Hatch Screen/Shade

[wheelerwbrian]

I'm tired of waking up with the sun shining in my face when I sleep in the v-berth of our 38-200, so I'm looking at the Oceanair Skyscreen - Defender link below (about $40 cheaper than WM). Has anyone installed these - I think the hatch is a Lemar 60 as I recall. They have several different versions - a recessed or a surface mount seem most likely. It appears to one of those types of items that you learn alot about once you get into the installation process... Thoughts and guidance are welcome. And yes, I've tried towels, and donated several to the deep.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|6881|301238&id=47748

 

[u079721]

I've seen those, and they do look slick. But they raise a new problem in that you can't really have shade with them AND have the hatch open for ventilation.

I usually just slept with a bug net over the forward hatch as I liked being able to see the stars, and would usually be up with the sun anyway. But when I did want to block out the sun (or rain), especially in a marina, I preferred using a small dark colored foredeck awning that just went over the forward hatch. It kept out the sun and the rain, and still allowed me to open the hatch as much or as little as I needed. It's just held up with the topping lift and tied off to the lifelines. And during the day it would provide shade while still allowing the hatch to be kept open too.

 

[Brian K]

Brian, I'll have to post some pictures of a screen I made for both of my hatches and also for the companionway. I had some old screens from my home windows, you know the kind, with the small aluminum frame. I cut the frame down to fit inside the trim on my E 32-200 and they just press in. I spray painted the frames a medium brown so they somewhat blend in with the woodwork and added a couple of SS tabs to hold the large one in place. They look great, work great, and were essentially free. Again, a picture is worth a thousand words. I'll try to remember my camera and get some pictures within the next week. I'm splashing on Friday so I'm in the middle of the pre-splash cramming.

My screen doesn't take care of the sun problem, but adding a hatch tent would take care of the sun issue and afford protection from rain.

Feel free to email me directly if you want more info.

Brian King

 

[wheelerwbrian]

I do have a screen already, made from wood. Sometimes I wake up with it laying on my face, so it clearly needs some more work. And a hatch tent could be an option for the sun - I'll look into that. But on the Chesapeake deep in the summer, in a marina, we'll run the AC, and usually keep the hatches closed to keep out Joe Sixpack's heavy metal music that he leaves on all night, or so it seems.

 

[u079721]

I do have a screen already, made from wood. Sometimes I wake up with it laying on my face, so it clearly needs some more work. And a hatch tent could be an option for the sun - I'll look into that. But on the Chesapeake deep in the summer, in a marina, we'll run the AC, and usually keep the hatches closed to keep out Joe Sixpack's heavy metal music that he leaves on all night, or so it seems.

Which goes to remind me of why we never stayed in marinas!

I forgot to mention that when we bought our boat the PO had one of those screens that Velcro around the perimeter of the hatch, with ugly Velcro glued to the wood trim. We never used it because we preferred our home made bug tent over the hatch - which allows you to open, close, or adjust the hatch without letting skeeters in late at night. But we did make up a light blocking cloth shade that used that same Velcro to attach to the underside of the hatch. It worked quite well, but we only used it when it was cold enough not to need the hatch open. In your case with the AC on we would have used it every night.

 

[Gary Schroeder]

Brian, we use insulated canvas hatch covers for shade anytime we're not underway. They are dark and also help keep the boat cooler down here. We leave 'em on when we're gone for UV protection. Bungee cord in the hem slips under the hatch corners to hold 'em on. We're in a sheltered harbor & have never lost one. I also cut a sleeping bag pad into press-fit inserts to fit all the coachlights. That made us really dark inside.

 

[Shadowfax]

After going through a couple of sets of curtains, eaten by UV, I saw the Oceanaire shades on a charter boat in the Islands and installed them on our 34. They are a very nice product and rather easy to install. I looked into the hatch screens, but as noted in other posts, was concerned about cutting down on ventilation. If that is not a concern then I'd recommend the Oceanaire line. Their port shades work well and really keep the boat much cooler then the curtains ever did.

 

[Loren Beach]

Shade plus Screening

We have always had sunbrella hatch covers similar to Gary's. Ours have a piece of bungy cord across each corner that goes under the frame and holds the cover on.
Here are some pics I snapped today of the bug screen that lays over the open hatch. It has weighted segments along the base on all four sides and will let you lower the hatch from inside and latch it if a buggy evening is followed by a rain shower. Notice that I am showing it with the canvas cover still in place, so that the morning sun will not intrude.
Cheers,
Loren
ps: Here is a link to a very similar one to the model I bought. http://shop.odayowners.com/screens/detail-screens.htm?group=166

 

[u079721]

The bug screens we used were pretty much just like the one Loren is showing, except that we made ours from scratch. Instead of weighted shot ours were held in place with a bungee cord that went around the lip at the base of the hatch. This was plenty secure, and made the screens much easier to store and put in place.