Archives

Project Details

Fabric 1

Aqualon Edge
Producer/Manufacturer: Trivantage LLC
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 2

SolarFix Thread
Producer:
Primary Use: OTHER

Engineer Name 1
Ivan Sanchez

Engineer Company 1
SewLong LLC

Fabrication Name
Ivan Sanchez - Salomón Sanchez - Ben Urie

Fabrication Company
SewLong LLC

Please describe the project specifications

For our storage covers, usually we utilize the boat tower or arch to protect the entirety of the boat and to optimize watershed. Even though we have a lot of experience in the industry, our customers know their own needs best. They constantly push us to innovate and improve in order to meet those needs. In this case we had a customer who wanted a storage cover that went under and around the base of the tower instead of our traditional, over-tower style. The design and build efforts of the team resulted in a unique, hybrid storage cover with smooth and sleek lines, that pushed the boundaries of design and performance for our storage covers.

What is unique or complex about the project?

With our storage covers, we have found that it can sometimes be a challenge to design and build a cover that results in perfectly taut fabric. This is true particularly in the sections of the cover where the fabric is unsupported by the structural components of the boat. Sometimes the outcome is a cover with a slight sag or a hollow look on those sections. Over the last year, we have tried several techniques to eliminate that sag and to improve our storage covers overall, as a tight cover both looks sharp and functions better with regard to watershed. When the fabric is draped over the tower, like with our traditional storage cover, the steep incline allows the water to shed appropriately, despite slight sagging. However, an under-tower storage cover, like the one discussed here, requires a lot more precision on the part of the whole team and an extremely good fit to still shed water completely. For this project, we were very pleased with how the whole team executed their section of the cover with accuracy, which resulted in a cover that has a beautiful line and remains consistently tight around the windshield of the boat allowing it to shed water without relying on extra poles or support.

Content is submitted by the participant. IFAI is not responsible for the content descriptions of the IAA award winners.