Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 24

" Each market
is unique and so
are the types of
materials, as well
as the questions
I need to ask
the clients. "
Peyton Ortiz,
Active RV Upholstery Center
past there was lots of color and lots of
patterns in RVs and boats. "
Perhaps part of what's driving that
trend is the desire to avoid having to refurbish
vehicles again soon. " It used to
be that many people would come for an
estimate and might take whatever the
cheapest material option was but lately,
more and more, they're asking for what's
the best, longest-lasting and durable materials, "
Ortiz says. " The move toward
quality over price is obvious. "
LEFT: Projects for the recreation market not
only include aesthetic upgrades; they are
also functional. B's Kustom Kreations used 45
yards of 18-ounce vinyl with multiple zippers
to create skirting for this Fifth Wheel, providing
easy access and installation/removal for the
client. The rear has several hook-and-loop
panels around the plug-ins to assist with total
closure but allow for ease of access. Photo
by Bryan Lute, B's Kustom Kreations.
BELOW: Kastelic Canvas & Upholstery
completely disassembled and reassembled
this loveseat inside the RV. The piece
required new foam wrapped with Dacron,
was reupholstered with Retreat Gourd vinyl
from the " Aura " collection at Trivantage
and was accented with a brown topstitch.
Photo: Kastelic Canvas & Upholstery.
Too much of a good thing?
Currently, the marine fabrication industry
is booming, and fabricators are working
hard to keep up. So now, more than
ever, shop owners are doing what they
can to prevent burnout for themselves
and their employees-especially if they're
small shops and involved in a range of
markets. Keeping up with demand and
preventing burnout can be especially
challenging for family businesses such as
B's Kustom Kreations, which includes
only one employee in addition to the two
owners. " At this point we already have a
30-to-60-day waitlist for small projects
and a six-to-nine-month waitlist for big
projects, " Lute says. " So, we're busy. And
we put a lot of effort into boundaries and
reducing burnout. "
Active RV & Upholstery has also prioritized
burnout prevention. " It's important
not only because we care about employees
and upholsterers, but in a fi eld like
ours if we were to have too much work or
burnout, the work suffers. So preventing
burnout protects both our employees and
our business, " Ortiz says.
Part of setting boundaries includes
rounding estimates up,
says Ortiz.
" We're reluctant to do deadlines but we
will. And we'd rather tell you it takes two
weeks when we think it will take one,
just to have room if we need it, " she says.
" Better to surprise the customer and
have it done early rather than late. "
Across the board, fabricators told us
that a benefi t to crossing market segments
is variety and job security. Still, crossing
over isn't going to be for everyone, Lute
says. " It depends on what you like doing,
what you are comfortable with, and how
much you want to take on. Sometimes it's
not better to be a 'jack of all trades.'
" But you won't know until you try, "
she says.
Sigrid Tornquist is a writer and editor
in Minneapolis, Minn.
24 Marine Fabricator | March/April 2022
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022

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