Who is Cavalier Custom Canvas?
Cavalier Custom Canvas, LLC is a woman-owned, veteran–owned Virginia Limited Liability Company, fully licensed and insured in the City of Hampton. But behind all the formalities, we’re simply Gail “Isabel” and Chris Perrotta—husband and wife, partners in love and life, business and adventure.
Isabel Perrotta was born in Detroit, Michigan, but raised from a young age in rural New Hampshire. After high school, she enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving with distinction during Operation Desert Storm. Upon returning stateside, she followed her passion into the field of archaeology—eventually working at the now-renowned Gault Site in Central Texas.
Her contributions to the Gault Site led to published research and an invitation to pursue formal studies in archaeology at the University of Wyoming, where she continued her academic and fieldwork. After several years in the field, Isabel felt the call to public service once again—this time in hospital administration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Denver, Colorado. It was during this chapter that she met Chris through the historical reenactment community. Together, they embraced a shared love of fine handicraft, history, and adventure.
In time, Isabel sold her home, retired from the VA, and joined Chris in pursuing the sailing lifestyle on the Chesapeake. Today, she brings her expertise in record-keeping, organization, and operational discipline to Cavalier Custom Canvas, overseeing general management and keeping the business running with precision and care.
Chris Perrotta’s journey into marine canvas began at home—helping his mother, a seamstress, and his father, a teacher of textiles and industrial arts, fabricate a Bimini top for their 18-foot cuddy cabin. The project was stitched on his great-grandmother’s antique Singer G-series treadle machine, which now sits as a decoration in their home.
Chris was just 16 when he discovered historical reenactment—a passion that sparked a lifelong devotion to “doing things the hard way… for fun.” Skilled in a wide range of traditional handicrafts, he gravitated toward tailoring, particularly historical costuming and canvas tent-making, where precision, durability, and period accuracy mattered.
After a 20-year professional career as a Building Envelope Forensic Specialist—keeping water and air out of buildings—Chris caught the sailing bug, hard. He sold his home and inspection business, moved aboard a sailboat with his then-girlfriend Isabel, and embraced a simpler, saltier life. When that boat needed new canvas, he didn’t outsource the job—he enrolled in a trade school to learn the craft properly. There, he realized his decades of experience cutting, sewing, and shaping heavy, high-value materials for complex, three-dimensional applications translated seamlessly to marine canvas work. Today, Chris leads Cavalier Custom Canvas as its master fabricator, handling every project from patterning to final stitch with the precision of a tailor and the pride of a true craftsman.
Chris and Isabel live with their two cats, Finn and Salem, in the historic City of Hampton, Virginia. When not in the shop, they can often be found out on the water with friends, hunting for vintage treasures in local shops and estate sales, or traveling abroad in search of new inspiration and adventure.