New canopy leaks like a sieve

[Brayman]

Anyone with recent experience of stitched acrylic canvas?
Waiting since Easter for a new canopy for the aft deck, pleased to see it fitted at last on sunny Friday. Come Saturday night and the rain started, didn't stop until yesterday afternoon (Monday), the aft deck is awash - every stitched seam is dribbling water into what should be a dry area.
I phoned the canopy man this morning and he said the stitching needs to be wet a few times to give the canvas the opportunity to expand to fill the holes made by the needle. This weekend's rain probably not the right sort of rain though.
Is he having me on?

 

[Nautorius]

Hi Brayman,

The man is correct. New canvas needs to expand/contract into a good fit and that means the stitching will leak at first. It should however decrease pretty quickly,

Cheers

Paul

 

[scubaman]

I don't recall having similar problems when we replaced our canopies. The only place that leaked, stayed that way until it was re-stitched. Although it may be that initial leaking happened while I was away.

You could try hosing it down thoroughly a few times and let it dry in between.

 

[jerryat]

If it doesn't self-seal, try using Seamseal, which comes in tube (about toothpaste size) and is simply spread along each leaking seam/stitching. It's colourless and works well.

 

[mjf]

When mine was new - no leaks.

Still the same today.

As a thought - are the windows stitched to the canvas or are they then covered with a second layer. Mine are edged on the inside like a window frame

 

[Heckler]

Fitted new windows in my canopy, got the bits from point north in holyhead, one thing the v nice lady was adamant about was that i buy the sticky back tape to put between the acrylic and the "window" material. this does 2 things, it holds everything in place BUT most imprtant it acts as a sealer for the needle holes!!

 

[Brayman]

Funnily enough it isn't the window stitching so much as all the other stitching, the reinforcement over the hoops mainly, and where the zips have been stitched to the canvas.
I'll give it a few rainy sessions and see how it goes. Should be plenty of those over the next week or so - maybe just too much to give it a chance though! He did mention putting some sealant on if it doesn't naturally seal.
It's not paid for yet thankfully.

 

[itsonlymoney]

I had the same thing, in fact I still do if I power wash the canopy. It takes a few weeks but should stop.

 

[pheran]

Ian
Our new canopy was made of a posh mohairy type of fabric but it leaked over the hood frames too, although only in a couple of places. Zeilmakker Van de Kamp told us it would self-seal and so it did. Obviously works with Dutch rain!! If all else fails I can vouch for the efficacy of SeamSeal. Used it on a previous acrylic hood and it worked a treat.