How to Make a Webbing Strap That Loops Around A Tubing Frame

Webbing straps are used to help tension dodger and bimini frames. A well-made webbing strap allows you to tension boat tops and covers with a single pull. What's great about the versatility of webbing straps is the ability to adjust the tension easily, unlike with rigid support struts made from tubing. Webbing straps are lighter than rigid struts, so they save weight on your boat. Webbing straps are also much more affordable than struts, another benefit to using adjustable webbing straps to tension your bimini or dodger top. In today's blog, we're going to show you how to make your own webbing strap that loops around a tubing frame on your boat.

In this short video tutorial, we will show you how to sew your own adjustable webbing strap and also how to loop it around your boat frame to install it on your boat. In order to keep your webbing strap from sliding along the boat frame or rail, it's important that your strap is kept at a 90-degree angle to the rail. This means the webbing strap should be installed where the bimini or dodger frame runs parallel or almost parallel to the rail at the strap's attachment point.

There are two ways to attach webbing straps to a boat top frame: a webbing loop or with a snap hook that locks to an attachment point on the railing. In this video's method, the webbing is looped around the frame — there is no snap hook — and that is why the railing and frame have to be parallel.

The materials you will need to make your own webbing straps are: 1-inch nylon webbing, 1-inch webbing slider, loop loc, a snap hook, a hotknife, UV resistant thread and a sewing machine that can sew through three layers of webbing. We recommend a heavy-duty sewing machine like the Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® Sewing Machine. It's indispensable for the self-reliant boater who wants to make his or her own canvaswork, seating and upholstery projects.

Watch the video below to see how to sew a webbing strap for your boat's bimini or dodger frame.