Canvas

Oops the energy stored in a gallon of gas is 33kWh . I put a comma in instead of a period. The other numbers are ok

Well, adding to the canvas thread, I'm in Rhode Island and got my first price estimate for a 3-bow standalone bimini + connector, sides and screens. A well-made but otherwise standard camper canvas (all I gave was the C-Dory line drawings for cockpit size estimates and a photo of a Brat's boat with enclosure as example, and saying it'd go up from the roof and open there)... $10,000!.... Excluding the frame!!! And it wouldn't be until mid-summer or later. Man...

Second call..... $10,000 !! This one at least included the frame (7/8" stainless, 3-bow) and thinks he could start working on it in May. He said a 2-bow would work if we stop at the splashwell, but if we go over the lazarettes then the 3-bow is the way to go. He surprisingly did one many years ago for another C-Dory, which found its way to Florida.

Man.... x2

DaveInRI said:

Well, adding to the canvas thread, I'm in Rhode Island and got my first price estimate for a 3-bow standalone bimini + connector, sides and screens. A well-made but otherwise standard camper canvas (all I gave was the C-Dory line drawings for cockpit size estimates and a photo of a Brat's boat with enclosure as example, and saying it'd go up from the roof and open there)... $10,000!.... Excluding the frame!!! And it wouldn't be until mid-summer or later. Man...

Click to expand...

That's rediculous if you meant to include 4 zeros. When I had mine built for my 25, about 5 years ago, with three bows, it was about $1,000. One less zero. And was made out of Sunbrella. Of course that was just the bimini, no sides or back. I had one done for my 22 about 14 years ago,and that did include the sides and back. And I think that was $700 at the time. There is a guy near Madison, in Cottage Grove, that does great work and is known around here for doing boat covers and biminis. (He also does tents.) Colby

colbysmith said:

That's rediculous if you meant to include 4 zeros. When I had mine built for my 25, about 5 years ago, with three bows, it was about $1,000. One less zero. And was made out of Sunbrella. Of course that was just the bimini, no sides or back. I had one done for my 22 about 14 years ago,and that did include the sides and back. And I think that was $700 at the time. There is a guy near Madison, in Cottage Grove, that does great work and is known around here for doing boat covers and biminis. (He also does tents.) Colby

Click to expand...

Ten thousand. And I didn't even spec anything, that was just me trying to convey to them what it would look like so they'd know whether they could do it by summer or not. The "with the frame" guy said his list is starting in May, so it wasn't like some of the other guys who I saw were 9-24 months booked out for some stuff. It's my fault for living near Newport RI I suppose... Ten! One without the frame! lol speechless. (My boat is 21 years old, too)

And whenever I think "do it yourself" I think of these time charts plus materials and start losing those thoughts:

That is why DIY for less than $1,000 is the way I went to a already purchased frame and bimini--although making the Bimini is not that hard but the Bimini kit will be in the $1000 range. The material is like the fabric that inflatables are made of, and has a dacron scrim. vinyl coated. So the whole thing would be about $2000. The tarp like "ShelterRite" is $24 a running yard, 61" wide. The Clear vinly comes in various grades from 20 oz Plastipane which is $10 a running yard 54" wide, to Some of the Stratoglass 60 oz high quality at several hundred dollars per 54" x 110 " piece. (Smaller windows anyone?). Three to four panels will do a C Dory cockpit camper canvas. Also is Phifertex® which John Highsmith has mentioned that he likes or you can make up insect screens--I have made these using military surplus "no See em" screen for tents, which you cut, trim with vinyl and then put up with comon sense fittings. To get away from zippers, I use snaps or Lift the dot, comon sense fasteners. The moderately priced snap setting tool works fine, and I have had mine for many years, with many projects, used with a pair of flat jawed Vise Grips, plus a hammer struck punch, punch block, and various gromet and rivet sets. You don't have to buy the $500 tools to set snaps and various fasteners. The fasteners can be used instead of sewing zippers. The Phifertex® comes in Standard for $17 a running yard, or the Phifertex® plus for $25 a running yard. I use HL 66 vinyl glue--not expensive, and sets up fast. The material will pull apart before the glue gives--stronger than sewing.

Bimini kits are $800 to $990 for 3 to 4 bows 316 SS in 7/8" to 1" tube diameter. The kits come with various grades and types of fabric. You can sew these with any domestic sewing maching--using SailRite needles and threads.

If anyone is interested I will walk them through how to make the Bimini top, and full camper back

Sailrite has detailed videos on how to make a bimini.

Hi Donald,

In my album I have a couple pictures of the cockpit top, and sides installed.

Bentleys in Oregon City built them for C-Dory years ago.

Fits like a glove.

Xtraplus18 said:

Hi Donald,

In my album I have a couple pictures of the cockpit top, and sides installed.

Bentleys in Oregon City built them for C-Dory years ago.

Fits like a glove.

Click to expand...

DaveInRI said:

Second call..... $10,000 !! This one at least included the frame (7/8" stainless, 3-bow) and thinks he could start working on it in May. He said a 2-bow would work if we stop at the splashwell, but if we go over the lazarettes then the 3-bow is the way to go. He surprisingly did one many years ago for another C-Dory, which found its way to Florida.

Man.... x2

Click to expand...

Third unofficial estimate, this one $7500-9500, and about 40 min away/inland.

My father kept a boat a little south of Boston and sold it four years ago. He said one of his clear side windows fell off the dock and the local canvas shop wanted $800 to make one! He paid a diver $50 to go fish it up from the bottom, ha.

I think there's a good business opportunity here: boat canvas arbitrage. Open a "canvas shop" (quotes intentional), say you need to keep the boat for a couple weeks, charge $10k (+), trailer the boat to an actual canvas shop far away, pay $6000 for theirs, pay for your fuel & lodging with the $4k profit. Warranty claims go through original shop, you ship as intermediary.

Jokes aside, I did find one local place (waiting to hear back) who might have an unfair advantage and I'm hoping it will translate into price. They use the template machines countertop installers now use, where you basically have a stylus on a retractable string, and bring it out to various points, then back to the device (lunchbox size) between points. It then creates a digital template that converts into a cad model for cutting a template etc.. I found this a neat opportunity for that technology and was glad to see it. Is it as good as tyvek or cardboard etc? In the rights hands, maybe, maybe not...

Hi Dave,

I would at least reach out to Bentleys in Oregon, OR. They may be able to point you to a canvas shop on the East Coast who might have the patterns for your boat. Mine is a three bow top and it is an awesome addition to the Cruiser. (503) 659-0238

I use plain old brown paper for templates for canvas work. Cheap and easy to modify. For fiberglass or carpentry, I use "Tic" boards. Usually cardboard, and tape tongue bades or split pices off gallon paint stirring sticks. You can cut carboard templets if necessary, Or draw lines on wood or fibergass pannel skipping the templet part.

Fourth estimate, this one also about 40 min away and inland: $9k, can’t start until late June.

I double-contacted (eg, voicemail and web form, usually) three others I know are still actively working and did not hear back. I heard from an additional one who then didn’t answer my reply to their email. (i can be verbose on the forum as it helps me think, but know enough to keep it very short and sweet in other situations like this, so it’s not me, ha).

I spent my free time all week browsing c-brat albums, reading posts about how we may want to outfit the boat (which is fully bare bones) in case that would impact canvas decisions, watching sailrite videos, and getting overall informed enough of the decisions necessary to, well, make a decision.

My ideal enclosure, both aesthetically / proportionately and functionally, is from a boat on here called C for Two, sold by Roscoe several years ago. He actually kept his boat in Maine, but without info on the bimini frame, even if I tracked down the actual shop I don’t think it would help.

It doesn’t help that my father keeps emailing me things like novelty giant sun hats for $30 and examples where boaters did the great loop with plastic shower curtains.

I don’t want to spend $9k on an enclosure for a 22 cockpit— it’s so small (vs a 25 or 255) and we won’t be living aboard. We are largely fair weather boaters with the ability to choose our windows, going for a few days at a time. This was a nice-to-have not a must-have.

I decided I will not make my own bimini, though I know I could after watching Sailrite’s excellent videos. It’s been one project after another here (plus the 2 boys under 6) and I’m just not available enough calendar wise or mentally to do something like that. I wish I was, and maybe someday I will be.

My current “plan”, or rather intention, is to price out my 80/20 backup which will be to have a local shop make a nice custom bimini, fitted to the boat and incorporate zippers etc in the right spots that will allow me to— following the proportions of the C for Two (ie one skinny door and one wider side panel)— add Phifertex Plus panels like Gulfcoast John did on his 255.

Then, attaching interior of those on their own attachments (vs zipping out the mesh) will be cheap clear vinyl panels (like 20mil— nothing to baby, easy to replace) for use when we need total waterproofing (eg leaving the boat or excessively rainy underway, exceeding the Phifertex Plus’s ability to retard the water). I’d like to store these inside the bimini up top in a cradle/net/pocket.

Depending on the prices I get for the various curtains, those I might make myself. Curtains with pre-existing attachment points up top to build off are a much easier project to take on than the whole thing, and is more in line with the level of utility I’d like to be able to create with sewing projects.

I also like the idea of not babying the Phifertex plus panels (can tightly roll, no mildew) or the cheapo vinyls which basically are a rain coat when needed, never intending to be worn all the time— or look super fashionable. If I find no-see-ums are an issue, there’s always making netting using surplus.

The Phifertex Plus will certainly have not full protection from rain, bugs, shade, or snoops, but will get me 80% of the way for 20% of the cost and hassle of use. And there’s no ugly “smile”. The cheapo vinyls get me the rest of the way for water; clamps and a sheet get me full privacy; and netting for full(er) gnats. Most of the time in how we boat, though, it’ll just be the bimini, which is another reason I don’t want to pay for the full Jeep Wrangler top.

So my bare minimum price will be for someone to make a nice sunbrella tan bimini with a second set of zippers. I do have a slant back mooring cover with house awning rail, so we may be able to re-use some of those attachment points. Then, worst case if even that is too pricey, I bind and add the curtains myself as time allows (with my dad’s “plastic shower curtain” as emergency backup if I don’t get time, ha)

Will report back. Pics below.