Welcome To Black Dog Design, Inc.

Our business is the manufacture and installation of custom fabric coverings for both marine and home projects.  Whether you are looking for boat or boat trailer covers to protect your investment from the elements, bimini tops for boats or awnings for your home to block the sun or rain, or special coverings for windows or decks, we are here to help.  We can also update the upholstery in your boat, and we are now replacing snap-in carpet in boats as well.

Please note: Since Black Dog Design is a custom shop, we generally need access to your boat, trailer, home, etc. in order to design a solution to your needs. We are willing to travel as necessary, but we try to limit our travels to about a 100 mile radius from our store.  But, please contact us to discuss your project.

Through the pages here, we hope to introduce you to both the scope and quality of our work and the products we sell.  We encourage you to look through the photo galleries within these pages to learn more about our business.  If you have any questions about any of our custom work or other products, we would love to hear from you.

And, of course, if you have a project in mind with which we can help, please do not hesitate to call, email, or to come by our store to discuss what we can do for you.  We certainly appreciate your business, and we will ALWAYS do our best to make sure you are completely satisfied with our custom products. We look forward to meeting you!

 

Thank you for visiting our Black Dog Design Website and our Joplin store.  We hope you enjoy your time on our site.

Recent Black Dog Design News and Stories:

 

A New Boat Trailer Cover

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You all may remember “A Tale of Two Boat Trailer Covers” from our blog a bit over a year ago, which showed the sad looking tarp that had given up the ghost after several bouts of bad weather, etc. Here’s the “before Black Dog” photo of that tarp:


Fine protection for this trailer by a $25 tarp.

Well, after some consideration, your intrepid webmaster decided that the trailer should get the same advantage that Black Dog Design customers have, and so a new trailer cover was commissioned. Here are the fantastic results (Click on the image below to view more photos of the new cover):

The new trailer cover that replaces the worn-out tarp. The bulge on the front-left covers the trailer’s spare tire.

This cover is expertly made and will protect the trailer for years.

This pouch provides access to the straps that tighten the cover around the trailer.

Full protection for the trailer’s tires. The strap underneath holds everything in place side to side.

Thank you to the Black Dog crew for another job well done!

 

Full Coverage and Convenience For Your Party Barge

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Some time back, Black Dog Design was asked to create a full coverage cover for a luxury party barge that would be convenient to install and remove. The solution for this boat stored in a slip at Mountain Harbor Resort’s Marina was to create a cover suspended from the rafters of the dock that could easily be lifted off the boat for the day’s adventures and also easily be replaced when the day was done. The full cover protects the boat from various critters, spider webs and poop, etc.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product. Contact Charles&Terrie at Black Dog Design to discuss a cover for your boat!

A Tale of Two Boat Trailer Covers

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Discount Store Tarp vs. Durable Professionally-Constructed Trailer Cover

There are many ways to protect your boat trailer, including storing it inside, or, if that is not possible/feasible, storing it outside and protecting it with a cover.  Here is a tale about the differences in cover quality and durability.

This:

Saving money with a discount store tarp for a boat trailer. Guess it's time to buy a new tarp!!!

Saving money with a discount store tarp for a boat trailer. Guess it’s time to buy a new tarp!!!
(Click on this image for the story in pictures!)

Or This:

A new design in boat trailer covers from Black Dog Design.(Click on this image to view more photos of the new boat trailer cover.)

A new design in boat trailer covers from Black Dog Design.
(Click on this image to view more photos of the new boat trailer cover.)

Please Note:  Our covers are fitted to your exact trailer, so we must have access to your trailer or to an exact match in order to produce your custom-built trailer cover.

A Premier Party Barge Looks Like New!

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It’s always a treat to be able to show before and after photos of a boat whose owners wish to give it a new life.  This Premier brand party barge is no exception.

The customer has owned this boat since it was new. They loved their boat and were ready to restore the interior to its original beauty. These before and after photos tell the story.

A "Before" photo of the Premier Party Barge upholstery after the seats had been removed from the boat.

A “Before” photo of the Premier Party Barge upholstery after the seats had been removed from the boat.

Another view of the "Pre-Black_Dog_Design" upholstery.

Another view of the “Pre-Black_Dog_Design” upholstery.

With the new upholstery, all colors and fabrics were kept as close to original as possible in texture and color. However, Black Dog Design traded the “Premier” company logo on the seats for their customers’ favorite sports team.

A favorite sports team logo replaces the Premier brand!

A favorite sports team logo replaces the Premier brand!

We know the owners of this “new” boat will continue to enjoy it for many more years!

 

A Beautiful Refit for a 1986 Cobalt

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It’s always fun to be able to provide both “before” and “after photos of the work that Black Dog Design provides for their many customers. This fine 1986 Cobalt is a perfect example.

This beauty would look better in the lake, but visit the picture gallery for more of the story.(Click on this image to visit the picture gallery.)

This beauty would look better in the lake, but visit the picture gallery for more of the story.
(Click on this image to visit the picture gallery.)

Not only did our customer wish their well-maintained classic to get new upholstery, they also added a new bimini and a lifting cover for the boat to protect it in the dock, yet be easily removable when the lake calls.  Have a look at the photos, and you’ll see what we mean.

Give us a call to discuss your project.  You’ll not be disappointed!

4-Wheeler Cover For Transport and Storage

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Black Dog Design’s Customer wanted to trailer his 4-wheeler to Colorado for a hunting  trip and also to be able to protect the machine while it is in storage.  The solution by Mike Copeland and the Black Dog Design Team met their customer’s objectives perfect!

There is special padding over the windshield of the 4-wheeler to keep the cover from rubbing on the windshield.

A number of small vents in the cover keep the air inside fresh.

Along the bottom of the cover is a mechanism to keep the cover on tight!

Ready for the ride from Arkansas to Colorado!

New Upholstery for the “Red Racer”

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A Look at a Special Project

This Chris Craft Stinger 36 had sunk and was full of oil and gas.  Our customer was determined to have a complete redo of the boat he loved.

Click on the image below and let the pictures tell the story of this project.

The happy owner of the refurbished "Red Racer"

The happy owner of the refurbished “Red Racer”

An Enclosure Project For A Hunting Club

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We recently uncovered some photographs of a project by Black Dog Design to enclose a porch for year-round use by a hunting club in southeast Arkansas.  Here are a few of those photos showing some details of the project.

An enclosure project for a hunting club in south east Arkansas.
This is a view of the curved rafter areas, full length clear sides, and a short side with wood at the bottom.
On the walls, the panels that go to the bottom of the walls and the ones that stop just at the wood about half way down are roll shades. The panels that are on the doors and rafter areas snap on.
The roll shades zip together and are attached to the ends of the panels to the structure with a zipper that lets them roll up.

Full view of the project. This is a porch that is to be used year round with the beautiful fireplace and all windows, doors, and walls covered.

View from inside looking out the new clear panels.

Full view of the enclosure project on an old Gin Mill. Very cool project.

Before and After – Re-upholstery For A Classic Master Craft

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Jan, Mike, and the Crew at Black Dog Design are normally too busy this time of year to worry about getting before and after photographs of a project, but we were lucky this time.

The owner of this classic Master Craft runabout wanted to keep this beautiful boat, but it was definitely showing its use over the years.  So, he called Black Dog Design, and the project was underway.

Black Dog Design did a terrific job bringing this Master Craft back to life! (Click on this image to view before and after pictures of the project.)

Black Dog Design did a terrific job bringing this Master Craft back to life! (Click on this image to view before and after pictures of the project.)

The “before” photos show ripped seams and upholstery, dirty carpets, and an overall tired appearance.  The “after” photographs show you the beautiful result of Black Dog’s planning and execution of this re-upholstery project.

Click on the picture above to view a gallery of before and after photos showing off Black Dog Design’s work.  

Call us and find out what we can do for you!

An Improved Design for Boat Trailer Covers

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In today’s boating world, the boat’s trailer can be as beautifully crafted as the boat.

Many of us launch a boat, put it on a lift in the slip, and then park the trailer until sometime later. Letting your boat trailer sit unprotected in the weather for long periods of time can lead to deterioration of the frame and its tires. While the boat trailer covers we construct are not inexpensive, they certainly protect your investment and keep the trailer looking brand new.

A new design in boat trailer covers from Black Dog Design.<br />(Click on this image to view more photos of the new boat trailer cover.)

A new design in boat trailer covers from Black Dog Design.
(Click on this image to view more photos of the new boat trailer cover.)

The covers are fitted as we would fit a boat cover, with drainage, ratchet and rope at the bottom for cinching tight, cover flaps for tires and rims, and coverage at the tongue.

The fabric is waterproof, has a very good life in the sun, and plenty of color options. We also use a GOR-TEX thread that does not break down in ultraviolet light.

If you are in the market for a trailer cover to protect your investment, please give us a call or come by to discuss your project.  

Thank you!

(Please note:  We must have access to your individual trailer to properly measure for a cover.  Or, You must provide us with a specific location where we can access an exact match for your trailer.)