About
Manart was originally formed in the early 1900s by two brothers, Manuel and Arthur, from which the name MANART came into being. The company converted and distributed all types of fabrics for the marine, awning and industrial trades.
During World War II, Manart was one of the largest suppliers of cotton duck to the United States government. During and after the war, Manart supplied wind sails to most of the American oil companies for their oil tankers. These sails were fastened to the masts of tankers, tunneling fresh air down into the tanker's hold clearing out deadly fumes and preventing explosions. Of course this was before the advent of today's super tankers which are carefully air-conditioned.
Our chairman, Edwin R. Hirsch, joined the firm as a salesman in 1950, adding many new items for the marine trade including hardware, fasteners, zippers, etc., to already existing lines. In 1970, after the two partners had passed away, Mr. Hirsch, who had become President of the firm, added his name to the company and formed Manart-Hirsch Company, Inc. A short time later, Mr. Hirsch's two sons, Ronald and Richard, joined the firm.
In 1975 our Florida location was opened bringing our complete line of marine fabrics, hardware and supplies closer to the extensive southern marine market.
Over the years we have become direct importers and manufacturers of such items as clear, flexible roller vinyl for boat windows, stainless steel boat top hardware and chrome plated die cast boat top hardware. We also convert our own Aqua-view 54" x 110" press polished flexible vinyl sheets for boat windows, Acrybind binding, boat duck, Mermaid dacron cover cloth, etc. This helps us to keep our pricing at the lowest possible level for each particular product.
Glen Raven Mills, Scovill Dot, YKK zipper, Stimpson, Herculite, Haartz, Marchem CFI and Stamoid are just a few of the many top quality major companies whose brands we distribute.
We are very proud that Manart ranks as one of the nation's leading distributors to the marine canvas manufacturing trade serving not only the United States but Canada, South America and Europe as well.
Whether you are a two-person shop or a production manufacturer, you can rest assured of competitive pricing on all products and service that only a family-run organization can deliver. A family member is always available to personally take care of problems or answer any technical questions one may ask.
We are happy to present this new edition of our catalog to you and we hope it helps you with your continued success. We thank you for selecting Manart-Hirsch as one of your marine and awning suppliers.
