Boat Canvas Windows

Exhibit A: Boat Canvas Windows

Ah, beloved boat canvas.  If you haven’t yet had the pleasure (and want a good laugh), check out this article on the joys of dealing with boat canvas.

Today’s tale is a cautionary one, and one I was forced to learn the hard way.  You see, boat canvas is arguably more delicate than a newborn’s tooshie, and canvas needs tender love and care throughout its use, cleaning and storage. 

Apart from developing unsightly folds, scars, scratches and blemishes, canvas windows also have the delightful property of burning when resting against hot metal.  Praise unto the geniuses who designed boat canvas to fit tightly against metal bimini poles!  Let’s hope these Mensa graduates aren’t the same people who design our airplanes.

Essentially, when hot metal and canvas windows touch each other, the metal burns into the plastic window until ugly, irreparable scarring appears (see Exhibit A, above).

You can’t scrub, spray, buff, or otherwise remove this chemically-altered blemish from your canvas, so don’t even try.  And, what’s worse, the reaction will eventually lead to structural decay and could result in rips, tears and holes developing.  Yippee.

You could use these handy plastic pieces that stand the canvas off a few millimeters from the metal, but you’d need a lot of them to be effective:

Canvas Plastic Window Savers

By the time I got around to using them it was too late for my windows, which had been neglected at length by the previous owner.  Poor plastic windows!

The one and only method you can use to stave off this terrible plague is to use Sun Sox.  These cheap, clever little devices will keep your canvas off the hot metal and clear as an autumn day in New England.

IF you have newer vinyl windows and have NOT employed the use of this device, PLEASE purchase it NOW and begin to use it IMMEDIATELY.  Once it’s too late, you’re in for a new set of canvas whether you like it or not. 

As for me, it’ll be time in the next year or two to bite the bullet (zinc?) and get new camper canvas windows.  And you can bet your burn that I’ll be getting matching Sox to go with them.