Sun shade for the sailboat, KISS

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Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
To Sunbrella or not to Sunbrella. That was the question... till....
I am in the process of building a sun shade for the boat. I've seen the dome and seen the tent style and I really like the tunnel using fiberglass poles attached to the life lines near the stanchions. I bought the poles and went to the boat to fit them. It was a very hot sunny day, so I took out my car cover that covers the top half of my sports car. Just the windows and the convertible top part. This cover is the best $45 I ever spent. Not only does it keep out rain but also UV rays and if it's 100 outside, inside the car gets well over that, as we all know. With this car cover my interior stays 20 degrees cooler than the outside air and it's really easy to roll up and store. Practically no weight at all. It comes in one color, white. So I'm at the boat and it's 100 degrees and fitting these poles so I can measure for the Sunbrella. BANG!! the light bulb goes off!! Why not use the same light weight fabric that car cover is made from instead of Sunbrella? Are you ready for the name of this material? I thought of old sails... nope, then I thought of parachutes... nope. The material is called Tyvek by Dupont. Strong and light and UV resistant yet durable for decades. I have ordered some. The best thing is that you can sew it at home on the old singer your Mom has. Buy the good thread, not Sunbrella thead either, there's better. What think y'all? This little car cover saves the leather interior/dashboard of my car and keeps it 50 degrees cooler than if I didn't have it . If it's 100 outside the car what do you think the temp inside would be without it? 140? With this cover it's 20 degrees less than the outside air. Try it. you'll thank me for it. I use this cover even when I run in for a few groceries. It takes but 30 seconds to install and 20 seconds to take down and roll up. Stores about the size of a football in the trunk.

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
zeehag

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
goood idea--tyvek umbrella...sometimes ye like a bit of breeze to blow through the boat when at anchor--if you find some screening material and edge it with the tyvek or canvas or something then ye have a sunshade with breathability.....or even make the shade half screening and half solid----still simple yet flexible.....grommets and strings....
 
Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
That they do, but I find storage for it to be a problem. And the covered slips just don't get it for a sailboat. When it gets to 100 on the water even with AC it gets toasty and takes a while for the AC to play catch up. I moved down to the south so I could ride my scooters in the winter, I had no idea I couldn't sail in the summer. One can't even ride a motorcycle because it's so hot, it's no longer enjoyable. Not only is the heat unbearable, but there is no wind for sailing. So I figured I'd make a nice comfortable domicile for those three months when there is no sailing to be found under the X in Texas. I can handle sitting on my duff for the summer because all fall, winter and spring I sail like a maniac. No shade needed then.

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
zeehag

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
sailing tin south is wonderful in summer but you have to look out for the lightning storms---we sailed all summer in florida and gulf coast......was a touch warm but the breezes coming thru the boat were lovely--screens would have been perfect.....make yourself a simple bimini for use when sailing in summer--works great!!! the bimini we used was covered with solar panels for the boat....there is no excuse for not going sailing unless you are restoring your boat......
 
Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
When I sailed in New England which was for the first forty years of my life, summer was fun and winter was a test of ones will power. Now that I'm no longer on the big water,I've become a lake sailor. I'm living just outside Dallas, lake sailing for now, which in the summer, there is no wind what so ever and temps hit 100 for weeks at a time. The temp here dips just below 100 at night during the summer here. I have a bimini, screens and a AC. In fact my boat was born and spent the first five years along the Florida coast. And the next 20 on various lakes in Texas and Oklahoma.
I just got all excited about this fabric and thought that maybe someone out here had worked with it and could let me know of any pros or cons. I'm going to try it after I talk to my upholstery guy and show him a sample.

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
T

TimCup

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Jan 30, 2008
304
Catalina 22 St. Pete
tyvek is used primarily as a housewrap-

it's the membrane apllied to wood sheathing before the outside layer is installed. Here in Florida Tyvek has been left to rot on the sides of buildings all over the place since the real estate market crashed.

I'm guessing the Tyvek you want won't have the brandname plastered all over it like the housewrap does! I've never heard of it used elsewhere, but the idea you're proposing is intriguing....

My experience with the housewrap has been that, left to the elements, it lasts for 2-3 years in our hot climate before it starts to fall apart. Of course, the housewrap is VERY thin, so a little thicker mil might last for years.

Good luck-


cup
 
Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
If you go to Dupont-Tyvek web page, there are so many different types of Tyvek some even used on bill boards for advertising and for flyer's and posters. Even envelopes are made from it. The kind you can't open with out scissors anyway.The kind I am thinking about is used for covers for RV's and boats and cars. Pretty interesting stuff. The cover for my car is super and it works even better than I could of imagined. 100 outside in the sun ,inside the car with the windows closed, it's 70. Can't beat that. The UV rating varies also with the different types of Tyvek. I think it's worth a look.

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
There is a mesh available

I have seen some sort of a nylon mesh in the big box stores. It is breathable, and can be had in different sun blocking abilities. Seems like from around 50 to 90% blockage. Not sure this would work on a boat, but would let a lot of air through.
 
MrBee

MrBee

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Dec 30, 2008
425
Irwin 34 Citation Middle River, Md.
Another type of shade i will be trying soon is the "Rain Fly" that is used on some tents. We have a small tent that hasn't been used for years and I intend to pull it off the shelf and take the Rain fly down to the boat. It normally would be hung over the top of the tent so the screen / vents can be left open and if it rains no rain can come in. Your post just reminded me to get that thing out.
As for price...I bet you could find a nice 2 or 3 person tent at a good price then use it to cut and sew whatever shape you need.

Brian
 
mklein@iowatelecom.net

mklein@iowatelecom.net

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Dec 27, 2009
82
Clipper Mariner - Mac 25 -Bayliner and 4 kayaks 21 Clipper & 25 Macgregor & 19 Bayliner classic Red Rock Lake IA
Hey Sailm8,
got any pictures?
Thanks Mark
 
catsailor

catsailor

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Jan 10, 2009
590
PDQ 32 Deale, MD
MrBee said:
Another type of shade i will be trying soon is the "Rain Fly" that is used on some tents. We have a small tent that hasn't been used for years and I intend to pull it off the shelf and take the Rain fly down to the boat. It normally would be hung over the top of the tent so the screen / vents can be left open and if it rains no rain can come in. Your post just reminded me to get that thing out.
As for price...I bet you could find a nice 2 or 3 person tent at a good price then use it to cut and sew whatever shape you need.

Brian
Click to expand
I had a shade for years on my Stiletto 27 that I re-cut from a Timberland-4 rain fly. Cheap and much smaller to store than Sunbrella. Now on my new boat, the PO had a front deck awning made from the same material. The fabric works fine, so long as there is not too much wind - the trouble is nylon stretches when the wind gets up above ~ 10 knots and it gets flappy.

I will tell you this about any thin material; if you don't paint it white, the heat comes right through. If the material where white, the heat would come through (not opaque enough). Latex house paint works, believe it or not, and mostly lasts through a good number of seasons. It also reduces the stretch.

Tip. Instead of using any sort of battens, I clipped it to the mast, over the boom (under would work, with clips) the shrouds, and poles (boat hook or paddle) placed in transom mounted fishing pole holders.
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Cheapskate that I am I re-cut an awning that one of my customers gave to me. It looks very Mediterranean with the multi color stripes.
 
Nereussailor

Nereussailor

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Mar 22, 2004
733
Hunter 30 Vero Beach
a year or so ago, I made a boom tent out of a canvas painters tarp that I bought at Home Depot for about $10. I sewed some 1/4" line to the corners and to the edges of the tarp and tied it to the stanchions and grab rails. It's off white so it kind of reflects light, and keeps the cockpit cooler in the Florida sun. The whole thing cost me about $15. Then I got a bimini. I keep it stored in a locker in case I want to cover the companion way door in the summer.

Dave
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Sorry meant to post this here.
These people were at the boat show in Dana Harbor yesterday. They have any color or weight Sunbrella Fabric for $9.95/yd.. They also had Sunbrella Supreme for $15/yd., which is the same canvass but with a very soft backing. She indicated that it was used in places where the canvas comes in contact with the gel coat or anything else you don't want the cover to scratch.
They also had a large sample of really nice upholstery material by Sunbrella for $9.95. I did not know that Sunbrella makes regular upholstery materials.
They are still working on their website and their online product display is limited but I'm sure that you can call them with what you want and they will send it to you. They seem like a really nice mom and pop business.

http://marianalifestyles.com/home.nxg

Here is a link to the some of the Sunbrella Fabrics they had at the show.

http://www.sunbrella.com/showroom/
 
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