The customer’s story

The aft curtains of this Island Packet’s enclosure had aged. All eleven (11) of the vinyl windows had fogged from age significantly degrading visibility from inside the cockpit, most of all on the starboard side, and one starboard window had cracked clean through. The vinyl had also scorched where it lay against the polished stainless frame. At the helm, the vinyl seat cushion over the steering box had worn past saving. That seat is also the step on the way to the dinghy and the stern, so it had to stand up to feet as well as to sitting.

The scope

Replaced the eleven vinyl windows in the aft enclosure curtains and made a new firm-foam helm seat cushion.

The approach

We took the aft curtains off the boat and back to the workshop. There we unstitched the old windows by hand and templated the new ones from them, so each fits the existing canvas exactly. All eleven are clear 40 mil Strataglass marine-grade vinyl, stitched in with black PTFE thread, which resists sun and weather beyond the life of the canvas. The lower edge of the enclosure panels are held in place with shock cord. These were worn. We fabricated new custom cut shock cords finishing the edges with UV resistant marine grade heat shrink adhesive lined tubing for a clean finish that won’t fray. The view out from the cockpit is clear lines of sight again.

The helm cushion is patterned from the old one, so it sits fair to the curve of the steering box lid with no gaps at the edges. Because it is stepped on, we chose a commercial-grade marine vinyl, an off-white drawn from the cockpit, with a heavier face and stronger backing than standard upholstery vinyl. Inside is new 4 in high-resiliency foam in a firm grade. It carries weight standing or seated and springs back rather than taking a set. Polyester batting softens the top edges, and a thin plastic film sheds water. A heavier strip along the zipper keeps that film from snagging.

A panel of white Phifertex mesh is set into the bottom, so water drains away and air moves between the cushion and the varnished lid. The mesh is an insert, so the strap anchorages and the perimeter seam stay in vinyl where the loads are. Seams are flat-felled, with two rows of stitching and the raw edges enclosed. The zipper sits in the back edge of the boxing, out of sight. Three matching vinyl straps with stainless steel snaps hold the cushion to the lid.

The result

Clear windows all round the aft enclosure, and a helm cushion that sits square to its lid and takes a footstep as well as a seat. Workmanship and hardware carry our two-year warranty.

Materials

Enclosure clear vinyl windowsStrataglass 40 mil clear marine-grade vinyl window materialEleven windows, templated from the old ones and stitched into the existing canvas
Enclosure stitchingBlack SolarFix PTFE threadLifetime thread highly UV and weather resistant. Stitching outlasts the fabric
Marine Seating VinylCommercial-grade marine vinyl, warm white.Heavier face and stronger backing for long life and foot traffic
Cushion foam4 in high-resiliency foam, firm gradeCarries weight standing or seated and recovers its shape
Cushion BattingPolyesterProvides a crown to the cushion and dimension to the edges
Cushion plastic encasementThin plastic film, with a heavier plastic strip along the zipperSheds water but is not a waterproof seal
Cushion ventilationWhite Phifertex marine meshSet into the bottom panel so water drains and air circulates
Cushion zipperLenzip #5 white marine-gradeSet in the back edge of the boxing, out of sight
Cushion stitchingMarine-grade outdoor polyester thread, creamFlat-felled seams throughout
Cushion fastenersThree matching vinyl straps with stainless steel snapsHolds the cushion to the wooden lid when under way or in use

Photographs

Each photograph opens larger.

The aft side of a navy canvas and clear vinyl enclosure on a sailboat at the dock, with a white Lifesling bag on the rail. — The aft enclosure, seen from the dock.

Close view of two clear vinyl windows in the aft enclosure curtain, with stainless steel frame tubes running diagonally behind the vinyl. — New vinyl windows replaced carefully ensure a perfectly fit enclosure.

Inside the enclosed cockpit looking aft, with navy canvas walls, clear vinyl windows and the covered wheel in the foreground. — Inside the enclosure, looking out through the new Strataglass windows.

Close view of a black shock cord tied in a knot, its cut end finished in a black heat-shrink sleeve. — A new shock cord end, sealed in adhesive-lined heat shrink so it cannot fray.

The new off-white vinyl helm cushion sitting on the wooden lid of the steering box, beside the wheel. — Shaped to the lid on all four sides and snapped down with straps.

The new warm-white vinyl helm cushion seen from above on the steering box lid, inside the enclosure, with the wheel in the foreground. — The helm cushion from above, square to the lid and ready to be stood on.

A navy enclosure panel lays flat on the workbench, its old window edge outlined in chalk. — The stern panel on the workbench, the old window position carefully marked out.

A hand holding a slim steel fabric marking tool over the old stitch line of a navy canvas panel, dark thread remnants still in the cloth beside the zipper. — Marking the old window position by hand ensures an exact fit for new windows.

A navy enclosure panel under the needle of an industrial sewing machine on the workbench, a desk lamp lighting the work and a cone of thread behind. — Stitching a new window into its panel on the workshop’s industrial machine.

A navy enclosure panel flat on the workbench, a white protective cover laid over one window, zippers along its edges and a gathered sleeve at one corner. — New windows in. A protective paper cover for one of the new windows

An old navy enclosure panel laid flat on the workbench, its two fogged vinyl windows marked with strips of blue tape and the zipper edges around it. — One of the old panels, its fogged windows marked before they come out.

The lower edge of a navy enclosure panel on the bench, a loop of old black shock cord run through two stainless grommets and knotted on the inside. — The old worn shock cord through the panel’s grommets, tensions a lower edge.