Boat Cover Manufacturer

Inside the Factory of a Boat Cover Manufacturer

Big or small, owned by mom and pop or by a big corporation, a boat cover manufacturer must combine the arts of cutting and sewing patterns made of tough, thick cloths with customer service and innovation.  Custom boat cover manufacturers must make a new pattern every time they make a new cover.  So let’s have a look at where boat covers come from.

Custom Covers

You can find the shop of a boat cover manufacturer in many towns, not just near the ocean.   Some places specialize in covers for fresh-water craft.  In general, custom boat covers are made in local workshops instead of being imported from other countries.

The smallest workshops employ just enough people to fill one building.  These places usually provide the highest quality work because the staff is experienced and dedicated to boat covers and related products.  If someone has an older, unusual, or custom boat, many a small boat cover manufacturer will make a pattern even for one single client.  After collecting the measurements, they generally make a pattern and a prototype.  If the prototype fits well, they make the final product and file the pattern in case they ever need it again.

The inside of the workshop houses sewers at industrial-strength machines, cutting machines, giant rolls of fabric, spools of cord and thread, and computers to help run it all.  If you do business with a local boat cover manufacturer, ask for a workshop tour – there is a good chance they can let you in. 

In any case, these small operations should have great customer service and a phone answered by a person.  Talking to the boss or the tailor (or at least one of their family members) is sometimes possible. 

Mass-Produced Covers

Semi-custom and universal covers are less expensive than custom covers in part because the boat cover manufacturer does not have many of the same costs as the custom tailor. 

Mass-produced covers are often made in countries where labor is inexpensive and unique knowledge is not necessary for a sale.  The rows of sewing and cutting machines are similar, but multiplied many times for an operation focusing on quantity. 

Big factories may make just a few models of boat cover, so they do not have a design team like a smaller shop.  But the tradeoff is an inexpensive boat cover that may be just what you need, so why spend a lot on a custom made boat cover.