T&T: Aqua-texII

[Robert Phillips]

<  I highly recommend Weblon
Regatta, >

Marine vinyl like Weblon Regatta, is a laminated vinyl, where the  
layers of PVC are very thin.  These fabrics don't last five years  
here in the Caribbean.  Much better and longer lasting vinyl are  
those that are coated, not laminated, having much thicker layers of PVC.

In my own marine canvas business, where we service the top end of the  
charter industry, I try not to use any "marine" fabrics if I can help  
it as they have much shorter lives than those used in the trucking  
industry.  The marine fabric industry is an infinitesimal grain of  
sand on the beach of industrial fabrics and the end users in the  
industrial world wouldn't dream of putting up with the short life  
fabrics that boaters do.

My personal favorite is what is used for the soft sides of  
containers, millions of miles a year at highway speeds in all weather  
conditions is a much better proving ground than sitting in a marina.   
I am not trolling for business here and won't do anything long  
distance, but if you want to see what the top end can look like go  
to: www.doylecaribbean.com , custom canvas, and click on the pictures  
for more detail.  We routinely do projects where frame and canvas is  
well north of $25K and these owners and captains would never settle  
for "marine" fabrics.  Using the fabrics of my choice I am very  
comfortable giving a ten year warranty for our products, regardless  
of how many miles they travel.  Most of my customers are here in the  
winter, Med, New England or Indian Ocean in the summer, transiting  
back and forth on their own bottoms; they need dependable, trouble  
free canvas, which I can provide, but not with marine fabrics.

Bob Phillips,
Another Asylum, Tortola, BVI