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Our Opening Hours Mon- Fri : 8 am – 5 pm
Our Opening Hours Mon- Fri : 8 am – 5 pm
Upholstery Bees provides premium exterior upholstery services. We specialize in reupholstering your existing furniture pieces, such as captain chairs and cushions, as well as crafting entirely new products. Our projects are completely customizable, ensuring a perfect fit for your space and bringing your vision to life. At Upholstery Bees, we utilize top-quality upholstery materials, including certified fabrics, vinyl, and faux leathers specifically designed for marine applications. Our carefully selected materials not only offer exceptional comfort, but they are also highly durable, ensuring longevity for many years to come. Additionally, these fabrics are resistant to abrasions, harsh weather conditions, as well as mold and mildew, providing optimal protection and maintaining their pristine condition.
Upholstery Bees offers boat canvas tops for Aft Covers, Bimini Tops, Dodger, Cockpit Covers, Convertible Tops, Enclosure Panels, Fly Bridge Bimini Tops, Fly Bridge Covers, Mooring Covers, Sail Covers, Windshield Covers, and more. All of our quality custom canvas solutions utilize state-of-the art technology. By eliminating the added costs and time involved with templating or taking hand measurements, we’re able to get you a beautiful canvas enclosure that fits tight. We also partner with the best canvas brands, such as Sunbrella, Stamoid, Sea Mark, Herculite, Weblon Regatta, Strataglass, and Crystal Clear 20/20. This combination will give you a premium boat canvas top or enclosure that will last for years.
Below are some common types of boat canvas tops and enclosures found on yachts and boats. We’d love to hear from you and discuss your boat canvas project. Please contact us today.
These types of boat tops can be found on many different styles of boats. They are supported by stainless steel or aluminum framing that can be easily raised and lowered. Sometimes they are also supported by straps to stabilize the bimini while underway. Bimini boat tops are great for shade, and depending on the customer's needs, they come with forward, aft, and side panels that are typically fabricated with isinglass for visibility. The Bimini top canvas is secured to the framing by a zipper and can easily be removed during storage or for cleaning.
These boat canvas tops are typically found on smaller crafts. Dodgers are located in the forward area of a boat and are meant to reduce spray while underway. They are rarely included with the purchase of a new boat and are mostly aftermarket boat tops. They can also be made for center console-style boats, which then provide permanent storage for items when moored. Dodgers come in various sizes and designs and are 100% based on the needs of the boater and boat. Similar to a Bimini top, they are constructed of stainless steel or aluminum and typically collapse, which is especially practical while trailering your boat. Dodgers are a low-cost investment that can increase your satisfaction with your boat all summer.
A convertible top is commonly found on a cruiser-style boat, as shown in the picture, where there is not a fiberglass hardtop covering the cockpit area. It’s the perfect boat top to protect the driver from the sun or provide shade on those sunny days. Typically, it can be folded back into a position where it mimics a type of radar arch. It is also supported by stainless steel or aluminum framing with zippers securing the fabric to the frame. It's secured the windshield commonly with snaps, and at Upholstery Bees, we like to use a product called Xtreme Seal in this area to provide a three-point contact seal between the canvas and windshield.
Commonly referred to as a camper top, full boat tops extend from the cockpit area of a boat all the way back to the aft. These are also common boat canvas tops in Chicago and can be fabricated in many different ways in conjunction with convertible or bimini tops. Enclosure panels almost always have a mix of canvas and isinglass\windows, which really depends on the level of privacy required. Another option is to add zippers to your windows and a screen or two for fresh air. Most and more boaters are moving to isinglass window enclosures in the aft for maximum visibility while underway in inclement weather. This is all a personal preference that is decided by you and how you plan on using your boat top.
Very similar to a Bimini Top, a Fly Bridge Bimini is located on your Fly-Bridge. They are only found on convertibles and almost always have enclosure panels surrounding them that can be easily taken on or off with zippers and snaps.
Upholstery Bees offers boat covers for all types of power or sail boats, including bowriders, center consoles, convertibles, cruisers, cuddy cabins, flybridges, pontoons, runabouts, yachts, ski boats, and more.
Boat covers can be used while your boat is moored at the harbor or for trailering your boat. No matter how you plan on using your boat cover, we have the right solution for you.
All of our quality custom boat cover solutions utilize state-of-the art technology. By eliminating the added costs and time involved with templating or taking hand measurements, we’re able to get you a beautiful boat cover that fits tight and fast! We also partner with the best marine canvas brands, such as Sunbrella, Stamoid, Sea Mark, Herculite, Weblon Regatta, Strataglass, and Crystal Clear 20/20. This combination will give you a premium boat cover that will last for years.
Aft covers are one of the most common types of boat covers you’ll see due to the abundance of cruiser-style boats you see in the harbor. If your boat has a radar arch, it will extend from the back of the arch down to the back of your boat. Most of the time, it will extend around the port and starboard of your boat, but not all of the time. Aft covers can be all canvas, have an isinglass window in the back, or be entirely made from isinglass, but the last style is more common on complete enclosures. They are attached to other canvas panels and/or a radar arch with zippers and then to the boat by snaps.
This is also a very common boat cover that is found all over the harbors. It’s for the boat owner who doesn’t plan on spending much time on their boat during bad weather and just wants to enjoy those sunny days. It’s a very easy boat cover to take on and off since it’s sealed with snaps around the windshield area, port, starboard, and aft. Most of the time, it is “tented up” in the middle of the cover with a pole so water can easily flow off the canvas boat cover.
These are the most common types of covers that can be found on many types of boats. Mooring covers can be snapped down around the topside of the boat or extended beyond the rub rail, as shown in the illustration. A mooring cover can be modified to be used as a trailer cover, which will then have tied-down straps that typically wrap around the bottom of your boat for maximum security. Mooring covers can also be used during winter storage, but you want to be sure that there is enough “pitch” in the canvas cover so show and other blown debris can easily slide off and not get caught on and sag your cover.
Even if you have a fly bridge bimini top, a fly bridge boat cover is a great way to go. It’s an easy option to toss on your fly bridge when moored without having to put up enclosure panels around your bimini top. This can be made with a heavier material, such as Stamoid, which will provide a waterproof cover that will never get any electronics or carpet wet. It’s a very cost-effective option when protecting an expensive investment.
All sailboats need a sail cover. They are inexpensive options that protect a very expensive part of your sailboat. Sunbrella fabric is a great option since it’s available in over 75 color options and can be easily embroidered with your sailboat's name or other markings of your choice. They are commonly secured by a zipper over your sail to get snagged up; it really depends on personal preference.
For those looking to leave no item uncovered, a windshield boat cover is for you. It provides maximum protection for an important part of your boat and also prevents the sun from warming up your air-conditioned cabin on those hot summer days. Windshield covers are found on larger boats since, on smaller boats, you can extend a cockpit over the windshield if desired.
Upholstery Bees offers custom sunpads that expand your boat’s entertaining area. Traditionally, bow pads are made with vinyl. But the majority of pads we manufacture are made out of upholstery fabrics. Some projects use Sunbrella fabrics, which offer a wide range of options. Another brand of Ferrari that is used is called Serge Ferrari’s Batyline Elios line. The Sunpads are made with a very porous, Dri-Fast open-celled foam. Which allows water to run through the foam easily and rapidly dry and prevents it from growing mold and mildew. After a hard morning rain, sunpads will be dried out by the afternoon, which means no more soggy sunpads. There are many different add-ons to make your sunpad even more custom to your boat, like Built-in headrests and pockets along the sides.
Upholstery Bees now offers embroidery services! Our industrial embroidery machine has the capability to add beauty to all heavy marine canvas and upholstery fabrics. We can embroider on upholster, canvas, and other items. All we need is a picture of your boat name or design, and we will let our experts take it from there.
What is embroidery? Embroidery is a way to decorate fabric using thread and a sililar on a sewing machine. Since the designs are custom, we are able to add any words or images that you want, making your boat more personalized. We have many color options for thread to perfectly match your design. And no design is too simple or too complicated. Embroidered designs are highly durable and should last a lifetime. It can withstand pressure and damage and doesn’t fade. Which is perfect to withstand wear and tear that may occur on a boat or when washing.
What can I Embroider? Almost any fabric or vinyl project can be personalized using embroidery. Such as boarding mats that can be placed down moments before a guest boards and be easily cleaned at the end of the day. Another popular option is boat chairs, where people often put a unique design. We can also embroider on a wide range of hats, sweatshirts, towels, polos, activewear, and everything else. This is a great way to show off your personal brand while boating!
Please contact us if you have any questions about embroidery or want to get started on your own customized project.