Cheap fabric for awning

[LifesBetterWhenYoureBeating]

Hi everyone,


I'm planning to make a waterproof awning for my boat but I don't want to shell out for sunbrella as I'm not going to use it that often. What is a good and more affordable alternative to sunbrella for an awning?


Thanks in advance,

[bstreep]

We've had a lot of luck on fleabay for fabric. We bought Brisa for about 1/5 the retail price, and Sunbrella for maybe 1/3. Try there.

[LifesBetterWhenYoureBeating]

Originally Posted by bstreep

We've had a lot of luck on fleabay for fabric. We bought Brisa for about 1/5 the retail price, and Sunbrella for maybe 1/3. Try there.

Is that https://flea-bay.com/ or https://fleabay.net ?

[bstreep]

eBay. Sorry. Kind of like "Wallyworld" instead of "Walmart".

[mvweebles]

Try local fabric and upholstery material shops. A small shop near me in St Petersburg FL ("Philmore") carries odd bolts of Sunbrella for $15/yd. Not a huge selection of colors, but there are several dozen different ones.

[LifesBetterWhenYoureBeating]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Try local fabric and upholstery material shops. A small shop near me in St Petersburg FL ("Philmore") carries odd bolts of Sunbrella for $15/yd. Not a huge selection of colors, but there are several dozen different ones.

I'm in a tiny town on the Caribbean side of Panama, so local shops don't usually have anything of good quality in stock.

Philmore has only upholstery canvas on their website. According to sailrite that shouldn't be used for awnings, but I wonder if it really matters that much?

Sent from my SM-A225F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[JPA Cate]

Cheapest of all is tarp from someplace like Walmart. It already has grommets in it, too. It will be noisy. Noisier than other fabrics.

Another option would be Stamoid. It is expensive, but guaranteed for 10 yrs., and lived up to its guarantee in our use of it for a hatch dodger.

If you'll ever be somewhere where you want it for sun protection, as well as rain, I'd also consider any acrylic fabric, and in the royal blue color, which seems to stand up to high UV better than dark red.

Ann

[capt jgw]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Try local fabric and upholstery material shops. A small shop near me in St Petersburg FL ("Philmore") carries odd bolts of Sunbrella for $15/yd. Not a huge selection of colors, but there are several dozen different ones.

I tried that here but all the shops that carried Sunbrella were way more than Sailrite. I found some vinyl covered fabric on eBay that was pretty nice, $12 a yard as I recall. Sunbrella goes about $24.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by capt jgw

I tried that here but all the shops that carried Sunbrella were way more than Sailrite. I found some vinyl covered fabric on eBay that was pretty nice, $12 a yard as I recall. Sunbrella goes about $24.

You do have to be mindful of the weight of the fabric. There are a couple different weights of Sunbrella, some are lighter than others. If you're making an awning, you want the heaviest of the lot.

I've also purchased Solarium (acrylic - starts around $9/yd) fabric from Joann's Fabrics. You can almost always find an online discount code for store pick-up (prices in-store are not great, and they don't always have what they say they have online). Not the heaviest of fabric, but decent. If you're not using it full time, might work pretty well.

[gonesail]

i would be wary of the coated canvas. sounds good but what i saw after a year in the sun .. not good.

[Kd9truck]

Do you have an old sail? Trim it to size and some grommets and your done.
(If cheap is the theme)
I pay the subella price on sailrite, I feel it’s worth the price. Cheers

[deltaten]

As above.....
I fashined a custom sun/rain tarp from an old mainsail. Whacked off the top half-way, turned head down to make rectangle. Trimmed to clear original hems, etc. Sewed new double hems with enclosed line and reinforcement for grommets. Velcro closure at rear to pass backstay.
All on a home type machine. SailRite for thread and DF tape.
Easy-peasy! and cheap!

[JPA Cate]

Generally, it is best when the tent has been designed to drain well. One way to accomplish this is to sew [an old] rope down the centerline from bow to stern, in such a way as to be able to tauten it at mast and backstay. One needs to keep them taut, and the "strings" need to be fixed so they don't chafe, and will stay tied in spite of strong winds.

Ann

[JimsCAL]

My wife buys lots of fabric from these guys. Great prices and fast shipping.

https://www.fabricwholesaledirect.co...erproof-fabric

[Dantp]

Have you tried to find pvc coated polyester.
As used for lorry sides.
Very waterproof and normally cheaper than sunbrella.
Ideally seams are welded but it sews fine as well. Seems can also be stuck down with sikaflex etc. Which can avoid leaks from sewing holes.

Even cheaper is a tarp (as suggested above). If you can find a heavy duty silver/black (each side) one they give good shade.
Also nice to refine the design before using more expensive fabric.
Only last about 12 months at anchor in the tropics but for occasional use would last well.

Dan