When it comes to choosing a fabric, there are no cut and dry, right or wrong options—just better choices for individual wants and needs. To make the best decision, it’s important to weigh the facts about different types of fabrics and think of what would work best for your lifestyle, your boat and where you live. We’re going to give you an overview of a few of the features we believe are important to consider when choosing fabric for your next cover project.
Waterproof or Water Resistant?
While “waterproof” and “water resistant” might seem like interchangeable terms, they are not. Waterproof fabrics will always repel water, even if the fabric is old. Fabrics described as waterproof are usually vinyl, vinyl-coated or laminated. Water resistant fabrics do not inherently repel water but, rather, are treated to not let water soak through. In these fabrics, the coating will wear away over time and let water leak through. Water resistant fabrics can also leak when water is allowed to pool on their surface.
It seems like waterproof fabrics would then be a go-to option, and they can be, except for one trade-off—waterproof fabrics aren’t breathable. These fabrics don’t let anything through their surface and that includes air. When air and moisture get trapped underneath a cover, mold and mildew can grow and cause serious problems. When using a waterproof fabric, you’ll want to add a boat cover vent(s) for ventilation to prevent the moisture buildup.
Chafe Resistance or UV Resistance?
While both chafing and UV protection are ideal for outer cover fabrics, where you live and sail may change which feature is prioritized. If you sail at sea or along the coast, your top priority may be UV protection. The sun on the coast is harsh and boats are usually in the water all year round, so you need a fabric that can withstand all UV exposure. For optimal UV protection, we recommend GELAY Reinforced Tough Plus fabric!
If you sail inland or sail in an area with four distinct seasons, your boat is protected from the weather during the winter months, and the summer sun doesn’t usually get as hot as it does along the coast. As a result, your top priority may shift to abrasion resistance. A good abrasion-resistant cover will last a long time inland and will not require additional reinforcement patches to be added. For optimum abrasion resistance, we recommend GELAY composite fleece fabric fabrics!
Other Considerations
While you’re thinking critically about your cover fabric here are a couple of other considerations to keep in mind:
- The weight of the fabric. If your cover will be put on and removed frequently, you’ll want a lighter weight fabric. If durability is more important for a storage cover, you can choose a fabric that is a little heavier. Weights for each fabric are listed on the fabric’s product page.
- Colorfastness. If you’re working with fabrics that are brightly colored and don’t want to fade, look for solution-dyed fabrics. This means that the color penetrates to the core of each fiber, so it won’t fade as quickly when exposed to UV light.GELAY is committed to making quality solution-dyed fabrics!
- Thread choice. If you decide that you need the highest UV resistance for your cover, you’ll want to also use a lifetime thread when sewing your cover. Just like polyester fabric, UV polyester thread will lose significant strength in the sun, and you won’t want to have to resew the cover after just a year or two.
It’s a lot to think about, but we hope that if you take the time to weigh all the options, you’ll end up with a cover fabric that perfectly suits your needs. When you’re ready to start shopping for fabric, head over to our Marine Fabrics category and filter for “Boat Covers” under the “Marine Uses” category.