Shoretex Products

What Shoretex Products does

Shoretex Products Inc. is a Fergus Falls, Minnesota-based manufacturer of made-to-order marine canvas products, operating continuously in the boating industry since its 1989 origin as a fabric division of Shoremaster Inc. The company was spun off in 1991 and operates today as an employee-owned entity following a 2016 management buyout by long-tenured employees Sharon Heifort and Bill Kasper. Its product portfolio centers on two core lines: custom and semi-custom boat covers, and custom-patterned boat lift canopies, supported by a marine accessories line including Dock Socks, storage nets, and tie-down kits.

The company's technical foundation rests on a proprietary CAD-based pattern library that traces back over 30 years of individually measured boat and lift models, paired with automated cutting, heat welding, and sewing systems. It offers multiple proprietary and curated marine fabrics — including the exclusive Travel Tuff 13 oz coated polyester, Sunburst acrylic-coated polyester, Prism two-ply coated duck, Hydrofend solution-dyed polyester, Shelterite Vinyl, and RecWater — with 5-year warranties on most custom products. Heat-welded seams are a key durability differentiator on lift canopy main panels, eliminating needle puncture holes exposed to UV.

Shoretex operates a multi-channel go-to-market: direct OEM supply to 25+ boat lift manufacturers (Beach King, Hewitt, Shore Master, Great Lakes Lift, Craftlander, FLOE, Summit, EZ Lift, Pier Pleasure, and others), distribution through local marine dealers via a locator tool and B2B portal (dealers.shoretexfabric.com), and sales through six named online retailers (boatcovers.com, iboats.com, covercraft.com, go2marine.com, boatliftanddock.com, boatcoversdirect.com). Pricing is uniformly one-time unit or per-order purchase, with custom and semi-custom covers and lift canopies made-to-order and non-refundable. Manufacturing is entirely U.S.-based in a single facility employing approximately 30 people.

Name

Shoretex Products

Legal name

Shoretex Products Inc.

Website

https://shoretexfabric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shoretex Products Inc. is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of custom and semi-custom marine canvas products, including boat covers and boat lift canopies. The company serves marine dealers, online retailers, and 25+ OEM boat lift manufacturers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fergus Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Boat Covers: Made-to-order custom boat covers patterned specifically for each boat model (year, brand, and model). Features CAD design, automated cutting, and sewing. Higher price point with longer production time.
2. Semi-Custom Boat Covers: More economical option fitting boat style, shape, and design. Available in over 30 different styles including fishing boats, ski boats, cruisers, and pontoons. Sold through dealers.
3. Boat Lift Canopy Covers: Custom patterned replacement canopies for OEM and aftermarket applications. Supports over 30 different boat lift brands. Heat sealed main panels with multiple material options.
4. Marine Accessories: Accessories including dock socks, storage nets, travel-strap kits, lashing kits, prop poles, tie-down straps, vents, and cleaners. Unit pricing for products like Dock Socks ($109-$135).
5. OEM Manufacturing: Original equipment manufacturing for boat lift manufacturers. Products are sold as embedded components for new boat lift systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shoretex Products is a sewing manufacturer of marine canvas products founded in 1989, headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes custom and semi-custom boat covers, boat lift canopy covers, marine accessories, and OEM boat lift canopies. All products are made-to-order using CAD design and a 30+ year pattern library that individually measures each boat model.

Product overview

Shoretex Products is a sewing manufacturer of marine canvas products serving the marine dealer, OEM, and internet dealer markets since 1989. The product portfolio centers on two core product lines—Custom and Semi-Custom Boat Covers, and Boat Lift Canopies—all manufactured to order in Minnesota. Custom Boat Covers are CAD-designed using a 30+ year pattern library for precise fit to specific boat models, while Semi-Custom Boat Covers offer a more economical option for value-minded customers. Boat Lift Canopies are custom-patterned to fit multiple OEM boat lift brands. Supporting these core products are marine fabric materials (Sunburst, Travel Tuff, Prism, Hydrofend for boat covers; Shelterite Vinyl, Hydrofend, RecWater for canopies) and accessories including Dock Socks, storage nets, tie-down kits, support poles, and canvas care products. The company also operates an OEM division supplying original equipment to boat lift manufacturers, and sells through a network of marine dealers and online via boatcovers.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Boat Covers
• Semi-Custom Boat Covers
• Boat Lift Canopies
• OEM Boat Lift Canopy Manufacturing
• Marine Accessories
• Dock Socks
• Lift Loft Canopy Storage Nets

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-year warranty on Hydrofend, Prism, Travel Tuff, and Sunburst custom boat covers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Boatcovers.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline dealer partner selling Shoretex boat covers and boat lift canopy covers through their e-commerce platform. Part of the internet dealer market channel.
• iboats.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marine dealer partner selling Shoretex products through their boat and marine accessories e-commerce platform.
• CovercraftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline dealer partner selling Shoretex boat covers through their cover and marine accessories platform.
• go2marine.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marine parts dealer selling Shoretex boat covers and accessories.
• boatliftanddock.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline dealer specializing in boat lifts and docks, selling Shoretex canopy covers.
• boatcoversdirect.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline dealer focused on boat covers, selling Shoretex products.
• Beach KingcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Shoretex manufactures custom patterned replacement canopies for Beach King boat lifts.
• Great Lakes LiftcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned replacement canopies manufactured for Great Lakes Lift products.
• HewittcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Shoretex has manufactured Hewitt canopy covers for many years.
• Shore MastercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOriginal parent company that created Shoretex in 1989 when it purchased a canvas shop. Now a key OEM customer for boat lift canopy covers.
• CraftlandermajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned canopies for Craftlander boat lifts.
• FLOEmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned replacement canopies for FLOE boat lifts.
• SummitmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned replacement canopies for Summit boat lifts.
• EZ LiftmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned replacement canopies for EZ Lift products.
• Pier PleasuremajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner for boat lift canopy covers. Custom patterned replacement canopies for Pier Pleasure boat lifts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dowco: Dowco designs and manufactures marine covers, specialty covers, and related protection products for powersports and marine markets. It competes head-to-head with Shoretex in OEM and aftermarket marine canvas.
• Covercraft: Covercraft is a leading U.S. manufacturer of custom protective covers for vehicles, boats, and powersports. It is a direct competitor in the custom boat cover market, sharing Shoretex's online distribution channels (Covercraft is itself an online dealer of Shoretex) and overlapping on the OEM and aftermarket boat cover buyer.
• Carver Industries: Carver Industries manufactures custom marine canvas products including boat covers, biminis, and enclosures. It directly competes with Shoretex for custom-fit marine canvas work targeting the same OEM and dealer channels.
• Taylor Made Products: Taylor Made is a long-established manufacturer of marine accessories including custom boat covers, windshields, and tops. It overlaps with Shoretex on custom marine canvas sold through OEM and dealer channels.

Broad incumbents

• West Marine: West Marine is the largest U.S. marine accessories retailer and also sells boat covers under its own and third-party brands. While primarily a retailer rather than a custom canvas manufacturer, it competes with Shoretex for end-consumer cover spend and shelf space at the dealer level.

Others

• ShoreStation / ShoreMaster: ShoreMaster (formerly ShoreStation) is a major U.S. boat lift manufacturer and Shoretex's former parent company; it remains a core OEM customer for canopy covers. Comparable as a strategic customer/channel and as a proxy for the boat lift OEM universe that Shoretex serves.
• FLOE International: FLOE is a U.S. boat lift and dock accessories manufacturer that purchases OEM canopies from Shoretex. Comparable as a customer/channel partner representative of the broader boat lift OEM ecosystem that anchors Shoretex's recurring revenue.
• Sunbrella (Glen Raven Mills): Sunbrella is the dominant marine/outdoor performance fabric brand and a material input to most custom boat covers. It is an enabling supplier and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but its brand and fabric technology shape Shoretex's product positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shoretex Products