Custom Boat Covers

Often when you have a large boat, sailboat or yacht, you will need to have custom covers made. Since this is a service where the custom canvas boat cover maker must come to your boat and take measurements, it stands to reason that you will need to find a local company. Our recommendation is to ask other boat owners in your area, which company they used and if they are happy with the results. Ask if the personnel where knowledgeable about the types of covers needed, listened to the boat owner’s suggestions, and if the finished product fit well. If the custom covers made for a particular boat are fairly old, this will help determine the durability and quality of the covers. Also, if the same company is still has a thriving business, that's a good indication that they are producing good quality products.

If you are unable to talk to other boat owners about their covers, at least find a company that has been in business for a while. Read some of the other pertinent pages on this site and ask some good questions of the prospective custom canvas companies. You may also talk to the local marine hardware store for references.

It is important to realize that in order for the custom boat cover maker to do their work properly, they must be able to get to your boat several times. They must meet with you to find out what areas you would like covers made for and will, most likely, also give their recommendations. They must measure these areas very precisely. They often then cut the canvas and bring the pieces to double check the measurements before sewing and adding snaps etc. They must determine the best way to connect the covers to your boat and, if needed, secure these devices, such as snaps, directly to your boats surface.

Usually, at this point they are ready for the final fitting. If possible, try to be there for this step. This will allow you to make sure that the covers fit well, are to your specifications, and also let you see which cover fits which area of your boat. The more covers you have, the more chance you have of getting them mixed up which can be a real headache.

We recommend that you go the checking the fit of multiple boat covers and tips for using multiple boat covers pages on this site for important information to help with this process.