Leta(39)s top shop and Canvas Plus in Arlington, Wa-gctid810300

[eddya]

Does anyone have any finished photos of work done by Kim at Canvas Plus in Arlington, Wa? Or by Leta's top shop, also in Arlington. I'm looking for a shop, and I've heard good things about these places. I just haven't seen any specific photos on work done. I like as much information as I can get before I move forward....on anything. Thank you!

[joe]

Randy's boat tops in Olympia dose nice work and reasonable. tell him Joe sent ya.

[SomeSailor]

Churchill Brothers in Everett and Anacortes does much better work. I looked closely at the stitching and differences in the ways the panels can be manufacturered. If you cut corners here and there, you can save a buck or two, but the overall quality suffers. Look for triple stitching, leather reenforcements, stainless grommets, kevlar thread, thicker vinyl, better YYK zippers, brand name snaps, etc.

[Norton_Rider]

I've purchased canvas from Leta for five different boats over the years and have been extremely happy with the value I received. While others may have slightly higher quality, the price difference is much more than a buck or two. The main reason for this is that Leta has the patterns for most of the Bayliner OEM canvas; so you do not pay for development. Even with custom canvas Leta's prices are lower. She developed custom canvas for me on three occasions and it cost considerably less than what others quoted me. Leta will add extra stitching and other features for an additional cost.

Incidentally, Leta's prices may have risen recently. She used to have her shop at her property, so the overhead was low. Not too long ago the local county forced her and a number of other businesses in the area to move their operations or close. The reason given was that the area was zoned as agricultural, rather than commercial. It did not matter that most of these businesses had been operating for decades, and that the county had not received any complaints. Leta ended up leasing a facility at a business park close to the airport and the old Bayliner facilities in Arlington, WA. So her overhead costs have gone way up.

[eddya]

"Norton Rider" post=810348 wrote:
I've purchased canvas from Leta for five different boats over the years and have been extremely happy with the value I received. While others may have slightly higher quality, the price difference is much more than a buck or two. The main reason for this is that Leta has the patterns for most of the Bayliner OEM canvas; so you do not pay for development. Even with custom canvas Leta's prices are lower. She developed custom canvas for me on three occasions and it cost considerably less than what others quoted me. Leta will add extra stitching and other features for an additional cost.

Incidentally, Leta's prices may have risen recently. She used to have her shop at her property, so the overhead was low. Not too long ago the local county forced her and a number of other businesses in the area to move their operations or close. The reason given was that the area was zoned as agricultural, rather than commercial. It did not matter that most of these businesses had been operating for decades, and that the county had not received any complaints. Leta ended up leasing a facility at a business park close to the airport and the old Bayliner facilities in Arlington, WA. So her overhead costs have gone way up.

Gotta love those regulations...really helping out these small bushiness owners. That's a shame. A lot of the reviews I've been reading were from around 2013. When did this Govn't intrusion force her to move?

[eddya]

"joe" post=810315 wrote:
Randy's boat tops in Olympia dose nice work and reasonable. tell him Joe sent ya.

Thank you. Does Randy's do Canvas, upholstery or both?

[eddya]

Do you by chance have Photo's to share?

[eddya]

[quote]"eddya" post=810352 wrote:

"Norton Rider" post=810348 wrote:
I've purchased canvas from Leta for five different boats over the years and have been extremely happy with the value I received. While others may have slightly higher quality, the price difference is much more than a buck or two.

Do you by chance have photo's to share? I lean toward not minding to pay for higher quality, however, if the difference is minimal then I do not wish to through away money without cause.

[eddya]

"SomeSailor" post=810318 wrote:
Churchill Brothers in Everett and Anacortes does much better work. I looked closely at the stitching and differences in the ways the panels can be manufacturered. If you cut corners here and there, you can save a buck or two, but the overall quality suffers. Look for triple stitching, leather reenforcements, stainless grommets, kevlar thread, thicker vinyl, better YYK zippers, brand name snaps, etc.

Quality is important to me. Kevlar thread...being in the Army for 23 years, I like the sound of that. Do you by chance have photos to share of their work?

[Norton_Rider]

I do not know what kind of thread Leta uses, but I've never had it break or unravel.

I only have one photo handy of Leta's canvas. The aft deck cover you see in this photo was custom made by her. She made the bows as well as the canvas. It worked great for six years until we sold the boat.


Attached files

[SomeSailor]

Everyone has overhead costs and the only way you can be cheaper is to BE cheaper. The thread to ask for is Tenara. It's over $100 a pound so it's always an easy place to cut. Also, there are some Sunbrella knock offs, but only one true Sunbrella fabric. Ask where they're gonna place the label. Most are proud to put a genuine Sunbrella label on IF they;re using Sunbrella throughout. Also, there's a HUGE difference in vinyl. Some go for 20 ga"press polished" and others opt for products like 30 ga Strataglass. It makes a HUGE difference in clarity (and cost)

Go to the most expensive guy you can find and ask him why he's so spendy... he'll share. the budget places generally won't (or can't) explain why they can be cheaper.

[Alaskanmutt]

"Norton Rider" post=810348 wrote:


Incidentally, Leta's prices may have risen recently. The reason given was that the area was zoned as agricultural, rather than commercial. Leta ended up leasing a facility at a business park close to the airport and the old Bayliner facilities in Arlington, WA. So her overhead costs have gone way up.

Taxes are way higher on commercial land versus Ag land.

[eddya]

"SomeSailor" post=810318 wrote:
Churchill Brothers in Everett and Anacortes does much better work. I looked closely at the stitching and differences in the ways the panels can be manufacturered. If you cut corners here and there, you can save a buck or two, but the overall quality suffers. Look for triple stitching, leather reenforcements, stainless grommets, kevlar thread, thicker vinyl, better YYK zippers, brand name snaps, etc.

So leaning toward quality over costs, it looks like you are saying that these guys use the best materials overall on their jobs, is that correct? or do I need to specify to them the products I want them to use. I'm new at this, and preparing for calls, so just want to know what I'm in for. Also, I've heard a lot of talk on this forum like "this shop has the bayliner patterns". Can you take a moment to explain to me the importance of having the patterns, or are shops capable of doing a nice job without patterns, and what the implications may be. I'm speaking of both bimini top patterns, as well as seating patterns. And do you know if churchill brothers have these patterns. Sorry, I hate being the newbe. Thanks for your help though.

[eddya]

"SomeSailor" post=810318 wrote:
Churchill Brothers in Everett and Anacortes does much better work. I looked closely at the stitching and differences in the ways the panels can be manufacturered. If you cut corners here and there, you can save a buck or two, but the overall quality suffers. Look for triple stitching, leather reenforcements, stainless grommets, kevlar thread, thicker vinyl, better YYK zippers, brand name snaps, etc.

So leaning toward quality over costs, it looks like you are saying that these guys use the best materials overall on their jobs, is that correct? or do I need to specify to them the products I want them to use. I'm new at this, and preparing for calls, so just want to know what I'm in for. Also, I've heard a lot of talk on this forum like "this shop has the bayliner patterns". Can you take a moment to explain to me the importance of having the patterns, or are shops capable of doing a nice job without patterns, and what the implications may be. I'm speaking of both bimini top patterns, as well as seating patterns. And do you know if churchill brothers have these patterns. Sorry, I hate being the newbe. Thanks for your help though.

[eddya]

"SomeSailor" post=810398 wrote:
Also, there's a HUGE difference in vinyl. Some go for 20 ga"press polished" and others opt for products like 30 ga Strataglass. It makes a HUGE difference in clarity (and cost)

So this was a concern of mine. I've seen a lot of bimini tops that seemed milky or foggy a little bit when looking though them. Sorry for the newbe question but I'm trying to figure out which one you mentioned above was the better quality, Strataglass or press polished, just to be certain. Thank you.