Exterior window louvers ((34)plantation shutters(34)) for a 38xx?-gctid803267

[Guest]

Hey folks...38xx's (and I'm sure many other boats with lots of windows in the cabin) get a lot of heat in the cabin in summer from the sun shining in. (It's kinda nice in cold weather...it warms up quite nicely during a sunny day even with the heat off.) I've got partially opaque canvas across the front cabin windshield and mini-blinds for the side windows, and that helps....but a lot of heat still makes it's way in.

So...what I envision as the best possible solution are external window louvers (similar to "plantation shutters" that you might see in some homes). The angle of louvers would need to be different for the front windshield and the side windows of course...but they would allow an almost completely unobstructed view out while shading it from direct sunlight, primarily in the summer when the sun is more overhead. I've seen a couple of sailing catamarans that have window louvers, but I think those are probably OEM equipment. The only thing I've been able to spot so far are automobile window louvers, kinda like these pics:



There's got to be *some* maker of louvers of various sizes and angles... :blink: Anyone ever run across any? Or am I gonna have to figure out how to make them myself?

Cheers,

Dave

[kwb]

I have seen a lot of boats and never seen this or anything close to it.

Many use phifertex (sp) for window covers, some will have windows tinted, many run AC. Those without AC open the windows.

[Guest]

Here's some catamarans (both sail and power) with window louvers like I'm referring to. These are "designed-into" the vessel...but I certainly can't see any reason something like this couldn't be added on to a 38xx or any other boat with a cabin.











Dave

[Simonsen]

Why not just tint the glass?

[Norton_Rider]

In many years of boating, I've only seen these on two brands of catamarans and one of the companies was started by someone that left the other one. I'm afraid that you will have to make custom made ones.

[Guest]

"Simonsen" post=803939 wrote:
Why not just tint the glass?

So, that's actually a really good question...here's what I believe is an accurate answer. When you tint the glass on the inside, the sunlight doesn't shine in as much, but it still heats up the glass itself and that heat of course radiates inside. If you tint the glass on the outside, obviously whatever tint will eventually wear out and have to be removed, but that will reflect more heat before the glass has heated up, although the glass will still heat up and radiate heat inside (just to a lesser degree). I've tried some inside static-stick tint, and it really doesn't help as much as you would think (hope) it does, although it did help a little. The issue with inside window tint is that at night, with lights on inside the boat, you can clearly see inside the boat from outside, while not being able to see outside from inside from inside the boat (you only see your own reflection from the lights inside). There may be tints that do NOT have that effect...but I certainly didn't like it when I tried it.

I have the partially opaque canvas across the front windshield (on the outside of the glass), and that helps. The glass is hot to the touch without that (like in "it burns you hand if you leave it for a few seconds"), it's warm to the touch with it, but it's cool to the touch where the front glass is shaded by the "eyebrow". Creating shade over the glass is quite a bit superior, without blocking very much of your ability to see out of the window.

Louvers sure seem like the ideal solution...they shade the glass (and the interior) from direct sunlight in the hottest months of the year when the sun is more directly overhead (but still shining in thru the windows), but let sunlight in to help warm things up during winters when the sun is lower on the horizon throughout it's course thru the sky. Same idea that many passive solar homes have been designed around.

Dave

[Guest]

"Norton Rider" post=803971 wrote:
In many years of boating, I've only seen these on two brands of catamarans and one of the companies was started by someone that left the other one. I'm afraid that you will have to make custom made ones.

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm figuring out too. B) Putting it on my project list. I'm wondering if I could construct some out of sheets of thinner low-density polyethelene sheet...maybe cut 3 sides of a long rectangle, fold that "flap" up/out while applying heat from a heat gun, then remove the heat and let it "set" in that shape. I'd probably have to build some sort of form or fixture to help me get this consistent.

Dave