Keeping the sun out: curtain installation.

Keeping the sun out: curtain installation.

Postby Troppo » Thu Feb 04, 2016 4:39 pm

The amount of heat that comes in through my windows in Windchaser during summer is enough to bake a cake. Maybe.

Back in February 2014 I tried using car windscreen shades cut to size to keep the sun out. http://www.tophatyachts.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1565&p=9232&hilit=shades#p9232

I was very happy with how much cooler it was inside. Not happy at all with how quickly the stick-on velcro fell off.

When I put the tinted windows in, I thought perhaps in summer it would be cooler inside with no shades. Not.

I didn't know what I would do about curtains until Phillip came up the coast in Seaka and I saw what he had done. Neat. The curtains don't get pulled to the side. They simply roll up and tie up. I liked it. Decided to do it.

The area around my windows has various holes probably from several sets of past curtain holders. I didn't trust the lining to just sink a screw into it so I epoxy glued shaped pieces of ply. Used stainless steel screws to hold the stretchy wire in place (that white covered stuff). Used a glued bit of ply and cup hook in the middle of the run of wire to give more support.

curtains03.jpg
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Sewed up some old backed curtain fabric. Did a quick trip out to Windchaser to do a test fit. Apart from one dowel that goes in the hem at the bottom not sliding all the way through from my crooked sewing, I am very happy with them.

A mistake I made was to not allow enough overlap. I used too much material when I hemmed the top then I changed from thin dowel to thicker and found I did not have enough drop in the material. Had to sew on strips so I could get the thicker dowel hemmed.

curtains05.jpg
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Now I have reasonably neat curtains that roll up like blinds. When I put them up I could feel immediately how much heat they were keeping out. Still some minor things to do to finish them off but overall I am really happy about them.

troppo
Troppo
 
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