Cal's New Canopies

We had a little surprise when we arrived at the marina on Friday. Our new set of canopies had been fitted to Naughty-Cal and what a difference they have made. Cal instantly looks younger and fresher. Come spring after her lift out and spruce up she will look like a new boat.

After just one weekend the new canopies have made such a difference to life onboard. The weather wasn’t really suitable for removing all of the hoods, however being able to roll up different sections of canvas made all the difference. We could control the temperature in the cockpit much more easily and the extra roll up sections gave us a choice of pieces to open depending on the wind direction. By far the best example of this is the windscreen section which is now split into two allowing each section to be rolled up individually. The ability to roll these sections up also means we don’t have to completely remove this section as we previously did, which was a pain if it started to rain suddenly.

The new canvas is a much better fit than the old hoods. The old canopy had shrunk which made refitting the thing a nightmare, whereas the new canopy fits snugly and is easy to refit. This also helps greatly with heat retention when the heating is on. Previously the old canopy was so gappy that a lot of the heat escaped.

 The new canvas is treated with a waterproofing agent that helps to stop the canvas soaking through in the rain. As part of our maintenance of the new canopies we will reproof them a couple of times a year, in spring and before winter to keep them in top condition.

One of the big differences is visibility. The old hoods had scuffed and scratched window sections which were a nightmare to look out of in certain lights. The new windows are fresh, unscuffed and a pleasure to view from. We will now have to be much more careful about how we pack the canvas away to prevent unnecessary damage to the windows.

There are a few minor details and extra touches that the team have added which really add to the impression of a great job well done. The stainless steel canopy frame passes over the plastic window sections in places. When the sun shines on the frame it heats the stainless steel which in turn scorches the windows. To prevent this they have added canvas wraps to the stainless steel frame, a simple touch but one which will prolong the life of the hoods. Another simple touch is a small flap where the ensign staff protrudes. This means we can fly the flag during the winter months without the canopy being open in the rear corner. Simple touches but a sign of a well thought out design.

All in all we are very happy with our new hoods and the service we have received from Marine and Industrial Covers. There are still a few very minor jobs that Chris has to finish but on the whole we are very impressed with the overall result.