All covers when initially fitted will be tight. Canvas stretches and as such a week or two with the cover erected, and all fittings attached, will take out the stretch and give a user-friendly fit.
With motorboat covers with zip-out sections, the panels can usually be rolled up rather than zip removed and this will usually be easier. Leave the to 75mm of zip attached so there is no need to separate the zip at the starting block.
Open-ended zips where the two halves completely separate can be awkward to zip up without experience and especially when the covers are new.
The trick is to start all the zips and only run the slider about 75 to 100mm. Once all zips are engaged and started, then close the zips.
It is imperative that a little silicon non-staining grease or Vaseline is placed into the alloy starting blocks of the zips and the slider and this is repeated periodically as part of servicing the zips.
To lubricate the zip teeth, candle wax rubbed against the teeth is all that is required.
Stitching will leak initially on new covers. A needle has to make a slightly larger hole than the thread. We use a sewing thread which is coated with an anti-wick treatment and will gradually seal the stitch holes with time and repeated soaking of the canvas through rain. You will notice the water ingress will decline.
A stitch sealer as used on a waterproof coat is either a brush applied clear sealer, which when dry looks unsightly or a heat welded tape which becomes delaminated with time and again looks very unsightly.
For cleaning, we recommend a soft bristle car wash brush that clips onto the end of a hosepipe and they can be brought with a long handle so the roof areas can be reached. This is all that is required if the canvas is cleaned regularly, just fresh water and gentle agitation with the brush.
For more information, read the rest of our FAQS or visit the Sunbrella following links:
Sunbrella care and cleaning pdf, Sunbrella care and cleaning video, Sunbrella technical leaflet, Sunbrella stain removal chart
