New industrial sewing machine

I need to replace the clear vinyl in our boat "enclosure".  If you remember, we had these made in Texas before we left for the Bahamas.  But I have been very displeased with the visibility thru the clear vinyl.  The upholsterer used poor quality vinyl - but we didn't have time to argue with him. 

So, I am going to attempt to take them apart and simply copy and replace the vinyl.    The panels are made of Sunbrella material and are very tough.

Kindof hard to see, but I've used a seam ripper to carefully remove the clear panel.

Here I'm using the old panel to cut a pattern for the new vinyl.  

And here is the vinyl ready to be cut.   It's 30 gauge Regalite O'Sea brand if you're wondering.  A very clear and heavy duty vinyl made for marine applications..

And here's my new machine!   Love it so far. 

The key is the "walking foot".  The feed mechanism "walks" and grabs the heavy fabric and "pulls" it thru with each stitch.  This allows you to sew much heavy fabrics and with multiple layers.

But the story pauses for now because there was an imperfection in the clear vinyl.  They are sending me a new roll, so I'll get back to this in a few days.....