King Canvas Camper top- opinions?

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Easyvictor.14

New member
Hey Brats,
What has your experience been with King Canvas? Quality of workmanship?
Customer service? Overall design/build of tops?
Shopping locally and nationwide for 23 Venture top.
 
What has your experience been with King Canvas?

I have only seen many of the products on boats and looked at them in detail.

Quality of workmanship?

Looks to be reasonable for the money.

Customer service?

No experience.

Overall design/build of tops?

Quite simplistic with a goal leaning toward sales and simplicity over functionality and durability.

Shopping locally and nationwide for 23 Venture top.

Stay local and come up with your own design to meet your own needs. Look at tops in the albums here on other Ventures and 22s to find some that come closest to what you want then have a local specialist build one for you using good hardware and softgoods. We have done that for 3 boats and it has been worth every penny. If you have more limited time or interest or only plan to use it occaisionally, then a production top may be good enough for your needs and king provides one. The more top you want, the more worthwhile custom becomes although I did see pics recently of a really neat mini bimini top only covering the area near the door.


Greg
 
We are very pleased with quality and price. We had our Bimini installed by King and had a couple of follow up dealings that were quickly addressed. I would give King a thumbs up.
 
No experience with King except seen some of thier work. I had issue with some of the watertight treatment as in needing help. Be sure the top overlaps the cabin top so rain is directed over and not into the cockpit. Look at lots of camperbacks and specify what you want or you'll get what
they want. We've been delighted with our canvas, it has more fabric than window and is perfect for our needs.
George
 
Journey On has full canvass from King, since they built them for the factory back in 2005. After 10 years, still fits, no tears, all seams holding together. Judy puts the bimini up every time the boat goes in the water.

Ordered the window coverings from King after we had the boat for a year. They were shipped to SoCal from Washington and I did the installation. Same quality, but couldn't get any answers on our questions. Solved the problems ourselves and they've worked well.

So, they're good, just have them do the installation.

The front windshield covers were designed for fitting on the outside, which appears to be the standard way. I installed them on the inside which made more sense. Finally cut the single front curtain into 3 separate pieces which worked better. Also, use 3M waterproofing every other year or so.

Boris
 
We have a King camperback on the '06 TomCat. We have used the bimini a bunch, and really like it. We will use the camperback function this summer in Alaska. We put it all up here in the garage last week to remind ourselves how it goes together. My observations were that there was a significant gap where the sides intersect with the cabin top. There is a fist size gap that will definitely let in rain and insects. We will have to devise a cover for the gap. There is a similar, but smaller gap at the top, where the side transitions to the back. Overall the construction is good, but the design needs improvement. As I remember it was around $3K in 2010.
 
We had ours made by Jeans Canvas out of Belford New Jersey back in 2009 for 4000 dollars. I think they saved the pattern. They did a nice job and it held up well. We had bags made for the side curtains with the windows and always wrapped them up in an old sheet around a swim noodle.
Jeans Canvas Products 732 787 0070. I think from some that I have seen King can be the luck of the draw. If you know what I mean. Like everything else some liked them some did not. We always got complements on our canvas. Always stayed dry no matter how hard it rained.
D.D.
 
Thanks all!
King quoted $2650 not installed, for the 23 Venture. Price seems fair, but I'm talking to a local custom canvas shop to build one exactly like I want.
Planning to use a few ideas I've seen here.
Most notably, I want the top to cover the lazarrette hatches and come down in to the splash well. I'd also like to keep the roofline as consistent with the cabin roofline rather than sticking up higher than the cabin.
 
We had our 2004 CD25 top built by King but we picked it up from the CD factory, hauled it back to Oregon and then installed it following Dave's instructions. Overall, it was a good top but lacked specific features that we have on our 23V top which we designed and built ourselves.

My advice given your location, would be to look at existing tops and note the features that you want and then find a local canvas shop to fabricate the top to fit your needs. IMHO, you will be happier especially if issues arise with the design and construction (Seattle to Texas is an expensive shipping charge).

Good luck.
 
My experience has been pretty much along the lines which Greg noted. I have had 4 boats. The first one we had the camper canvas done by Harbor Marine in Long Beach CA--to my specs, and good--but they had done work for me for many years. The Tom Cat I had a friend who does slow but excellent work do it to my and his design--excellent. The C Dory 25, I ordered a king, because my friend was backed up, and I needed it for the AK trip. It was barely satisfactory. Fit was not good, the issue with some gaps, etc. The quality of vinyl was inferior. The some cut edges were not even hot knifed--no binding of edges (my custom had all of the edges bound).

The C Dory 22 we currently own has a King Canvas Bimni, and it is OK--not what I would ideally want, but better than the one made for the 25. It is possible that they did the installation, and the vinyl is one size heavier than the one king did for my 25. (I prefer Strataglass or or one of the pressed vinlys rather than the clear rolled (can be from 10 to 40 mils in thickness.

Look at a lot of pictures, and give thought to what you want.
 
Am happy with the canvas they made for my boat, yes there are some things I would have liked done different, but I can live with it as is. As far as customer service, they came to the job I was working on at the time and picked my boat up and than dropped it off after they were done. Can't beat that! But not sure they will come to Dallas for your boat, there are limits.
 
I just met with the owner of our local Canvas shop,
I'm planning a cross between the top on Will C and My IRA. We're going to use stainless hardware, ball/socket mounts, Sea Mark Bimini top, Sunbrella vertical canvas, 40 ga Crystal Clear eisenglass, smiley zippers on aft side windows, zipper U cuts in top for easy boarding, Awning rail attachment on cabin roof and sides with the zipper just off the rail, Velcro flap canvas over the aft cleats, power cord access on both sides, rear zip door for boarding from swim platform, Sunbrella privacy panels for all windows, a boot for the Bimini when folded and lastly......a custom engine cowling cover!!!
I didn't spec bug screens, he said I can add them later no problem.

Does anyone see anything I missed???

$3000 installed and 10 yr material warranty.
 
I really like the quick release pins that came with our bimini/camperback frame. Our installers put two up near the bulkhead for storing when not in use and it fits perfectly under our radar arch. The other two were installed in the middle of the gunnels for usage. These work great and I highly recommend them.

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Stored against bulkhead (before Radar Arch installed)
DSCF0555.sized.jpg
 
Have the bimini sewn with Tenara thread if you are going to be leaving it up much. This will cost slightly more, but save a re-sew in 5 or so years--again, if you are going to be stowing it in the boot, then probably not worth it.
 
I just got back yesterday from King Canvas picking up our 23 Venture with a new full storage cover. It covers from the anchor around the radar arch and slants over the cockpit with straps/buckles all around for cinching down.

Have to say Josh and all the folks there were great to work with and I'm impressed with the quality and work on the cover!!!

Very exciting now I can clean the boat, put it back in the storage yard, put the cover on and then have a clean boat ready to go for our next trip.

Even asked them to make a radar dome cover (sick of bugs when going down the interstate) and covers for the 150 and 15hp engines.

Coming from Portand was a ways to go to Seattle but I'm happy now that I saw the cover yesterday.

Now off to add more to the boat, go boating, clean it and then put it away with the cover on.

Happy Boating,

Crazy John Frazey
 
I think Greg (Aurelia) is spot on. All camperbacks are NOT the same. We have had King camperbacks on our CD22 and our CD16. Unless you ask for something different, you are going to get a bimini and three other pieces - a left and right side and the back. They would only do something different if you told them and better yet showed them what you wanted. As you can see from the picture, the side piece doesn't roll up, and to open it you have to roll back. I cannot recommend this type of camperback, but it is what you will get from King unless you specify something different.
PICT0013.sized.jpg

By the time we got our CD25, we had a better idea what we wanted - at least two pieces on each side that rolled up with a strap to hold them up, as you can see in this picture.
tty_and_Baxter_on_Daydream_at_Anchor_5_25_07.sized.jpg

This camperback is actually a bit more complicated, since it also has two other panels on each side at the stern between the aft side panel and the back panel. It was made by Canvas Makers in Anacortes. Unfortunately, they are out of business.

But my point is the same as Greg's - look at pictures of a lot of camperbacks, decide what you want, and then go to a local canvas maker and tell and show them exactly what you want, don't let them decide for you.
 
That top looks great Pat! I think I have a design finalized, I'm also having a slant back cockpit cover made that secures with the same snaps and belt rail that the top uses. Should be good for in season storage while away from the boat.
 
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