Camper canvas question

[sebagoman007]

I'm looking for your thoughts on an idea I had over the weekend.

I hardly ever use my camper canvas, as I bought a cockpit cover several seasons ago that I use during the week when I'm away from the boat. I was overnighting this past weekend and there was rain in the forecast so I decided to set up "the tent". It's still the oringinal canvas and it's in fairly decent shape, (a few missing zipper handles and a little frayed stiching). However, it has shrunk so badly that it's an absolute bear to get everything zipped and snapped. I hate to think of the cost of replacing it just for that, so I was wondering - if I shortened all the bimini poles a little bit, like 1/4"-3/8" it would probably make installation a whole lot easier.

Am I crazy (and/or maybe just being super-cheap!) to even consider this approach? The engineer in me says it ought to work, but I may be over-thinking the problem.

BTW, I left the cavas up this week in hopes it might stretch out some, but I doubt it......

Thanks in advance for your input.

Cheers,

 

[Henry Boyd]

Bill you are over thinking, leave it up and let it get rained on a couple times and it should stretch back to its original shape. If you are there on a warm sunny day (I know hard to find in Maine) you can hose it down and the combination of water on the canvas and sun's warmth will also cause it to relax. I believe that sunbrella is mostly a man made fiber, so it really hasn't shrunk in the true definition of the word.

Henry

 

[Groucho]

I have seen boats with the same problem. I have also seen "snap extenders". They will give you 1/4 inch if the problem is servere. Not sure where they bought them but I can find out if you like. Let me know.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Like Henry said - water and sun. It is made of acrylic - no man-made stuff.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Dennis,

I'm an engineer, so my recollection of chemistry isn't what it should be, but I seem to recall that acrylics are man made - a by product of the oil distillation process........

Henry

 

[Fetch ND]

Nothing wrong with being "Super - Cheap"

& If anyone has one for a 220 SD I'd be willing to dispose of it for them :grin:

 

[skolbe]

The 260 canvas is a bit challenging to install in cold weather at least compared to my 320. Sun is your friend. Also on the front panels - install them with the bimini in the top holes on the back support poles and once installed - pull the bimini to the bottom holes on the back support poles. This makes installation fairly quick.

 

[sebagoman007]

The 260 canvas is a bit challenging to install in cold weather at least compared to my 320. Sun is your friend. Also on the front panels - install them with the bimini in the top holes on the back support poles and once installed - pull the bimini to the bottom holes on the back support poles. This makes installation fairly quick.

Yeah, I stumbled over that trick a few years ago. The isinglass panels are now mostly a non-event since I discovered the Armor-All on the rubber trick. It's when I get to the sides (screened) and the back that there just doesn't seem to be enough slack without practically having to do chin-ups on the poles to get everything to hook up. Sometimes the tension is so great that the extrusion will start to peel out of the windshield frame.

As Henry suggested, perhaps a week of sun and water (heavy dew most mornings) will coax the canvas back to a more cooperative shape. I'll know next weekend, I guess.

Cheers,

 

[Lazy Daze]

Sorry, Henry, you're right. I goofed - in agreeing with you, I used the wrong term :smt101. What I meant to say is that it does not contain natural fibers (like cotton).

 

[mwph]

Sun is your friend. Also on the front panels - install them with the bimini in the top holes on the back support poles and once installed - pull the bimini to the bottom holes on the back support poles. This makes installation fairly quick.

This was my experience too as my canvas seemed to have "Sat & Shrunk". Start at the front w/poles up & work your way back.

 

[jrcinnh]

Be careful if you shorten anything. The poles are pivoting on a fixed point, shortening in one direction may cause the lengthening in another.

My previous boat had adjustable poles. I found that if I adjusted the poles down too far, the cross pieces would actually move too far towards the back of the boat. The top would get lower but also try to get longer.

If also found that the eisenglass tends to be much less friendly about unshrinking than the sunbrella canvas.