describe the difficulties in putting up a canvas

The author describes the process as such,

"That canvas wanted more putting up than I think any of us had bargained for. It looked so simple in the abstract. You took five iron arches, like gigantic croquet hoops, and fitted them up over the boat, and then stretched the canvas over them, and fastened it down: it would take quite ten minutes, we thought.

That was an under-estimate...."

The process became an arduous comedy of errors. Heavy parts were put into place only to find they were the wrong heavy parts. They "bungled" the canvas...The narrative goes on like this.