[billybob.1234]

Hi All,

I apologize if I'm posting this is the wrong place, but after 30 pages of interior/exterior and 22 pages of repairs, I figured this is as good a place as any.

Does anyone have experience or knowledge as far as what works for repairing knife damage to a soft top? Someone last night got the great idea to slash my top while it was in the parking lot.

It is the touring edition with the insulation, but I don't really care about the insulation. The main purpose of the soft top is to keep me dry and I rarely use it anyway.

Any help or points in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[4380r]

Hi All,

I apologize if I'm posting this is the wrong place, but after 30 pages of interior/exterior and 22 pages of repairs, I figured this is as good a place as any.

Does anyone have experience or knowledge as far as what works for repairing knife damage to a soft top? Someone last night got the great idea to slash my top while it was in the parking lot.

It is the touring edition with the insulation, but I don't really care about the insulation. The main purpose of the soft top is to keep me dry and I rarely use it anyway.

Any help or points in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Replace. Like a tent, canvas, or sail it can be patched and stitched. But it will look patched and stitched. If that's not what you want, you have to replace it.

 

[billybob.1234]

Thanks for the quick reply. Replacing really isn't an option right now. I don't have $1400 or so the dealer is asking for a new one. I've looked on ebay, ebayuk as well as this site for one but I haven't found anything at all.

Any more suggestions would be helpful.

 

[Slipstreamer]

Might be cheaper to have the top replaced at a leather upholstery shop. Hopefully they carry the fabric, or can get one for you.

 

[RacyTracy]

If patched from the inside, it might not look too bad from the outside.....it will be noticeable of course, but a lot cheaper than buying a new top.

 

[SirLotus]

If you are not concerned about a perfect repair, I would glue a patch on the inside, under the insulation, bringing the cut edges together, it might not look too bad either.
Cheers,
Michael

 

[aschen]

I would bring to an apholstery shop and see what they can do for you. They should have some reasonably priced options available. Look out for used ones posted here as well...

 

[SweetDaddyD]

I've always wondered if a boat shop would be able to able to use the existing ends and cables and make/attach a new canvas to them. ???

Keep watching here as well. They pop up from time to time. I've seen a few sell on here anywhere from $250-$600

 

[RacyTracy]

Maybe someone here has a 'junk' one and would cut you a square to use as a patch.

 

[MikeinAlexandria]

I would guess that a Soft Top shop could remove the damaged panel and stitch in a new one. Lotus really wants $1400? Did you try Hanger 111 in the UK?

 

[bigDog]

Mighty Mend It from the Late Billy Mays

 

[Implosion]

I've always wondered if a boat shop would be able to able to use the existing ends and cables and make/attach a new canvas to them. ??

In my former life, I was a sailmaker (before discovering that i'm actually interested in a decent wage bracket).

Should not be much of a challenge for a descent canvasworker to turn out a new soft-top, if you are not interested in the insulation. There is no shape to the piece, other than induced shape, and the edge trims (wire passes) are similarly pretty basic.

I would expect that you will have to go through a couple fitting iterations. The lateral sizing of the piece will be the hardest part, I expect. The fabric, edging, and wire passes all have different stretch characteristics which will take a bit of adjustment to sync up.

Frankly, I would avoid taking it to a sailmaker (or a clothesmaker, for that matter) unless they also do a good volume of canvas work. They are each pretty specific skillsets.

 

[Spudboy]

Why not take it to someone that does replacement soft tops for convertibles? They prob can get the same exact material.

 

[billybob.1234]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I was hoping someone had gone through a similar situation. Someone decided to slash the soft top, didn't steal anything, didn't hurt anything else, just the top.

And it figures, the one night it's not in the garage.

Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions. I'm going to possibly pursue a few different routes and I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[Paddy G]

Well this thread is pretty old. Did you ever find a way to get it repaired? The same thing happened to me this week. It was a pretty serious bummer.

Eventually i'll file a insurance claim to try to get it replaced, but i'm interested in repairing if it is possible.

 

[SCamper]

Hey Paddy.

Damn I hate seeing crap like this and the people who do it. Where did this happen? Do you still have your hard top to put on? If not, I am not using my soft top, and you may borrow mine until you get yours sorted out.

All the best with the repair/ replacement.

Alex

 

[Motard]

I swear I worry every time I leave eyesight of my car.

Sorry someone messed with your car. I'm glad they were not really in a fit and decided to mess with your paint too.

It's really cool seeing the immediate brotherhood from SCamper!

 

[kfennell]

Well this thread is pretty old. Did you ever find a way to get it repaired? The same thing happened to me this week. It was a pretty serious bummer.

Eventually i'll file a insurance claim to try to get it replaced, but i'm interested in repairing if it is possible.

IMO You're crazy filing an insurance claim on that, just buy a used one off the forums for $700 or so instead of taking the insurance hit.

 

[exigegus]

Some many years ago my friends and I bought a GP medium, as in Tent, General Purpose, Medium,,,.....The US Army's definition of 'medium' is `16'x32' as in the tents from MASH, in fact it was Korean war vintage. WE bought some canvas and some adhesive that was probably similar to GE 5200 and patched it up. The patches didn't leak. It served as a garage for my +2 for one winter, and as a weekend camping party tent many times

Army Duck Canvas Fabric | Black | 10.10 ounce | 60" wide | Wholesale

for instance

patch from the inside, one tear at a time, put glue on the face of the patch and lay the top over it. weight it down overnight with some books or somesuch so it stay flat. If you are careful you will see the line of the cut and a flat spot the size of the patch but you will not see buckling like stitching would and it won't leak

no experience:

Canvas Repair Kits - Iron Patches | ironpatches.co

but may be worth a try

 

[luxige]

A suggestion - do a good patch with watertightness being the main concern over aesthetics. (You'd never be able to hide it anyway.) Then cover the repair with a racing stripe in a contrasting color of fabric.