Kudos to King Marine Canvas

[NorthernFocus]

We're the third owner of a 2008 R25 Classic. The owner before us kept the boat in a slip and left the full enclosure canvas deployed 24/7. Where the boat was moored is subject to frequent winds of 20kts with higher gusts. And a LOT of rain. So by the time we purchased the boat in 2014 the canvas was already pretty well worn with several patches and repairs. We continued to use the same canvas with a treatment of 3M water proofing each spring. By the end of the 2019 season it was definitely looking the worse for wear, zippers breaking, stitching coming loose in a few spots, etc. But it was still keeping the rain off our heads. So last spring we contacted a couple of local canvas shops to see about having it replaced. Once we recovered from the sticker shock we called King Marine Canvas who originally manufactured the canvas on the boat. They still have the patterns and quoted us a price less than half of what a local shop wanted. So we placed the order with King. They were late on the promised delivery date but in fairness it was in the middle of the covid mess.

The canvas finally arrived near the end of the season so I waited until this spring to set it up. It came (top and four side panels) rolled up in a huge cardboard tube that they receive shipments of Sunbrella material in. They included more than enough stainless snaps for us to install to match the originals on the boat. They forgot to include the boot for the bimini as discussed when I asked for the quote. When I pulled out the official quote(which I had reviewed and approved) the boot was not listed on it. I called fully expecting to have to pay extra for the boot due to my not catching it when I reviewed the quotation. But they simply apologized for the error, worked it into their production schedule, and shipped it a couple of days later without any additional shipping charges. Wow.

I was skeptical how well things would turn out because I've always seen canvas custom fit to the boat. I bought a hole punch and sturdy tool for pressing the buttons on. The install took about four hours(working by myself). I was pleasantly surprised that everything fit the existing frame like a glove. I made sure everything was stretched tight to match up the buttons with the existing male halves on the boat. The end result looks and functions as good as I've ever seen.

In addition to the quality work, King was awesome to work with. They answered emails promptly, picked up the phone every time I called, and in general were just a real professional outfit to work with. I highly recommend them.

I'm also pleased to report that first trip with the new canvas the underside of the bimini and a couple of the side panels were soiled with halibut slime 🙂

 

[Kaptajnen]

We also bought a complete canvas cover for our new R-31S from King Canvas and had it installed in Elliott Bay Marina (short drive from their shop).

Unfortunately, our experience was not good. After telling us that the installation would take a couple of days, they did it in a couple of hours, and it did not fit perfectly, something we discovered on our first trip on the boat in heavy rain. Since our boat was now in our new homeport at Eagle Harbor Marina, this meant that the installers had to take a ferry ride to repair the installation.

So the owner and one of the installers came over and it became obvious that the installer (from Cambodia or Vietnam) was very defensive about his work and just applied some rubber strips instead of removing the 2 panels that should be re-cut to fit properly. The owner explained that the installers were part of the deal when he purchased the business from the original owner, and that he had no way to make them cut new panels instead of applying the rubber strip fix!!!

So we have two leaky and ill-fitting panels - and we will never recommend King Canvas!

 

[NorthernFocus]

...The owner explained that the installers were part of the deal when he purchased the business from the original owner, and that he had no way to make them cut new panels instead of applying the rubber strip fix!...

That is weird. I suppose that means they are sub-contractors rather than direct employees? When did King change hands?
The website still says this:

...The staff includes highly skilled and dedicated craftspeople, most of whom have been with King Marine Canvas Products for many years.

At the helm is Dave Hauck and his son Josh Hauck. Dave has over 30 years of experience in the canvas and upholstery craft. He’s owned King Marine Canvas Products since 1996 and has been personally involved in every project. In fact, nearly every job starts with Dave or Josh visiting your vessel or job site, to discuss your project and take careful measurements. This high degree of personal attention is just one of the reasons satisfied customers keep coming back to King Marine Canvas Products.

 

[Kaptajnen]

They are employeess

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We’re both of these installs done recently? It appears Dan’s was but I’m not sure on Claus’. I ask because if there has been some time pass between these installs maybe the problem Claus experienced has been resolved on newer installs. Either way I’d not be happy if this had happened to me.

Jim

 

[NorthernFocus]

We’re both of these installs done recently? It appears Dan’s was but I’m not sure on Claus’. I ask because if there has been some time pass between these installs maybe the problem Claus experienced has been resolved on newer installs. Either way I’d not be happy if this had happened to me.

Ours was purchased in August of 2020. Just installed it last month.

This is a confusing story as the other folks indicated a new owner. King's website shows the same owner since 1996.

 

[Wee Venture]

So I’ll weigh in here. It sounds like your expectations were not met, Claus, which can be frustrating, especially if panels truly did not fit.

I can only speak from our own experience with King Marine, which has been stellar—in line with the comments from NorthernFocus. They have done several jobs for us. We contracted with them directly to do a bimini for our R-31CB command bridge, a full cockpit enclosure, a modified canvas and clear vinyl panel to accommodate our Magma
gas grill clamped to the rail, and had them reupholster some seats in our cabin. (Yes, they do an excellent job on upholstery too, though they may not appreciate my saying so here since they are currently slammed with orders and a long waiting list.) We were very pleased with all of their work.

Dave Hauck has been our contact person on all jobs. He is very much in charge (and has been for many years), very efficient, always returns emails, and always does what he says he will do. I recently met Josh, his son, who also knows the business well, is personable and a good listener. Many of their employees who do the measuring, cutting and sewing do not speak English well; this does not matter to me because the end product has always fit perfectly and looked great. Dave is also competent to do the hands on work but spends most of his time running the business and connecting with the public from what I can see.

Dave did have some hardship during the Covid epidemic. They had an outbreak hitting many of his employees and the office had to be shut down for awhile.

We also had some leaking, btw, after the installation of our cockpit enclosure. We contacted Dave about it several months after the installation and he had someone out to our boat, moored 12 miles away from his shop, within a week. They pointed out that most of the leaking was not due to the canvas directly, but came from between the hardtop and the track rail that the canvas was mounted to. Ranger fixed the rail for us which fixed that portion of the leaking. They also said that the zippers, which were weeping in places, should get better on their own (which has been the case) and recommended something to coat the zippers with to seal them. They also installed some adhesive weatherstripping (“rubber strips”) on our boat as well, which helps divert the water runoff from the roof and hardtop to the outside rather than having it flow into the cockpit. This is not a canvas problem but a reflection of the fact that the boat was not originally designed with a completely dry cockpit in mind. We are very happy now with our cockpit which we use as an additional room year-round.

I have recommended King Marine to a number of people so far and plan to continue doing so (unless something drastically changes in my experience with them).

John

 

[NorthernFocus]

... They pointed out that most of the leaking was not due to the canvas directly, but came from between the hardtop and the track rail that the canvas was mounted to. Ranger fixed the rail for us which fixed that portion of the leaking. They also said that the zippers, which were weeping in places, should get better on their own (which has been the case) and recommended something to coat the zippers with to seal them. They also installed some adhesive weatherstripping (“rubber strips”) on our boat as well, which helps divert the water runoff from the roof and hardtop to the outside rather than having it flow into the cockpit. This is not a canvas problem but a reflection of the fact that the boat was not originally designed with a completely dry cockpit in mind. We are very happy now with our cockpit which we use as an additional room year-round...

The R25 classic has the same issue where the canvas fits in the track. There is a gap between track and companionway where water runs in only when running in a seaway and taking heavy spray over the cabin top. Or running in a torrential rain. That can be minimized but there's really not a good way to stop it completely. And yes brand new seams and zippers tend to leak a bit and tighten up after being wet a few times. Silly us. Going out on the water but don't want it getting on us 😀