Marine fabrics, both inside and outside the boat, have a tough life so they have been developed to cope with extremes of heat, cold, sunlight, water ingress and humidity.

Nowadays you can add some other considerations – the demand for easy cleaning and unadulterated style.

Manufacturers are catering to the entire range of boaters, from the budget-conscious day-sailor to the multi-millionaire superyacht owner, so it’s little surprise that producing robust and fashionable marine fabrics has become a highly competitive sector.

Also driving sales is an increasing awareness of the environment.

Boat owners are seeking fabrics that are comfortable and attractive to live with, yet haven’t cost the earth, literally

The new collection from Sunbrella. Credit: Sunbrella

At a recent marine trade show, fabric specialists rolled out their latest collections, and here are some of our favourite advances.

By using 100% silicon, the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, fabric makers have produced a remarkably flexible and resilient cloth.

Silicon-based ‘faux leather’ is very soft to the touch and is available in a wide range of colours.

Typical examples are from the French manufacturer Alonso Mercader, whose sales manager Jofre Bosch demonstrated the enhanced stain resistance by marking the surface with a ballpoint pen.

The ink vanished with a simple rub of his thumb. “This material has only just been released, and is selling really well,” he explained.

Alonso Mercader’s Jofre Bosch shows a sample of artificial leather, made from 100% silicon. Credit: Jake Kavanagh

“Silicon is totally natural and is much greener to use in manufacturing. The fabric is also better than real leather in terms of resistance to wear and tear, and UV degradation.”

Similar products were also on show from the Italian firm Italvipla, which was promoting its Sileather ‘silicon coated’ fabrics.

These are available in a wide range of colours and are described as ‘recyclable, easy to clean, resistant to stains, mould and humidity and with high fire resistance.’

Marine fabrics: foam-free cabin lining

Many boat owners will have experienced ‘headlining droop’ as the foam backing on their vinyl cabin lining slowly disintegrates with age.

Alonso Mercader has addressed this problem with a 3D fabric-backed alternative called Airflow.

The new material is also said to offer better insulation, which helps reduce the energy required for heating or air conditioning aboard.

Airflow is resistant to hydrolysis, the main reason for the failure of foam.

Airflow is a new concept in cabin lining material where a ‘3D’ fabric replaces the traditional polyurethane foam. The new backing resists hydrolysis and has improved insulation. Credit: Jake Kavanagh

As no harsh chemicals are needed for the manufacturing process, the material is generally kinder to the environment.

Another point of failure in external marine fabrics is the tie-down points in awnings and covers.

These are usually metal eyelets punched into the material but aren’t always in the right place, so get put under unnecessary stress.

Netherlands-based Telstar Marine has developed a solution called the TM Block, which consists of a simple plastic attachment that slides along an extrusion sewn into the side of the cover.

No more torn eyelets: Telstar’s TM block slides to lock in the best position. Credit: Jake Kavanagh

The sliders can easily be repositioned to provide the best lead to an anchor point.

The crew can also add as many blocks as they like to tie down a large awning in bad weather.

The TM blocks are available in either black or white.

Reversible marine fabrics

Many upholsterers like using a reversible fabric, as it gives more design options from the same roll.

Spain’s Spradling has introduced a new collection of fabrics called Kizuna with three distinct designs available: Artisan, Checker and Tweed.

“Checker is the most popular design, followed by Artisan, due to its hand-crafted look,” said European marketing director Natalia Cortés.

“Tweed is a more structured design, which also has great appeal. The collection is aimed at boat owners who want more neutral tones. The reversible nature of the fabric means each side has the same properties – washable, UV and stain resistant – but you can choose between lighter or darker effects within the same roll. We offer 35 colours across the three designs.”

Ultrafabrics’ interior lining collection uses cellulose fibres from sustainable forests. Credit: Ultrafabrics

100% Solution Dyed Acrylic

The biggest enemy of marine upholstery is UV light, which can fade the pigments and give different zones of bleaching.

The buzz phrase at METStrade, however, was ‘100% Solution-Dyed Acrylic’, and one of its champions was the Spanish manufacturer Recasens.

“This is the best polymer on the market right now,” said Recasens’ Luis Castenada. “The colour is right at the heart of the fibre, not coated or laminated after weaving, so it is almost impossible for UV to fade it. There are no inconsistencies in the colour across the finished fabric, either. We offer a 12-year warranty against sun fading, currently the longest in the market. We also give a five- year warranty against wear and tear. You can even clean the material with bleach. It doesn’t get hot, is breathable and fully antibacterial.”

Sustainable marine fabrics

Fabric manufacturers across all sectors are developing more sustainable products.

Leading companies include the French manufacturer Sunbrella, which has just released a new collection to reflect the natural world.

Mindful of its ecological impact, the company has implemented sustainable actions which include recycling 100% of the acrylic waste from its two factories.

From this year, a collection known as ‘Endless Stories’ will be dedicated to recycling, with up to 50% of the fabric containing recycled fibres.

Vyva’s robust fabrics have a high percentage of PET recyclates. Credit: Jake Kavanagh

Meanwhile, Dutch company Vyva has also been a pioneer in reusing materials from the plastics industry, producing a series of hard-wearing, lightfast and colourful fabrics for marine applications.

Looking to use more natural, plant-based fibres is UK-based manufacturer Ultrafabrics, which has been championing sustainable filaments for some time.

The company is focused on producing the ‘fabrics of tomorrow’ which include Volar Bio, intended for below decks only, which incorporates renewable and plant-based material as the foundation.

Ultrafabrics has also introduced Tencel modal fibres into its polyurethanes, a man-made cellulose manufactured from beech wood and sourced from sustainable forests.

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