Curtains over cabin port lights [Master Thread]

[PatTormey]

Easy Curtain.. Old thread

OK I know this is an old thread. BUT..
I replaced the curtains on my E25+ by simply buying light-blocker valence curtains from k-Mart sale table, then I strung small pad eyes on each side top and bottom with elastic cord. (Only one pair between the ports, such that 6 covered 2 ports.)
Allow enough beyond the ports to give the curtain someplace to go forward and aft.

I cut the valence curtains to the right height and hemmed the bottom, with clever use of Locktite's fabric bonder. I then strung the new curtains on the elastic on the pad eyes and knotted the ends.

The curtains slide off the ports for letting in light and back in place to get a good night's sleep.. With a another set of pad eyes and the remainder of cord and a full panel of k-Mart matching curtains I made a curtain for the V-Berth to match.

Total cost about $30.. after the first year I had to use my grommet tool to reinforce the lower hems, or I'd have to learn to sew.

Pat
Blue Skies
NH USA
Ptormey@4square.net

 

[Walter Pearson]

Being afflicted with nautical procrastination syndrome, additions to old threads are welcome. Do you have any photos to share?

 

[toddster]

I've just finished removing the multitude of old wood screws in the liner, left over from past curtain installations. The PO also coated all the windows with some sort of opaque "frosting" material that I've laboriously scraped off with goof-off and razor blades. There is still a haze all around the edges, especially in the acute corners that doesn't seem to come off. I have to say the cabin looks a lot better without any of that, and I'm not inclined to cover the windows with anything at the moment.

What is the purpose, anyway? Privacy? From...? Sun protection? I suppose it might be different in a hotter climate than ours.

 

[exoduse35]

The sun is the biggest for me after refinishing all the interior woodwork. The different grain and color of the wood that was covered by the P/Os hangings was almost impossible to remove, It took weeks! The sun will bleach the wood and fabric. I would rather it just ate the curtains and after leaving them closed for 3 years when not using the boat there are definite sun burn shadows visible in the curtains. Also it makes it a bit less interesting to anyone walking the docks and peering in for "shiny stuff". Edd

 

[Blue Chip]

There was a time a year or so ago when I wanted to replace just the curtains in the main salon of our 32-200. Yes, the hand sewing of the little sliders really runs up the bill as just the 4 sets in the main cabin was quoted at $700.00
We went a dufferent route.

 

[PatTormey]

Cheap Curtains - Now with pictures

Being afflicted with nautical procrastination syndrome, additions to old threads are welcome. Do you have any photos to share?

Sure Here you go..

They block light completely and only look a little like a whore house.

Curtains by Walmart, the black is elastic, six pad eyes for two ports. (one set between them) bottom hem by Locktite (fabric) with a little grommet or stitching as a strain release on the leading edges. Leave enough room to slide the curtain completely off the window fore and aft, both side 4 ports, less than $30. and it shows.

Pat
Blue Skies E25+
Portsmouth NH

 

[Walter Pearson]

Thanks for pictures - I understand the mounting better. I can't comment on the appearance - have not been in any cabins of ill repute lately. It looks like the curtains are functional and affordable. The complete light blocking has its advantages. A couple of times after haulout I have spent nights aboard and they had me next to the building's monster sodium vapor lights, so I had to tape up something over my curtains in order to sleep. But for normal privacy in my slip and keeping harsh sunlight out, my fabric works pretty good.

 

[mherrcat]

I really like the Oceanair roller shades that are on my boat. Very clean looking and unobtrusive. (But not cheap as I have mentioned about them before.) I received very good support from their US office; when I needed a replacement retractor spring they sent me two of them free of charge.

http://www.pyacht.com/oceanair-port-shade.htm

http://www.oceanair.co.uk/

I take it the "white" and "beige" colors mentioned on the pyacht.com site are the tube colors. I prefer the silver and it is $10 cheaper.

Here's a pic of my new Bomon windows with the Oceanair shades above them, and a pic of the cabin where you can see a little of the shades extended in the upper right and left of the frame.

 

[The Molly Ann]

Installing New Curtains

I have a rather simple task that has me a bit worried. I have a 30+ I have been working on for just over a year now. We are finally getting around to installing some new curtains that we made (a really cool dip dye). Anyways I have been trying to figure our the best way to fasten them to the cabin. Originally I bought some cheap cafe rods from target and planned on using 3/8th's inch screws with a washer to tap into the teak and a touch of the fiberglass. This has me worried that I might crack the fiberglass and create a bigger problem than no privacy. Pre drilling also worries me cause I don't want to drill too much and pop through the deck.

Anyways I was thinking that maybe just a good dab of epoxy on each rod holder might work?

Anyways if anyone has suggestions on how to attach a very light weight rod holder without compromising the fiberglass I am all ears!

 

[fool]

Surface mount curtain track with carriers sewn onto the curtain.

http://www.sailrite.com/Curtain-Track-Surface-Mount-Vinyl-48

This is similar to what came with by boat and works very well.

 

[toddster]

Hmm... interesting link. I'm still bogged down in indecision. Or rather, the "just throw the SUP on deck across the portlites" mode.

My boat came to me with one zillion random holes drilled in the liner, around the ports, from past efforts, and a few bits of rotting plastic track that just crumbled away when I cleaned it up.

My thinking on this has been through phases...

Cheap miniblinds from Home Depot cost (at the time) about $5 per window. Then I decided that this would probably look good, but be needlessly complex, might not stay in place underway, and would probably make noise.

Groovy 70's bead curtains. See above, plus, how would you hold them open?

Just cheap out and use some eye-screws and string, and sew up some cheap semi-disposable curtains from sunbrella.

This one seemed particularly brilliant for an hour or two: Collect matching automotive sunshades from a junkyard. Truck-size for the large ports, compact-size for the small ones. Flip em down, flip em up. Put artwork on either side. Heck, I might still do this in the head, because some of them come with lighted shaving mirrors on the back side. Turns out, this would interfere with the grab rail. Plus some of them have rather complex mounting mechanisms.

Re: Mounting hardware, as per the OP. I'm not sure how thick your teak is. My liner is about 3/16" thick, and then there is a variable space between it and the deckhouse. POs have gotten by with jamming small wood screws in the liner, sticking out into the void behind. I suspect that many of them fell out because the fiberglass was too hard and brittle to take tapered screw threads. I doubt that it would "split" though. Might work for lightweight cloth curtains. I have gotten away with tapping threads into some thicker fiberglass layers, for machine screws. Might be worth a try.

There isn't enough depth for drywall anchor-type of hardware. I can't help thinking there must be some sort of analogous short insert that one could use in thin material. One approach might be to carefully drill out an oversized hole in the liner and epoxy a mounting block directly to the deckhouse fiberglass.

 

[Christian Williams]

My boat had the curtain tracks held by 3/8th screws clinging to the veneer. Beyond that is glass.

But there should be no issue drilling an eight of an inch into the cabin house. The wall is quite thick there (photo).

I have six holes on each side of the cabin from the bleedin' curtains. No way to fill or plug them in the thin mahogany veneer, so I left the screws in. I;m trying to find 3/8th bronze round-heads, for looks, but they aren;t popular.

I lack appreciation for expensive wine and curtains. I use automobile windshield reflector product, held tight to the big portlights by a single snap at each end. They're only up if somebody asks.

 

[Loren Beach]

Since the site already has a lengthly thread on the subject with some good ideas, I took the liberty of merging the threads. Hope no one minds.
Loren

 

[The Molly Ann]

I have made just cheap curtains dip dyed, they came out very awesome. I think the cafe rods will be a good option as they are tiny and cheap. Ill have to investagate how thick the wood is, I'm thinking a little epoxy might help stick the hardware to the wall.

The other option I was thinking was adding a small piece of wood with some glue and screwing into that.

Funny how complicated curtains are.

 

[Eric Gordon]

Christian,

I'd be interested in a pic of those hung up.

 

[Christian Williams]

Eric,

Scissor-cut auto-store reflective window covers, held with one snap at each end.

I sewed on edging, but that is a bit frou-frou for what is essentially a disposable item.

The reflective side really keeps out the UV. I only leave them up on the sunny side of the slip.

Pix are from what is Bruce's boat now, and he may have gone to Versailles tapestries for a classier look.

By the way, the chain on the oil lamp was very useful. Lamp high for sailing, restricted by a shock cord. But in the slip the chain lowers the lamp to just a foot above the table, and the chain gets hot and acts like a radiator.

 

[Gary Peterson]

Shades

We used EZ Closures mfg by Arcor Industries in Texas, I believe.

 

[markvone]

Curtain Alternative

Here is another idea for curtain alternatives.

My cousin sewed new, exact replacement curtains for my original, tattered, UV degraded curtains, but I replaced the cabinside teak so I am reluctant to screw into it.

I started with Christian's idea of the automotive windshield shade and (his?) comment that curtains aren't really a nautical thing.

I needed privacy from dock walkers after dark when the boat interior is lit up and protection from the outside sun and heat in summer. I started with a standard auto windshield reflective shade, less than $10. Make sure the width between the folds is wider than the height of your ports/portlights. Cut pieces to the shape of the interior portlight lens, slightly oversize is best. My replacement portlights have a 1 inch depth to the frame. Insert into interior frame, held in place by friction.

For opening ports, I added tabs of Gorilla tape to each side which are pinched between the lens and the gasket. The shade is on the outside of the lens, protecting the lens from UV and heat crazing. I got full black-out capability with all the shades and the opening port Lexan is protected as a bonus. No degradation of the shade material after 2 years full time use.

I ordered my new portlights with tinted safety glass (vs acrylic) so I don't have to worry about crazing with the shade on the inside.

Mark

 

[Christian Williams]

2018 version: Sunbrella on snaps. Stops UV, but doesn't darken cabin for sleeping.

They are taken off for sailing.

 

[toddster]

What about the top window?

Until this week, I had an opaque hatch in the V-berth that didn't seem to need UV or privacy protection. Now I have a transparent (smoked plastic) one. What do people do to screen these? If anything?
I see that Lewmar sells a fancy rolling shade and insect screen, but it costs almost as much as the hatch, which puts it right out of consideration for me.
One possibility is to make another curtain just like the side ports. I'm not sure how that will go with the limited head-room in there. Maybe it can tuck up inside the hatch.

For posterity, here's the link to my recent shower curtain-to-window curtain project.