Company:
Ready-About Canvas Works, LLC

Project Details

Fabric 1

Stamoid Open
Producer/Manufacturer: Serge Ferrari North America Inc.
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 2

TuffakAR2
Producer/Manufacturer: Plaskolite
Primary Use: Clear Portion of panels

Fabric 3

SolarFix 2000
Producer/Manufacturer: AY Tech LLC
Primary Use: Stitching

Fabric 4

Vislon
Producer/Manufacturer: YKK
Primary Use: Zippers

Fabric 5

Keder Welt and Track
Producer/Manufacturer: Keder Solutions
Primary Use: Sliding and mounting features


Design Name
Blake Rafferty

Design Company
Ready-About Canvas Works

Fabrication Name
Blake Rafferty; Alan Philips

Fabrication Company
Ready About Canvas Works; Bristol Marine


Please describe the project specifications

This project was a total redesign and replacement of a very old enclosure on the Outer Reef Grand Alaskan yacht called "Stella Maris". The client wanted a fabric enclosure with the appearance of a hard top, operable window panels for changing weather, sturdy construction for all season cruising in any weather, and to eliminate the leaks nearly everywhere the old enclosure attached to the boat.

Forward of the fly bridge arch, a new welded stainless steel frame was installed. Mounting track was heat-formed and installed to the front and back of the arch, and a top made from Stamoid Open was laced on using a hidden flange. The enclosure panels forward of the arch hang from PVC track installed to the frame and the side panels slide to open. A new stainless steel frame was installed behind the arch and the Stamoid Open top is tensioned by wraped-under snap flaps. The aft curtain panels of the behind-the-arch enclosure can slide to open as well as fold up to the roof for an unobstructed upper deck. The new lower deck cockpit enclosure features heat-formed Costa track around the upper overhang and an upper valance with Keder welt and track to allow the panels to slide when the client wants to open them. The transom door can slide to open, swing inside to stow, and also features a curved zippered door portion.

The crux problem of this entire project was attaching the forward flybridge top to the arch. To achieve this, I built a wooden mockup of the curved and slanted portion of the arch where the radar is mounted, then used that to heat-form Costa track to match the shape. Everything was caulked and sealed to the arch and the top has a flap to cover the joint, shedding water to the aft.


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Blake Rafferty