Verbally state deal for canvas used in craft (8)
I believe the answer is:
mainsail
'canvas used in craft' is the definition.
'mainsail' can be an answer for 'canvas' (I've seen this before). I'm not certain of the 'used in craft' bit.
'verbally state deal for' is the wordplay.
'verbally' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'state' becomes 'Maine' (US state).
'deal for' becomes 'sail' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'maine' sounds like 'main'.
'main'+'sail'='MAINSAIL'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mainsail that I've seen before include "Principal ship's canvas" , "key equipment on board" , "Ian's mail (anagram)" , "Lowest canvas on the principle mast" , "Ship's largest canvas" .)