Sunbrella vs Shade cloth for spray/weather cloths.

[GILow]

Hi all,

I am soon to replace the spray/weather cloths on my boat. I have a set that wrap around the stanchions at the stern, they are getting old, and they will need to be replaced before I go, and while I still have my industrial sewing machine to make their replacements.

I considered going without them altogether, as the stern is quite high (1.4 m freeboard) but it turned out that their real benefit was in creating a nice 'cosy' feel on the aft deck, more than any particular function in stopping spray or wind. I discovered this when I removed them for some deck work and felt really exposed all of a sudden.

So, I got thinking, and I wondered if anyone has tried using shade cloth for spray cloths? It is a LOT cheaper, it comes in a number of different shade densities and... it is a LOT cheaper. Did I mention that it is cheaper?

Any downsides people can suggest, aside from shorter life span (I assume a LOT shorter).

Of course their wind protection will be less effective, and they won't stop all the spray, but I've never actually observed spray hitting the existing cloths anyway.

I have sewn both Shade-cloth and Sunbrella so I am comfortable making the cloths in either.

Thoughts?

Matt

[psk125]

I spoke with a sailmaker last week who said they often use Sunbrella for weather cloths.

[grahamb]

....rope bags are often made of a shadecloth type material.....and longevity is not an issue...….I have a shadecloth awning at home.....heaps of UV...…..15 years old.....as new.....wish I knew what was used for stitching...….so I could pass it on ……..probably the wind does not go through......but I kid myself that it does......but as in a lot of life its the feeling that counts.....

[roverhi]

Had one set made out of SunBrella. Worked finer the three years we had them on the boat. Still looked good after that time.

Most recent boat has a waterproof plasticized material. Think they use it to make waterproof dodgers though don't know the brand name. Only been on for a few months but seem to be doing fine. The reason that I ended up with this fabric is canvas guy ran out of the sunbrella color I wanted and would have delayed departure waiting for material delivery.

Don't know what shade cloth is other than the material they make awnings out of. That's a very close weave mesh that is translucent. Wouldn't use that as I have the weather cloths for privacy, wind and water protection.

[Reefmagnet]

Shadecloth lasts forever but it will never be waterproof like sunbrella is.

[Pelagic]

I personally favor shade cloth over solid materials for side cloths.
Allows more light in.
Privacy...You can see out but harder to see in
Rolls up smaller and is lighter
Decants driving rain or sea spray very well and is also easier to fresh water rinse off later.

I have been using one commercial type shade cloth I picked up in Australia. Inside each grid is a diagonal overlapping weave for half the grid area that makes it very strong (Typhoon strength) yet keeps water out and let's air in.

Will try and take picture

[GILow]

Sorry for the late reply, but thank you to all for your thoughts.

I SHOULD have mentioned, the current side cloths are sunbrella, and they've been very good. I was just going to sew up the replacements from the same material when the shade cloth idea struck me.

All good points from the responses, but I think Pelagic may be in a similar situation to me. I don't know exactly how a 65 foot Van Helleman Schooner sits on the water, but I am betting it has a similar high freeboard to my more diminutive Swanson 42. Based on Pelagic's experience, and the very good points made by others about the longevity of shade cloth, I am going to give shade cloth a try first.

Thanks all for your ideas.

Matt

[Kenomac]

WeatherMax is a better product.

[Franziska]

Those of you referring to Shadecloth could you please be so kind to provide a link to the precise material you use?
We like to create window shades.

Thanks.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Those of you referring to Shadecloth could you please be so kind to provide a link to the precise material you use?
We like to create window shades.

Thanks.

Something from this range.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-rang...de/shade-cloth

When I bought my boat it did have window and hatch shades made from this material. It’s a bit tricky to sew but once you get the thread tension right it’s not too bad.

The 50%, 90% etc refers to the degree of light blocking.

[Franziska]

Thank you. Appreciate it. What degree of light blocking did you use? Which color? Black looks cool, but is probably not so efficient. White does get dirty easily. Grey?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Thank you. Appreciate it. What degree of light blocking did you use? Which color? Black looks cool, but is probably not so efficient. White does get dirty easily. Grey?

The stuff on the boat when I bought it was pretty dark. More than 50% at a guess but not 90%. Maybe 70%? It was black.

Strangely, there was no apparent problem with heat, but it was very tired and starting to fall apart so I threw it out.

I’ll use black for my side cloths. Not sure what rating I will use. I think I’ll just go down to the store and see which one feels right.

Also I want to see if I can find the commercial quality stuff Pelagic mentioned. That sounds very nice.

I really like the idea of being able to see out while still having a feeling of privacy. But then, where I am going there will be nobody nearby so privacy won’t matter too much.

[Franziska]

Thanks, I'll see if I can find something similar over here.

[JPA Cate]

If you decide to go with the shade cloth, check out a professionally made awning to see how the edges are dealt with, and imitate that. It tends to curl if you just fold it over once. They should be okay for most conditions, and as you say, it is lots less expensive than Sunbrella.

Personally, i would not use dark red WeatherMax for weather cloths or sail covers again. It is lighter than Sunbrella, but at 2 years old, it has faded to an ugly maroonish gray, and I'd rather have the appearance of the Sunbrella, it fades far less. We made our dinghy
chaps out of grey WeatherMax, and it has noticeably sun degraded, and faded, but the color is not as ugly.

I would say I prefer the appearance of Sunbrella to shade cloth, but that is a personal aesthetic that the savings of shade cloth could override for someone else.

FWIW, some people make their weather cloths out of clear pvc, and this increases what you see: your vision is not blocked. It will sun degrade, too, of course, over time, but if you want easy vision, it works quite well.

Ann

[Franziska]

Ann in my case I would only use the shade cloth for the windows.

The thread opener might decide differently though.

Thanks for the hint with the edges!
.