub., 1988, at p. 64): "A word of caution: Designing and constructing your own dodger, Bimini, or Bimini-dodger combination will most likely require professional assistance at certain points in the process....Working with 30-gauge and 40-gauage vinyl glass on a domestic sewing machine is not easy. You can do it, but it will take a lot of patience and many more hours than it would take a professional with an industrial machine...."
I would add that when working with vinyl glass, Sunbrella and piping trim, you pretty much get one shot at doing it right - the holes made by your needle are permanent, so if you have to rip out a line of stitching and do it over you may find yourself with one heckuva porous dodger. The amount you spend on materials alone, and the risk of not getting it perfect on the first go, in my opinion justifies hiring a pro to put it all together. Also, aesthetics is a large consideration - the dodger is probably the most visible canvas item on a boat, and your boat deserves to look its best.Our dodger, a combination of Sunbrella, vinyl glass panels, zippers and Velcro, was original to the boat and very well made, but it was almost eight years old. It had weathered snow, persistent dampness and mildew in the Pacific Northwest, and a couple years of intense heat and UV exposure as we moved south. Not to mention the occasional fecal assaults by incontinent boobies. I had regularly replaced the Velcro as it wore out, but the Sunbrella fabric underneath the Velcro was losing its integrity from all the new needle holes I had to make. The vinyl glass was intact but becoming progressively more opaque from UV exposure. I had begun to patch areas of Sunbrella along the bottom port side of the dodger where stress and late afternoon sun seemed to be causing some damage. Finally, when we were in Mazatlan this past summer, the Sunbrella fabric along the top of the dodger, where it was stretched taut and got the most UV exposure, began to pull apart. I was able to patch that area too, but the whole dodger was becoming fragile and the need for repairs was accelerating.
Clearly, it was time to replace the dodger but its size and complexity were beyond my abilities as well as my inventory of canvas tools and fabric. GB and I were interested in adding a couple of new features to the design that complicated things even more. Plus, about 11 years ago GB had unwisely insisted that I repair and redesign the dodger on our first sailboat, and the result was such a fiasco, so utterly full of fail, that I damn near killed the man and I am not lying.
So: good thing we were in Mazatlan when the dodger died. Because:
The canvas shop that had made our fine dinghy chaps back in late 2007 cheerfully accepted our request
Anyway we were happy to do business with Pedro and Ruben again, the new dodger looks great and we're very happy with the new features. We expect to be under the hot sun for quite some time, so if we get 6 years of use out of this new dodger before it needs replacing, we'll call it an excellent product. Oh - and the price for this fancy new dodger of ours? It was Pedro's original estimate of 9500 pesos - in October 2009, about $730 US. Individual results may vary of course, but if you have a challenging canvas project and happen to be in the neighborhood, consider letting the professionals at Upholstery Mazatlan handle it. It just might save your marriage.
m
That's a great price on the canvas work. Heard anything about the stainless work in Mexico? I want to redo my stern pulpit and bimini, but I'm thinking about waiting till we get south.
Thanks,
-patrick
www.DeepPlaya.com
Posted by: DeepPlaya | January 06, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Hey Patrick - sorry we're late on the reply but WiFi opportunities are few & far between where we are (on 1/10/2010, in Tenacatita Bay anchored off the Tamarindo Resort). By now you may have seen our blog post that directly answers your question about stainless steel work in Mazatlan. Yes, the price difference is worth the wait & Rosete Stainless's quality is excellent. All you need to do is set aside enough time for them to schedule your job - in the high season (Nov.-May) you may have to wait 2-4 wks.; in summer when things are slow, you'd likely get it done in 2 wks. roughly. Research your options, save some money, & new stainless will be yours!
- Marianne
Posted by: sailnmuffin | January 10, 2010 at 04:05 PM
I've being researching about Boats and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful :) . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog!
Posted by: Boat Leaning Post | January 21, 2010 at 04:58 AM
BLP, thank you for the kind message. We'll keep trying to entertain as well as inform!
Marianne & Gary
s/v Gallant Fox
now at anchor in Zihuatanejo
Posted by: sailnmuffin | January 28, 2010 at 07:37 AM