Specialty Fabrics Review November 2022 - 22

[ PERSPECTIVE ]
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Better is possible
An optimal address can only
carry a business so far, however;
Charlton's boating expertise and
creativity set him apart from
the surrounding competition.
Sailing every weekend since he was
a child helped Charlton develop a level
of knowledge-and enthusiasm-about
boats that surpasses the knowledge base
of many customers and local canvas
shop employees. " I know exactly how a
sailor is going to sail their boat, where
the lines are going to come through the
enclosure and how they're going to use
it, so I design based on that, " he says.
There's also the fact that Charlton
The secret stitch
When it comes to marine fabrication, Mike Charlton, owner of Charlton's
Marine Canvas, Yorktown, Va., has no greater pride or pleasure than designing
one-of-a-kind projects that pop. His favorite to date is a 25-foot Parker center
console enclosure he and his wife and business partner, Rachel, installed on
their personal boat.
They incorporated a padded diamond pleat into the enclosure panel, which
was unlike anything they had seen before. The project took a week of practice
to complete because stitching a diamond pleating causes the fabric to shrink.
" If you were stitching diamond pleating into a 12-by-12-inch piece of fabric,
it might be 11 by 11 inches when you're done, " Charlton explains. " But the
enclosure had a surrounding border that had to remain flat. And it's all one
piece of canvas. So, after a lot of trial and error, I used a secret strategy I'm
not ready to give away. People still tell me it looks impossible. "
A local Parker boat seller saw the design on Charlton's boat and requested
it for his own boat-and the marina owner who saw that boat then asked
Charlton to make him one as well. " Now everyone buying a boat there is
going to see this unique design on his boat and consider paying us top dollar
to achieve a more exclusive look, " Charlton says. " It's like the Louis Vuitton®
bag of enclosures. "
is never not thinking about boats. " I'm
constantly dreaming up new ideas that
have never been done before; my mind
does not seem to rest. Money is an
important part of having a business,
but I really care about the work itself.
Every job is an art piece to me. I am
always asking, 'How can we do this
differently?' 'How can we make this
look better?' Sometimes I'm even
more excited than the customer about
all the ways a project can enhance not
only their boat but their experience on
the water. "
The skills he honed while working
for his parents kick into overdrive here.
" That job taught me that no matter
what challenge you are presented
with, there is always a creative way to
solve it. We made sure every customer
could drive, no matter what disability
they had, " Charlton recalls. " I have
taken this attitude into my business as
well. We don't give up, no matter how
complicated a project becomes. "
Happiness is key
Charlton and his wife typically
design, construct and install two to
five projects a month. They build
flexibility into a specific time frame
22 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / November 2022
Specialty Fabrics Review November 2022

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