400: Sun Shade

[feebs]

I have been directed to setup a sun shade to reduce heat & glare to cockpit area. We find whilst at anchor with an easterly wind, as the sun sets, there is great discomfort on those hot days whilst enjoying a beverage or two.

So looking at attaching a shade from cockpit roof down to davits running width of boat.

What I need is suggestions on what light weight material I can use for this that would still allow air circulation?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks Brett

[scotty c-m]

I've bought a couple of good quality sheets. They look really good. I went with blue and white pin stripes - but your boat, your choice. I bought a bunch of heavy duty, matching plastic "clothes pins" so that I can move it around easily. I only use it at anchor and it works well up to about 15 knots of wind. The light cloth makes it airy and comfortable on those windless days.

[JPA Cate]

A lot of people here in Oz use agricultural shade cloth, available in varying weights; others use "Breezeway"*, a pvc "cloth", also available in varying levels of shade. In all cases, the lighter weights allow the most airflow.

If you are interested to make your own, regular shade cloth needs to be hemmed, or the edges bound, and the Breezeway, as well. Of the two, I find Breezeway the easier to work with, but it is more expensive. If you want to make your own and want advice, pls. send me a PM, and I'll tell you more.

If you want to have one made, specify Tenara** or other ptfe thread, which will outlast the fabric, otherwise, it'll be about a 4-5 yr. replacement cycle.

AFAIK, the cheapest way to do this is with inexpensive polyester/cotton sheeting, from a thrift shop.

Ann

*Disclaimer: I have no fiduciary connection with Breezeway, nor with any of the manufacturers of ptfe thread.

[a64pilot]

I bought ours from here, I went with the 70% aluminet.
You can see thru it, and rain flows right through so if you have a saggy spot, and you will, it won’t fill up with water and tear the thing down.
Cheapest answer I could find, and it works really well.
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/c...FdgagQodBQcGkw

[katsumi]

Hi Brett
We have done something like this on ours some time ago, it works really well, also made the aft living area feel bigger, we can also sit out in the cockpit when it is pouring rain. I think there is something on our blog Homeschoolahoy.com, have a look and if you like I am happy to explain how we attached frame etc.
Regards
Nick

[arsenelupiga]

Hi Brett,

I have sunbrella so it is good for shade and rain.

my findings so far - make it so to be easily and quickly removable/foldable and installed.

I get airflow by opening hatches in both toilets and opening kitchen door and window. More than enough in >10 kn on anchor or mooring.

We find it to be sufficient, so far, however New Caledonia is now in winter. Will see how it goes in Vanuatu later on.

My next one will be transparent so one can see thru - that is the biggest issue i found with ours.

Second issue is because bright colour became stained with air pollution.

[Franziska]

@a64pilot

You seem to have booked all the right answers. Great & Thanks!
Guess I try to find similar stuff over here in the farming industry in Europe.
Did you not feel the aluminum scratches the window perspex? Does it degrade with saltwater?
I'm referring to making exterior screens over our windows.

[a64pilot]

It’s not aluminum, but I don’t have it touching the boat anywhere, it’s held above the Boat on lines.
It’s actually the same plastic that some food is wrapped in, that is real shiny silver, like a pop tart, so being plastic I don’t think it will corrode.
There are many colors though, just thought I would try silver thinking it would block the most heat. It’s woven material so you can see through it easily and it lets some air and all rain through. It does block airflow though, not completely, but a lot.
A 16’ X 12.5’ piece was about $120.
A dock neighbor paid $2,000 for their custom made shade, made from some kind of material, it looks like it is made from Spinnaker cloth.
Theirs looks nicer, but I didn’t have $2,000 to spend.

It’s just greenhouse fabric, so I’m sure it’s available.
If it said Marine on it, it wouldn’t be as cheap.
I don’t know how long it will last though, I’m hoping a couple of years?

[Franziska]

Sounds cool to me. Especially as I bought the sewing machine few weeks ago. Winter will be canvas projects.

My plan is to use tenax clips around the windows to attach those screens.
It will touch the perspex windows though I guess. Still a strip plastic wire in the hem should keep them from moving about to much.
Trial and error I guess.

Silver would surely be reflecting sunlight better than black. White would be best, but a) will probably not be available or with a marine price tag, and b) stain pretty fast.

Yeah I try to avoid those ridiculous marine/yacht price tags if I can too.

[feebs]

Thanks for all this info.

Lots to consider here - see through, air flow and being able to remove it when required.

[BigNut]

We have a 42’ Lagoon catamaran, and wanted something to cover the foredeck and also shade the front windows and hatches. Budget was an issue, so we got this tarp from Amazon. $50 and about an hour with the sewing machine to make a slot for the mast in the centre of on side, then some brute force to take out the stainless rings (the spot welds give quite easily) and some line to each corner, and we were done.

It looks good to us, and can be put up/ taken down in a couple of minutes. Lets the water through - no pooling, and even comes with a spare (I ordered two ). There is sufficient room to walk down the side decks to the bow. The attachment points are the front seat railing on each bow, a line around the genoa, a line around each side stay, and a sliding knot on the mainsheet under the boom that includes each corner of the cutout. Sometimes simple just works. This is one of those happy times for us.

See: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B44HCB9

HTH

[Millerslocal]

We have 3 Coolaroo sunshades on our Lagoon 450. We purchased the 5 x 3m Extreme Shade Sail rectangle (5m x 3m).

These work perfectly to cover the sun lounger beds/bimini area up top (and can be shifted forward/back as needed), can be set up over the tramps in front, and can also be hooked up to cover the back/side cockpit. We often leave the one over the sunloungers/bimini set up as it helps keep the saloon cooler as well. It also means everyone can use the flybridge and be out of the sun (we have the 3/4 bimini cover).

They are 90% UV blocking, and are guaranteed for 10 years and are extremely light weight and easy to stow.

They come with pre-attached d-rings, and we just use shock cord and a plastic clip/carbiner to attach them to the various parts of the yacht. After much trial and error we now have a perfect way to rig them up.

[xiaolongenquiry]

If you're looking for a lightweight material that will still allow air circulation, I would recommend using a piece of mesh fabric. This will allow you to block out the sun while allowing air to flow, making it more comfortable in the cockpit on hot days.

[Rumrace]

Forgive me for repeating what someone else already said. Sumbrella make canvas with pretty much the same colour range in two weights. The lighter weight fabric in natural an antique white I’ve been told is the coolest.
Off a small solar panel ,20amp battery, small bilge pump, heater core from a car, computer fan, and some small hose. You can make your own boat cooler.

[Pete7]

I prefer the English version

Pete