Quality Enclosure Panels and Marine Fabrics

A boat is more than just a pleasure craft; it’s an investment that your family enjoys at every opportunity. Protecting your family and your boat is a top priority, so it’s essential to understand what types of flybridge enclosures and fabrics are best for your needs. While not as flexible as something like a bimini or T-top, a marine enclosure will provide an advanced level of protection from the elements.

Marine Enclosures Explained

First, let’s take a look at enclosure curtains and how they can work for you. Panels can be added to hard or soft-top structures using either Keder, fasteners, or zippers. These panels literally enclose around you, creating an area that is protected from the sun and rain on all sides. They aren’t like Bimini tops, which are open-front. Dodgers are also different; they don’t offer complete protection from the rain, sun, or wind because they have an opening at the back and are designed to protect from the front and sides.

Enclosures protect all around. Adding an enclosure to your boat is simple. Just call your trusted local canvas shop or contact Herculite Inc. We can help you find a suitable fabric for your enclosure. Remember, custom engineering your enclosure panels is a great way to ensure they not only fit your boat’s specifications but also match your style and taste.

Types of Enclosure Fabrics

Much like choices for marine covers, enclosure panels come in a variety of fabric options. Here’s a quick rundown:

Vinyl and Polyester Composite

This is an excellent combination that provides flexibility in the fabric. The composite can stay tight on the frame and provides waterproof and mildew resistance. Herculite Inc. offers this composite fabric Regatta. See below for more technical details on this quality product.

Clear Vinyl

This is a popular, standard option that is affordable. The material is flexible and soft and can be rolled up when not in use. A special coating can also make it scratch-resistant. This is an excellent option for a low budget. Just keep in mind that clear vinyl can get creased and scratched easily and can get dingy faster than other materials. Taking care of the clear vinyl by carefully rolling and storing it will help make it last.

Pressed Polished Vinyl

A pressed, polished vinyl like Strataglass or Crystal Clear will provide advanced clarity and durability over the cheaper clear rolled vinyl while maintaining the flexibility that something like polycarbonate or acrylic lacks. Pressed polished vinyl is also far easier to handle and use, giving you the perfect combination of clarity, durability, and flexibility.

Polycarbonate

This is also clear plastic, but it is semi-rigid and nearly unbreakable. Visibility is clearer with this fabric, and it can also be coated with scratch—and UV-resistant chemicals. Polycarbonate isn’t soft like clear vinyl, so it can’t be rolled up. However, it can still be removed if you unzip it from your boat. This option is great if you don’t mind spending the extra money.

Acrylic

This material is also semi-rigid and naturally ultraviolet-ray resistant. Acrylic is also clear and offers great visibility day or night. The material is strong and not easy to break. The best thing about this option is that scratches can be removed with buffing. However, keep in mind that this material can’t be rolled up, isn’t very scratch-resistant, and can be costly.

So now that you have a list of options, where can you find the suitable enclosure fabric for your needs? It’s just a click away! Herculite Inc. offers a line of quality marine fabrics that can be made into a variety of marine covers, including enclosures.

Herculite’s Regatta Marine Fabric is an excellent choice for your enclosure panels. The products are made from a vinyl/polyester composite and offer mildew and UV resistance, are waterproof, lightweight, and can be heat, cold, and abrasion resistant. The Regatta fabric is also coated with the Rain Kleen® finish on the weather side, which provides ease of cleaning, prolongs the life of the boat fabric, and adds to the pleasing appearance of the surface. Best of all both of the products come with a limited warranty.

Visit https://www.herculite.com/marine-fabrics for more information.