RHINO TUITION · CONSULTANCY · FABRICATION TOOLS
Practical Rhino CAD tuition for boat covers, marine canvas and upholstery—with consultancy when you need a second pair of eyes.
I bring 45 years of practical experience to the way I teach and develop software, using CAD for marine canvas, boat-cover and upholstery design since 2001. The aim is the same: understand the design, prepare it properly and put CAD to work in your workshop.
Recorded Microsoft Teams sessions · In-person tuition available · Talk directly to John
Since 2001CAD for our marine trade
Your work. Your pace.Tuition shaped around your experience
Revisit the detailsTeams recordings with participant consent
THREE WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
For people getting started with marine CAD and experienced fabricators looking to develop the way they work.
Personal CAD tuition built around your experience and the work you want to produce. Prepare measuring data, create clean surfaces, develop patterns and design framework.
£200 per hour · Two-hour minimum · No VAT charged
Tuition, rates & student testimonials →Discuss a CAD problem, a difficult pattern or a workshop process. We can review what you want to achieve and agree where guidance would be useful.
Marine CAD consultancy →Specialist tools developed around design and production tasks. Explore Bimini & Frame Designer, the current featured tool, and speak to me about your workshop needs.
Explore the tools →CAD FOR OUR TRADE
The focus is practical marine work, not a general software course. We agree the subjects around your jobs, experience and goals.
Rhino workflows for biminis, sprayhoods, boat covers and canvas enclosures: organising measurements, modelling surfaces and developing patterns ready for workshop review.
Discuss how CAD can support the shapes, fit, pattern layout and design communication involved in your boat upholstery work. The training scope is agreed around your project.
Connect the frame design to the canvas it supports. Work on surface direction, unrolling, seam allowances and clear production information.
Review how design data reaches the workshop, how parts are organised and where repeatable CAD methods or specialist tools could help.
JOHN BLAND TOOLS
John Bland Tools is the software range within John Bland CAD, developed around practical fabrication tasks. Each tool will have its own explanation, examples and availability information as it is ready to introduce.
FEATURED TOOL · COMING SOON
A guided Rhino 8 workflow from measurements or a 3D boat model to frame design, developed canvas panels, production nesting and client presentation images.
Three- and four-bar designs, dog legs, aft extensions, windows and blinds are shown in the demonstration.
Explore Bimini DesignerIn development and beta testing. Trials, purchasing and downloads are not open yet.
ALSO IN DEVELOPMENT · COMING SOON
Another forthcoming tool in the John Bland Tools range. More details and demonstrations will be shared as it moves towards launch.
Interested in NestMate, Bimini & Frame Designer, or both? Join the CAD & tools newsletter for development and launch news.
Not yet available to purchase or download.
MEET JOHN BLAND
I teach the work behind the software—not just where the buttons are.
I’ve designed and developed marine canvas products since 1981, first using traditional methods and since 2001 using CAD. As Tecsew’s founder, my work spanned bespoke private commissions and production designs for boat builders, importers and dealers.
Today I help individuals and businesses worldwide—from their first steps in CAD to improving established design and workshop processes.
John Bland Marine CAD tuition · Consultancy · Fabrication tools
My background and approach →EXPERIENCE RECOGNISED IN PRINT
Marine Fabricator profiled John’s work at Tecsew, exploring his use of 3D CAD to develop marine canvas designs and help customers review them before manufacture.
Read the 2017 profile: The third dimension of marine fabrication →In October 2015, Yachting Monthly reviewed a Tecsew cockpit enclosure designed through John’s CAD process and awarded it 10/10. This is historical recognition of the Tecsew project, not a review of current tuition or software.
Read the Yachting Monthly review (PDF, two pages) →WHERE TO START
Tell me about your experience and the jobs you want to work on. We can agree a starting point and session plan, whether you are new to marine CAD or improving an established workflow.
Those are the trade workflows this site is built around. Contact me with your project so we can agree the CAD subjects and practical scope of the tuition or consultancy.
£200 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. No VAT is charged. Courses or blocks start at 16 hours. See the full tuition rates and funding note.
Not yet. Bimini & Frame Designer is in development and beta testing. The public demonstration is available to watch, but trial registration, licence activation, payments and downloads are not open.
TALK DIRECTLY TO JOHN
New to Rhino, stuck on a pattern, or planning a better workshop workflow? Choose a starting point below.
These buttons open a draft in your email app; nothing is sent automatically. No mail app set up? Email john@johnblandcad.com from your usual email service. Please describe the job before sending confidential customer files.
Interested in the software? Get development and launch news →