Can our galley windows be tinted

[saltwaters wife]

Hi All:
We own an Gulfstar MY 1985. In our galley their are five windows on the front end. In the summer the heat from the sun really makes the galley quite hot. When we purchased the boat there were curtains up. But they eventually sagged and made the shelving almost useless. So we took them down. I have have plants now located on the shelving so I don't want to black out lighting completely. Can professional tinting be done on the inside of the windows does anyone know.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Yep, you can tint them, just like anything else. Or, you can go with some type of window covering, either on the inside or outside. Canvas/Sunbrella in White, Tan, or some shade in between works.
Ditto on things semi-permeable/perforated on the inside of the vessel, along with, of course, similar Canvas/Sunbrella, & or any other type of curtain.


Keep in mind though how much heat tinted windows let into a vehicle, prior to making your choice. Odds are that there were curtains there before for a reason.


One "trick" with curtains, is to run bungee cords to "hang" them from, across the tops & bottoms of the windows. Thus, they can't sag, or fall away from angled windows.

[CharlesV]

Sure, a regular house tinting guy can do it but he will be expensive. You can do it, its not difficult, its time more than anything. Materials are not expensive, most likely you can buy from the same company doing the work. There are many youtube videos to explain the procedure.

[newhaul]

Just go to your local oriely auto parts store they have diy tinting kits for cars it is easy to do.

[chuckr]

we have a Jeanneau and big windows all the way around. And 5 years on both Caribbean coasts with lots of sun and could have gotten very hot. But before we left the USA we went to an autoparts store and got some auto window tint that really cut the heat. Still got hot but not what it could have been.

[saltwaters wife]

Thank you everyone for your input on tinting our windows. I realize it won't hold out all the heat but it will help and the A/C can do the rest.

[hellosailor]

Any auto window tint can do it, but I'd suggest you buy a 3M brand product. They don't bubble, they don't discolor, they are premium goods and not any more expensive than any other top brand.


Some are cosmetic tints only. The more expensive ones can block 100% of UV and IR light (ok, actually 99+%) without darkening the interior at all. 3M "Crystalline" is one of those, and you'll have to buy it from a 3M installer or online, I've never seen it sold retail. If you follow the instructions, like, clean things down as if you were prepping for surgery, installation is simple.

[onewadd]

Check out Outland Hatch Covers www.outlandhatchcovers.com. I have these on my Hunter 420 and they are the perfect answer for me. Steve Outland is a super nice guy and if you can give him the correct measurements (don't worry, he can walk you through how to do that) he can make a cover that let's some light through but blocks the sun's heat. The are very easy to remove and then reinstall when you need them. Check them out, I love mine.

[StuM]

These external shades work great for us in the tropics. Huge reduction in heat.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Any auto window tint can do it, but I'd suggest you buy a 3M brand product. They don't bubble, they don't discolor, they are premium goods and not any more expensive than any other top brand.


Some are cosmetic tints only. The more expensive ones can block 100% of UV and IR light (ok, actually 99+%) without darkening the interior at all. 3M "Crystalline" is one of those, and you'll have to buy it from a 3M installer or online, I've never seen it sold retail. If you follow the instructions, like, clean things down as if you were prepping for surgery, installation is simple.

That's the best plan, the films that block heat but not light.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Much of how much heat the windows let in has to do with what color they are, & smoked, grey, or anything between clear & black isn't doing you any favors to say the least.
One other BIG part of the equation is what color(s) is/are the interior. As some colors (and materials) act as MUCH better heat sinks (or reflectors) than others.


Compare the interior temps of a light colored car with a dark interior, to a dark colored car, with a light interior, on a hot day. The difference is astounding, & it ain't the dark colored car that'll be OMG hot inside.