Happy Thanksgiving from Overboard Designs

Some of you we haven’t seen in years, and some of you we still work with on a daily basis. All of you are so important to us because you believed in our work and helped us get where we are right now, which is a pretty awesome place to be! And for that we are just so GRATEFUL in the most humble way.

Overboard Designs has been around for 7 years now, having served thousands of customers who are simply THE BEST! We have been so lucky to work with such unique and amazing boat owners, many of them have remained some of our best friends and continue to enrich our souls!

We have gotten to work in a wide variety of beautiful state of the art projects, brought so many boats back to life, and had the opportunity to help many boaters with their needs however big or small, we are honored they all came to us! From boat upholstery repairs to full interior re-do’s, carpet replacement, custom covers, biminis, and enclosures, some automotive interior renovations and furniture reupholstering, we are thrilled that we are still your #1 choice and we are committed to keep working hard to remain the one Marine Upholstery Shop you can depend on… Always!!!

We wish each and every one of you a great Thanksgiving filled with loved ones, laughter and full tummies!

Happy Thanksgiving and we look forward to working with you all again soon!

Cibele and the Overboard Designs Team

You must be wondering, “what can I do to not get the boating blues this winter?” and I am here to help!

Here are 4 things to do to get you and your family/friends out of the blues:

• Plan a schedule of boating tasks: I like to plan a monthly “boating task” for myself to keep me thinking about my great summer days and to remember that boating season is only a few short months away. I begin with winterizing my boat, renovations that have been in need all summer, “winter cleaning and organizing” to do all the jobs I put off during the warm months and more! This way, every month I have a reason to be around my pride and joy and it helps me stay clear of the boating blues.
• Themed parties: For those of you who leave your boat in a slip, why not have a holiday party on your boat? It will be cold but who cares? Dress warm and hang out on the slip with your friends and family for a winter boat party! If your boat is kept in storage over the winter like mine is, than have a themed party at your house: Beach Party (Bikinis and swim trunks) or Sailor Party (everyone has to come dressed up as a sailor or crew)!
• Christmas gifts: Let’s not forget that the best gifts given are the ones that give you a reason to visit your boat! I like to ask for new boating supplies or services to update my boat over the winter to keep me excited and anxious for Spring!
• Boat show- My favorite event! The beginning of the year brings the biggest and most anticipated Boat Show! It is everything a boat owner could want on a cold day! This show helps me “Spring” into boating season! Plus, it gives me something to spend my Christmas cash on!

Boating season is over but as you can see there are plenty of ways to keep you out of the boating blues and eager to jump back into Spring next year!

However, that is not what Overboard Designs’ owner, Cibele Ziobrowski, thought. She saw a gem. A diamond in the rough. She purchased the boat with every intent to turn it around and make it shine! Cibele took what she knew best, boat exterior/interior renovation, and showed the boating world the amazing work her company is capable of performing/ doing.

This complete re-do consisted of not only all-new upholstery and canvas, but also a new wraparound soffit ceiling with lighting, stripped down and re-stained cabinetry, new window trims, wall paint, new tile floors, new carpet, new fittings and hardware throughout the entire boat, new bedding in all 4 queen rooms, all new appliances, new furniture, new draperies and decorations all throughout, and a new 22ft party top for shade on the top deck making it the ultimate hang out spot!

This four bedroom houseboat is the perfect addition for an individual or couple whom is looking for their first house boat. It is trendy, spacious and great for entertaining. There is a full bathroom with a shower, a half bath with washer and dryer, complete working kitchen, lots of closet and drawer space, and several decks (front deck is completely enclosed) including a large full-length deck on the second story of the houseboat.

If you have an interest in purchasing this first-class boat that was specially designed by Overboard Designs and their crew, contact Cibele at Cibele@overboarddesigns.com or call 678-641-1561.

Ideas you should consider when decorating your boat:

• Music Playlist: Good tunes make the best of any celebration.  Create a playlist of music based on your crowd and mix in a few fun Halloween-based songs to keep the party in the Halloween spirit!
• Cobwebs: You can easily make your boat look creepy with fake spider webs.  Cover your doorways, windows and more to get a spooky outdoor feel.  Adding fake spiders would be a good touch, too!
• Lights: Decorate your boat with orange lights.  You can find these at any retail store and they are perfect for stringing on the inside and outside of your boat.  You can even get black lights and glow-in-the-dark items to give an extra suspense-type of feel.
• Fog and strobe lights: These two are always fun for spooky Halloween environments by giving the feel of a haunted house!
• Halloween inflatables and character decorations.  You can buy skeletons, mummies, ghosts and more to help decorate the inside and outside of your boat.

All of these ideas are sure to help you create a festive Halloween party whether you are entertaining for adults or kids.  Include these easy-to-do tips to your Halloween boat party this year and it is sure to be one your friends and family won’t forget!

#1 Don’t be a late bloomer, be ready for Spring

Fall is ideally the best time to re-upholster your boat or PWC for many reasons. The first couple reasons are obvious ones; you want to get your boat ready to go before you dock it for the winter. If procrastination is your style, part of you wants to put it off. But the other side of you is longing to look forward to pulling out a boat that seems new and shiny come spring, rather than something dingy and old that still requires a lot of work. Nothing kills the excitement faster of waiting all cold season to put the boat back out on the water than having to put it off just a few more weeks to re-upholster it after all that time. Imagine getting the re-upholstery out of the way early, so that the boat you imagine all winter long out on the water is nearly brand new. You wouldn’t park a muddy bicycle in the garage for the winter without first hosing it down. Think of it that way, only on a much larger scale. Completely preparing your boat or watercraft for the following season early can spare you a lot of time, and a lot of headache come spring. Just follow the simple rule of “fix it before you dock it” and we’ll all have a much happier boating season.

#2 Preparing for winter

Another main reason why fall is the best season to re-upholster/update your boat or PWC is the weather. The weather is cooler now, which means days out on the water are becoming fewer and farther in between. Boats tend to see most of their wear and tear during the warmer months, and you can rest assured that re-upholstering during the fall will save you from missing out on valuable weekends come spring time. You are using your boats and watercrafts less often, leaving some time for work to be done on them. While there may still be a few weekends here and there that are still good for an adventure out on the lake, most of us have lost our weekends to football games, fall chores, and school activities. Before you know it, it will be time to winterize and dock, and it will catch you off guard if you aren’t prepared for it!

#3 Price

One final reason why the fall is the best time to consider updating your boat or personal watercraft is the price. Price is something that the majority of us are concerned about, and so it is something that must be carefully considered. While you may want to hold off on re-upholstering, fixing your boat covers and more until the spring because it seems as more of a necessity then, and more of a “want” now, know that you will save money in the long run to do it earlier with our fall discounts!

You can see that there are many reasons to re-upholster/update your boat during the fall. It is the best time of year to do it not only because of the weather and the price, but also because of the time it will save you the following season. Do yourself a favor and make an appointment now. You can then sleep more easily knowing that your boat is tucked away safe, shiny, and new, just waiting to be brought out again in a few months.

#1 Expenses
Let’s talk expenses. Next to our house, and sometimes even more than our cars, our boats or PWC’s are our biggest investments. Maintaining them can become expensive, but is a necessity to keep them in top condition. Especially during the warmer months, boats get a lot of use and a lot of wear and tear from both people, and the environment. Floors become dingy, and seats become worn and weathered. Eventually they get to a point of no return, and we’d rather hide them away than put them to use. If price is not something you are concerned about, you could purchase an entirely new watercraft and be done. However, for most of us (especially in this economy), buying a new boat or PWC is not a feasible option. Practicality would lead us to re-upholstering, which can be the most affordable way to give your watercraft that “new” look it once had in its earlier days. Re-upholstering your boat is surprisingly affordable these days. It can give you a new watercraft on the surface, while literally saving you thousands!

#2 Quality
This leads us to quality. If you’ve owned your boat or personal watercraft for a while, it may be time to consider re-upholstering the seat cushions, etc. And what you may notice if you’ve even stepped onto a showroom floor for new boats or PWC’s is that “they sure don’t make them like they used to”. If given the chance to go behind the scenes and see what is really under these newer cushions, you’ll discover that manufacturers have been mass producing in a more cost effective way. Sure, newer watercrafts may seem inviting, and boy do they have all the bells and whistles so to speak, but looking past the technological aspects, most of the newer watercrafts lack the quality they once had. Good, high-density foam has gone up in price drastically over the past couple of years, so newer seats are often made with less expensive foam that won’t hold up for nearly as long. Most watercrafts built several years ago were built when there was a much higher standard for watercraft construction. While a new shiny boat may be tempting, you don’t want to lose out on the quality of something you already have. Re-upholstering allows you to hold on to that quality, and simply renewing that surface and look that your watercraft had the day you brought it home.

#3 Personal Attachment
Another thing to consider is your attachment to your boat or personal watercraft. Hours out on the water makes for fun memories and exhilarating experiences that help you to almost “bond” with your watercraft. Perhaps it was given to you by someone special, or perhaps you dreamed of owning a boat since you were young and finally were able to make that dream a reality. Whatever the reason, your sentimental attachment to your watercraft makes for a difficult decision when it becomes old and worn. You realize that something needs to be done, but can’t fathom just letting it go and bringing home a new one. In this situation, “you can have your cake and eat it to” as they say. Why should you have to give up the boat that you love? You don’t have to! If the watercraft is technologically and mechanically sound, you’ll have to do little more than re-upholster it. It’s the closest thing to having a new boat without actually having to buy a new one. Your heart can rest assured knowing that you can have many more adventures on your watercraft, and don’t have to give it up or trade it in just yet.

#4 Profit
If you don’t have that sentimental attachment to your boat or watercraft, and really wish to purchase a new one, need a watercraft of a different size or type, or are on your way out from owning a boat all together, selling then becomes the answer. However, let’s talk expense once more. Selling your watercraft “as is” may bring in enough… but know that you could be bringing in much more. Re-upholstering your boat or PWC prior to selling it may help to increase your profits, and give your boat the price tag that you know it deserves. Many people have even received more for their boats than they originally paid, all due to the masters who re-upholstered it. The cost in comparison is no contest. What you spend on re-upholstering prior to selling, you make up for in profit after it is sold. Nobody wants to purchase a boat that is old, worn, and weathered; unless they plan on reupholstering it, flipping it, and bringing in a profit of their own. Wouldn’t you rather bring in the profit instead? Think of what you could do with the extra money. You may even have enough left over for a few jet skis to tow behind your next boat!

#5 Great Gifts
Besides helping you gain a profit, re-upholstering a boat or personal watercraft can help you gain the reputation as being the “best gift-giver ever”. Re-upholstering someone else’s watercraft as a gift is original, thoughtful, and personable. It can be one of the best gifts you can give to someone who enjoys being out on the water. Think of your close friends, or family who spend their entire summer with their boat out on the lake, or ocean. Giving them a gift that you know they would thoroughly appreciate may typically involve quite a bit of money. However, re-upholstering their watercraft for them allows you to do just that without draining your wallet. You’re basically giving the “gift of new”, without having to buy them something as costly as a boat. And who knows, you may receive more invites from them for fun out on the water, and that’s definitely something to look forward to. After all, you did make their favorite watercraft like new!

As you can see, re-upholstering your boat or personal watercraft has endless perks and possibilities. No matter what the situation, almost everyone can find a reason to reupholster as opposed to ridding yourself of your current watercraft. It’s not nearly as expensive as originally perceived, and can literally change the entire look of your boat or PWC. Whether it’s to save money, hold on to quality, make a profit, give a gift, or to keep the boat that you hold so dear, re-upholstering is the way to go.

It is that time of year again! Fall is right around the corner and it is time to freshen up your boat! Get your boat ready for next year and take advantage of the great discounts we are offering! This is the best time of year to give your boat a facelift or finally fix upholstery problems that have been bugging you all summer.

Enjoy our special pricing on any of the following items:
- All boat interior and exterior upholstery services
- Boat seats
- Princess pads
- Bimini tops
- Boat enclosures
- Houseboat canvas
- Carpet replacement
- And more!

Mention this blog post and receive 20% off your boat cover and/or snap in carpet mats! Also, keep in mind our carpet mats have a 3-year warranty and boat covers have an 8-year warranty. These are huge savings and deals you don’t want to pass up!
Make sure to call us for a free consultation at 678-513-1058 or go to www.overboarddesigns.com to sign up!

Discount good between August 15, 2011- December 31, 2011. While supplies last.
One week turn-around in most cases.

Overboard Designs is ready to start on our Fabulous new venture… HOUSEBOATS!

For this purpose we have acquired this year an already beautiful 1993 Stardust to completely renovate, change color

scheme, create a party top, and re-design all interior.

We invite you to stay tuned and be a part of the Overboard Bikinis Houseboat fantastic journey from

already BEAUTIFUL to absolutely FABULOUS!!!

Please call our offices if you need any exterior upholstery, canvas, custom covers, party tops, interior furniture upholstery, Window treatments, etc. We can help!

Overboard Designs

Overboard Designs believes boating is affordable family fun.  Stop by our booth, we would love to meet you.  Lake Lanier Island Resort May 15& 16, 2010.

The Lake is Full! Join us at the Lake Lanier Islands Resort for a weekend of fun in the sun:  IN THE WATER BOAT SHOW. Join Atlanta’s leading boat dealers for Atlanta’s biggest dockside boat sale May 15 & 16 at the new Lake Lanier Islands Resort. Go aboard luxury cruisers, ski boats, runabouts, pontoons, deck boats, sport boats, water craft of all sizes on land and in the water. Many available for in-the-water demo by qualified buyers.

BRING THE KIDS!- This event is perfectly timed during the Lake Lanier Islands Water Park Grand opening. Find your 1st boat or trade up while spending quality time with your kids.

• Free entry into the In The Water Boat Show with paid gate fee to the islands
• SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10am-6pm
• Lake Lanier Islands Water Park Grand Opening
• Boat Demos for qualified buyers
• Courtesy Dock for boaters to come by water
• Get expert advice from Atlanta’s Leading Boat Dealers
• Live Music
• Great Food
• Fun Games for the kids