This ebook series covers all the basic skills involved in boat maintenance. Paul describes each topic area in a well-organized, easy to understand manner, and includes photos and illustrations to make things even easier to grasp.
By the way, are you thinking that you already know how to do this stuff? Great. How about your cruising partner? Does she (or he) know these basic skills too? If not, these booklets will be excellent educational and reference sources!
CRUISING HOW-TO Making Handrail Covers by Paul Esterle
Note from Trish: You may already know Cap’n Pauley. If you don’t, you should. He is a “man for all boats” and has written scads of boat-related “how tos” for marine magazines big and small. With this month’s special offer covering his basic maintenance ebook series, this article serves as a taste of the quality information you can always expect from Paul.
I guess I’m pretty lucky. My wife, Pat, does all the varnish work aboard our boat. She can put on six or eight coats of varnish perfectly. Satin varnish below decks and gloss on the small amount of wood, the handrails, we have above deck. After all that work, it is a shame to leave the varnish work out in the weather. To prolong the life and look of the varnish, we designed and made covers from Sunbrella fabric. Here’s how it was done.
Like most projects aboard a boat, the first step is to make a pattern to get the sizing right. In this case, the patterns were simply newspaper folded and taped together with scotch tape. I laid the newspaper over the handrail and marked where the handrail met the deck. I made the fit a loose one and allowed several inches extra length on each end of the pattern so I could adjust for the proper length.
I removed the pattern from the handrail and laid it out on a smooth surface with the marks facing up. This surface will be the inside of the cover. I added another 1-1/2” of material for seam allowance to each side of the pattern to allow for a doubled hem.
Once the fit of the pattern passed inspection, I cut it apart so we could use it to mark the fabric. As I mentioned above, I used Sunbrella fabric for the covers. You can choose a color to match any existing canvas you may already have. I selected a light color, called “oyster”, to reduce any heating from the sun.
The first step was to cut a long strip of fabric. This strip was the width I measured using the pattern plus 1-1/2” more per side. This extra width was the allowance for a doubled hem wide enough to sew Velcro strips on. I added a couple of inches to the length of the material to adjust for the curved end of the handrail.
Sunbrella fabric has a tendency to unravel after being cut. There are several ways to counteract this. One is to run the edge of the fabric through a flame to melt and seal- the edge, tricky at best. The other way is to cut the fabric with a hot knife. I’m not talking cutlery here, but a flat blade that fits in an electric soldering iron. Be sure to cut on a smooth surface like chip board or plywood. I did leave some burn marks on the cutting surface but the fabric won’t unravel.
Now on to the sewing instructions. Remember that I’m not a seamstress, so my instructions may sound a little strange to someone who is. Don’t laugh at me but, hopefully, you’ll be able to give these instructions to someone who sews and they will understand them or you will understand them yourself even if you’re a non-sewer.
I folded over the 1-1/2” hem allowance and creased it. Then I sewed a line of stitching about a quarter of an inch from the edge. I did this on both long sides of the fabric strip. I then folded the edge of the hem underneath the layer I just sewed by a half an inch and stitched this about a quarter of an inch from the edge of the second fold.
This gave me a piece of fabric with a doubled hem on the two long edges. These hems would end up on the inside of my handrail cover. I laid the strip over the handrail, being sure to have the seams on the inside, and marked where the handrail openings were. I then sewed strips of Velcro to the inside hems at the places of the handrail openings.
Velcro strips consist of a hook side and a loop side. Make sure you get one of each type opposing each other. A loop strip won’t fasten to another loop and a hook won’t fasten to another hook strip. I sewed all of one type on one side before sewing the other type on the other side, just to keep things straight.
At this point I had a long strip of fabric, with a double hem and Velcro strips sewn in place. Drape the strip over the handrail and press the Velcro together. I pulled the ends together and marked for trimming. I allowed a half an inch of fabric for a seam. Don’t be tempted to make the ends tight with the end of the handrail. First of all, you need to allow space for the seam inside the cover. Secondly, if the ends are too tight, the cover will tend to ride up and expose the end of the handrail.
I took the fabric strip off the handrail and trimmed the ends to match the line I just marked. Remember, the seam is to be sewn on the inside of the cover so I turned it inside out, then sewed two lines of stitching in the seam allowance, about a quarter of an inch apart. After turning the cover right sides out, it was ready to install.
There you have it, a quick and easy way to protect your bright finished handrails from varnish degrading UV rays. The cover in the picture has been in use for a couple of years now. I haven’t, or rather; Pat hasn’t had to re-varnish any of them.
Note from Trish: 
This gave me a piece of fabric with a doubled hem on the two long edges. These hems would end up on the inside of my handrail cover. I laid the strip over the handrail, being sure to have the seams on the inside, and marked where the handrail openings were. I then sewed strips of Velcro to the inside hems at the places of the handrail openings. 
I took the fabric strip off the handrail and trimmed the ends to match the line I just marked. Remember, the seam is to be sewn on the inside of the cover so I turned it inside out, then sewed two lines of stitching in the seam allowance, about a quarter of an inch apart. After turning the cover right sides out, it was ready to install.
