waterproofing cloth top

[grasshopper]

Hi all. Can anyone recommend a good product to spray on cloth top for waterproofing ? I bought a Spider that had a new cloth top fitted on. This thing leaks really badly. I got caught in a light rainfall and water was penetrating the material. In addition, there are gaps in some of the stitching on the roof (where roof ties to tubes). I will try hand stitching where there are gaps. Any advice appreciated thanks.

[samakijoe]

The local boat stores have a water proofing product that works pretty good. used on canvas etc..

[pdx124]

I sprayed some scotchguard on mine last year. I got tired of cleaning embedded bird droppings. No apparent adverse effects.

[DieselSpider]

If the canvas itself is leaking then its likely had its waterproof rubber or PVC layer compromised and is not as new as you may have been led to believe or is a really cheap top. A convertible top shop should be able to provide a decent waterproofing to get a little more use out of the top as will a boat shop but your mileage will vary as to how long it will last.

A good canvas top is 3 to 5 layers thick with 1 or 2 waterproof barriers. Just stitching up open spots on the seams will generally not be enough and you will need to apply a seam treatment/sealant afterwards. Many will be an oily wax applied with a very fine nozzle directly to the stitching. A good convertible top shop should be able to provide this too as will a boat shop that services Bimini's and Dodgers.