New Canvas - what to do

Thanks, JJF - I have a similar tool from Sailrite I can use.

@wspitler - looking at the curtains, most of the panels are primarily stratoglass with canvas trim. How much will a 2" piece of canvas stretch? For the 3 rear panels, it makes a lot of sense, as they are about half canvas.

I've got them stored flat on my pool table currently, only one seems to have a bit of a curl to it which is being corrected.
 
just a thought

don't fit things too tight, because the curtains have a tendency to expand/contract
 
When I installed my new Canvas, I let it hang for 2 to 3 days, then pulled it tight by hand marking where the snaps would go. It now stays nice and tight regardless of the outside air temperature and has been that way for three or four years now. Of course, the longer it is in the vertical axis and the larger amount of Canvas versus strata glass, you can expect more more or less stretch I suspect.
 
Got the new enclosure installed Friday. Overall, quite happy with it.

Some thoughts after doing it. The approach I asked about above is how I went - started with front center, and worked around both sides from there, alternating so both sides were progressing similarly. Snap tools. I had a rivet style kit from Sailrite which uses snaps with holes in the top, which are different than what was supplied with the enclosure. A friend indicated he had a snap tool I could borrow, and met me at the boat a week or so ago. It turned out that it was the kind used with a hammer, which would not work on board. I then tried the cheapo kit from West Marine, which was beyond frustrating and aggravating, as the parts would not stay put, and required a punch to make a hole first. I bit the bullet, and ordered the Press and Snap tool from Sailrite. This is one of those jobs where having the right tool really helps.

Only issue I ran into was on the 3 rear curtains, where they were 3/4" shorter than the existing snaps. I suspect that my old ones had really shrunk - was never able to zip them together, and therefore did not use them. Next week, I'll drill 4 new holes and install new studs. Thinking I may simply leave the old ones in place, rather than trying to patch the holes and match gel.

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