Standard work, custom twist

By Sigrid Tornquist

One of the reasons Darren Arthur is good at the marine fabrication business is that he understands the boating community and the user impact of poorly designed or fabricated—or simply worn-out—elements. And that’s often the moment when clients seek out Arthur’s help.

The owners of “Sweetie Pie”—a 2003 cruiser—contacted Nautilux in 2012 because water would penetrate into the vessel’s cockpit area. “This type of project is a common set-up and finish of the work we typically do,” Arthur says. “We deal mostly with the end user individual who comes in with some kind of problem, which we usually solve with standard work that has a custom twist.”

For Sweetie Pie, Arthur designed a series of tracks and changed their position to give proper watershed. He used sealer gaskets to redirect the water by creating drip edges. And to complete the project, he installed EZ2CY® front windows for optimal visibility.

Sigrid Tornquist is a freelance author and editor based in St. Paul, Minn. She is also the associate editor of InTents magazine, a publication of the Industrial Fabrics Association International.