CSC TEXTILES online, supplies SUNBRELLA, Top Gun, Sea Mark, Stamoid and other Professional Boat Fabric...

If You've Been Confused by All the Outdoor Fabric hype which is being sold as for Boat and Marine use, Let me try to shed a little light on it for you...

Selecting the right fabric for your boat or marine application, based on the performance you need and are looking for, is very important...  Protecting your Investment is of foremost importance...  ~ Vote Below, after reading ~

Not All Outdoor Fabric is intended for use in Boat & Marine-type Elements...   If you want it to last long and not create other problems, you need to get the Right Fabric Made for your intended use...

Different Grades and Levels are made for Bimini-Tops, Covers, Dodgers, and proper Mooring-COVERS (to help avoid Mildew Build-up or Mold)...

Regular Sunbrella fabric, although an excellent awning material, is a short-term solution for most of these type applications, since it doesn't contain the level of water-repellency needed for essential marine use...  That is why Sunbrella makes a Special-series intended for Marine applications, called Sunbrella-PLUS-8400-series (Not the Regular Sunbrella)... 

For Boat Covers or Mooring Covers, you should use a Fabric which repels water and moisture better, yet breathes so that some air can filter through and not trap moisture in the boat, which will eventually turn into mildew or mold.  Vents should be also added to help prevent moisture build-up.  Marine Fabrics with the added Water-Repellency needed which Breathe, are TOP GUN,  Sunbrella-PLUS-8400 series (Not Regular Sunbrella), and economical Odyssey...  They have an added treatment-coating on one side, to provide the performance required for marine applications...

How Can You Tell The Difference on the Sunbrella products?   The Marine Sunbrella-PLUS colors, start with the number "84", like 8401 etc...   Sunbrella also applies an additional urethane coating on one side to give it the added repellency needed, and the finish on the treated-side is visibly slightly different than the untreated side...   It does cost a few dollars more, but well worth it...  Regular Sunbrella does Not have this feature... 

If you prefer a Water-Proof Marine Fabric, you could use SEA MARK, or Stamoid.  What makes them Water-Proof is a layer of marine Vinyl applied to one side.  The downfall is that it doesn't breathe, so additional Vents should be installed to assure that moisture doesn't get trapped under the cover.

STAMOID is available in 59"-wide and a larger 80"-width with limited color selections.  It is a woven Polyester-fabric (which is typically used for the outdoor Thread), and has the Vinyl-coating on one side on the Lightweight-series (It is also available with the Vinyl-coating on Both sides as well, on the Double-Coated-series)...

SEA MARK is a blend of Haartz Vinyl and Sunbrella Acrylic laminated together in a 60"-width, and looks like regular Sunbrella on One side...  The use of the Sunbrella-fabric, makes this a very appealing and popular waterproof marine-fabric series...  The added technology also makes it priced higher...

The Waterproof fabrics are better suited for  Boat Top and Bimini Top applications, since there is air flow.

For Bimini Tops, you have many choices... The most reliable and cost-effective are Top Gun, Sunbrella-PLUS-8400 (Not Regular Sunbrella), or economical Odyssey (by the makers of TopGun), and the waterproof Stamoid, and SEA MARK vinyl-laminates.  You can use regular Sunbrella, Dickson and Para-Tempotest for non-essential tops, although they are not the best choices for this.  If you must have a Color-Choice which not available in the Marine-series, then you should First Consider the Para-Tempotest-series since it is more Tightly-Woven, providing you with a better repellency than any of the other Regular-series...  

There are other name brands also available, but not truly worth a mention.

For the best over-all Long-Term Solutions, consider  TOP-GUN (nicely priced), Sunbrella-PLUS 8400 Series (Not Regular Sunbrella), STAMOID, SEA-MARK, or economical-Odyssey... Each Offers Features different from the other, and priced accordingly...  And If they don't offer what you are looking for, then first consider Para-Tempotest, then regular-Sunbrella...   

So you do have a Real Choice...   There's a reason why I carry them all...  Choose Wisely...

(If You Find this Guide Helpful & To Keep It Available For Others,  please remember to Click "Yes" below, after reading...  thanks) 

Enjoy your Ebay experience and Visit Our Store for other Top choices, 

Dave  CSC-Textiles