Flybridge window covers

T

tico

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2001
Messages
3,276
Location
Worcestershire/Pembrokeshire
Visit site
The window covers (saloon screen and side windows) had gone walkabout on our new to us boat prior to taking ownership so with the coming of sunnier weather we wanted to replace them to prevent upholstery fading & heat inside,
Need to tap into the forum knowledge bank....
Material - mesh or thin fabric?
1 piece or 2/3 pieces - ease of application / storage.

Thoughts please?
 
I prefer fabric - the mesh doesn't seem to be as good as keeping the heat out, and it didn't last overly long either. The mesh also traps more dirt, so avoid white.
 
Hi
The black mesh is good as it does not allow people to see in but you out and protects the wood veneer form the sun and they dont show the dirt so much. There are imotations of the proper sun block material be careful.
Depending on your budget Flexicovers may have your model on the shelf.
 
I have been using a white pvc cover which came with the boat .
However the chief officer wanted to be able to see out with the cover in place while providing privacy and also offering some protection for the interior against sun.
So we had a new mesh cover made before christmas .


.
 
We have mesh. Good heat reduction in the med and privacy with the benefit of being able to see out. I had ours remade last year and I sourced the material for the trimmer... I'll dig it out if useful
 
On our current boat, we have always used black mesh.
The original Princess ones were made from a thick mesh.
A couple of years ago, I was given some "nearly new" screen covers from a Beneteau Monte Carlo so I adapted them to fit our Princess 67.
The material that Beneteau use is a much finer mesh than the one that came from Princess.
And I prefer it.
It is lighter to handle and easier to clean (remember mesh traps dirt and can get mouldy easily).
These adapted covers fit OK but I would like to do a better job next time but I will be sourcing the Beneteau fabric when I make the next covers.

Here is a pic of the outside from the drone

outside.resized.jpg

In case you are worried about the transparency of the mesh, I have just taken this one from inside using the security camera.
The photo has too much contrast to give it justice.
These covers fit round the front of the side widows as well.
You can see the clubhouse is through the mesh.
But I think you will appreciate that it is bright enough inside the boat.

inside.resized.png

And this is a small sample of the mesh that I have here at home.

Mesh Material.resized.jpg

It would be useful if anyone knows where to source this fabric.
 
tico said:
1 piece or 2/3 pieces - ease of application / storage.
Click to expand...
See my post above for the fabric
I made mine in two pieces.
One big one that goes over the whole of the front windows.
And a small one to go over the escape door at the side of the helm.
The idea being that we can open the door without taking the covers off.
I have always had a lot of trouble with the smaller one - blows off in strong winds and flaps around despite special fixings.
So, I have "kind of" given up with the smaller one - it is actually in the lazerette at the moment!!!

So, my advice to you would be to make yours as a single piece.
Although it look complex, there aren't any difficult curves.
I made the one above using a domestic sewing machine before I bought the Sailrite machine.
Hope that helps
 
Oh yes - one more thing.

Our original Princess covers had complicated pockets for the windscreen wiper blades.
IMO - A lot more complicated than is necessary.
I got this idea off MYAG's Sunseeker

DSC06315.resized.JPG


So this is how I made mine.
The little white dots in the following pic are just poppers.
The idea works well.

Wiper Cover.resized.jpg

Another plus for this concept
The rubber rots a lot quicker if you leave your wiper blades permanently in contact with the glass.
It seems that allowing the rubber to breathe with these little socks, it lasts longer.
Just something I've noticed.

And to finish off, this is the fabric that was on MYAG's Sunseeker

DSC06320.resized.JPG

Lots of choices with the fabric.
He did tell me the name of the fabric - I think it was made in France,
But Black is OK (and IMO looks better) - especially for use in the UK
 
Thanks all, we had white mesh similar to MYAG's fitted inside the canopy cover on our Targa and really appreciated the difference it made.
The vote seems to be (with 1 dissenting voice) for mesh in one piece.
Understand the propensity for white mesh to gather grime... I'll have to just deal with it.
Very kindly a forumite has offered a cover made for the same model, so I may only have to alter some popper positions.
Like the idea of Hurri's wiper covers... the blades do seem to perish quickly.
 
Hurricane said:
Oh yes - one more thing.

Our original Princess covers had complicated pockets for the windscreen wiper blades.
IMO - A lot more complicated than is necessary.
I got this idea off MYAG's Sunseeker

View attachment 88756


So this is how I made mine.
The little white dots in the following pic are just poppers.
The idea works well.

View attachment 88755

Another plus for this concept
The rubber rots a lot quicker if you leave your wiper blades permanently in contact with the glass.
It seems that allowing the rubber to breathe with these little socks, it lasts longer.
Just something I've noticed.

And to finish off, this is the fabric that was on MYAG's Sunseeker

View attachment 88757

Lots of choices with the fabric.
He did tell me the name of the fabric - I think it was made in France,
But Black is OK (and IMO looks better) - especially for use in the UK
Click to expand...
Would love to know where you sourced the mesh please
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top