Help on boat curtains, please

[Frank Langer]

The salon curtains on our E30+ boat are old and beginning to fall apart from UV damage, so need replacing. My wife is light sensitive for night sleep, so curtains need to block out (mostly) lights on the dock when in a marina. We don't have a sewing machine, and don't really know how to sew so hand stitching or the local tailor are our only options. I would like a similar colour to our naugahide ceiling--ie. light beige, cream, etc. Does anyone have a good idea about cloth, how to attach curtain rods, etc. I don't want wooden or aluminum blinds that would be noisy whenever the boat moves.
I'm much better at changing oil, varnishing and sail from than at this decorating cosmetic stuff. I have attached a pic of our current ones and the window shape.
Thanks for any ideas!
Frank

 

[Shannon & Doran Jones]

Hi Frank,

we used to have the pull down accordion style blinds on our Ericson that worked well. No clashing. On our new boat we have snap on flat window covers that are brilliant and very easy to make and use. Plus they look great! I will get down to the boat and take a pic and post.
Btw we have moved a bit closer and are now located in Ladysmith.

 

[Frank Langer]

Thanks for your reply! I'll look forward to seeing those pics when you can post them.
Nice that you could move to Ladysmith. It has a large sailing community and is a friendly, quirky town.
Frank

 

[Christian Williams]

This works well for me.

E381 - Portlight Shades, Drain Covers, Lazarette Hinges

There are many opinions about yacht cabin curtains. I have one, too, which I will try to suppress because it is based on some indefinable irritation at the very idea of them. We do need something to keep the sun out, though. And, generally...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[Marlin Prowell]

Our curtains are, we believe, Dupioni silk, and might be original to the boat. Our curtain tracks look identical to yours. However, our curtains have a second inner UV resistant liner layer sewed to the curtain that has protected the silk curtains all these years. We’ll try to get some photos soon. We replaced some of the UV layer liners that had started to disintegrate. The silk curtains had been protected by the UV inner liner and showed no degradation. The UV inner layer also keeps the main cabin rather dark so might be part of the solution you are looking for.

 

[woolamaloo]

The salon curtains on our E30+ boat are old and beginning to fall apart from UV damage, so need replacing. My wife is light sensitive for night sleep, so curtains need to block out (mostly) lights on the dock when in a marina. We don't have a sewing machine, and don't really know how to sew so hand stitching or the local tailor are our only options. I would like a similar colour to our naugahide ceiling--ie. light beige, cream, etc. Does anyone have a good idea about cloth, how to attach curtain rods, etc. I don't want wooden or aluminum blinds that would be noisy whenever the boat moves.
I'm much better at changing oil, varnishing and sail from than at this decorating cosmetic stuff. I have attached a pic of our current ones and the window shape.
Thanks for any ideas!
Frank

Frank,

I had the same problem and wrote a blog about it.

E30-3 - Sewmanship - New Curtains and Pillows - Part 1

When I bought my 30+ in April, 2013 the survey was very positive. There were a lot of little things to do – nothing too serious. Something that was not on the survey, nor did I probably even look at them, was the aged curtains. The first time my...

ericsonyachts.org

E30-3 - Sewmanship - New Curtains and Pillows - Part 2

...continued from Part 1 I also made a test pillow with the striped fabric and struggled when I followed Sailrite’s “Standard Throw Pillow” video. Sewing the last seam that closed the pillow was tough. I watched the video on the same page...

ericsonyachts.org

I hadn't sewn in a long time. I found a cheap machine on ebay and had great fun making these relatively simple curtains. I understand that you're going to find a seamstress to do it for you, but this snap-on tape for curtains is key. https://www.sailrite.com/Snap-On-Tape-for-Curtains
The spacing of the snaps is just right and then you snap these carriers that slide into the aluminum tracks. https://www.sailrite.com/Snap-On-Carrier It would be simple to add a black-out lining to the insides of the curtains. This page from Sailrite shows you (or your seamstress) the process. https://www.sailrite.com/How-to-Make-Boat-Interior-Curtains-Video

 

[G Kiba]

Sewing is a weak point in my skills basket as well. To help prolong the life of my curtains, solve the excessive light issue, and as a bonus, keep the interior dryer and warmer, I made window covers from that shinny garage door insulating material with a pair of scissors. The material really helps keep the cold, heat, and light out. They can be removed and stored under seat cushions when sailing.

After making the covers, I used the rest of the roll to insulate the cabin. I just slipped cut lengths of the material over the zippered head liner. It's easy to install and remove. Makes a difference here in Northern California and didn't cost very much.

 

[Frank Langer]

Thanks for all these great ideas! Gives me lots to think about.
Frank

 

[Shannon & Doran Jones]

Thanks for your reply! I'll look forward to seeing those pics when you can post them.
Nice that you could move to Ladysmith. It has a large sailing community and is a friendly, quirky town.
Frank

 

[Shannon & Doran Jones]

@Frank Langer there you go. If you would like to see them in person let me know.

cheers
Shannon

 

[Frank Langer]

@Frank Langer there you go. If you would like to see them in person let me know.

cheers
Shannon

Thanks, Shannon. That gives me another option to consider.
Frank

 

[Michael Edwards]

I had an unorthodox solution that worked great and was free (sort of).
After retiring, I drove a tractor trailer at night for a few years. I had to buy black-out curtains for our bedroom.
Repurposing those curtains worked well.

 

[Loren Beach]

If you search this site for curtains, there are quite a few threads.
Here is just one: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/curtains-over-cabin-port-lights.538/

 

[markvone]

Frank,

See post #58 of the thread posted by Loren for my alternate curtain choice and rationale.
Material is very similar to material used by Grant in post #7 above.
No sewing required!

Mark

 

[Jonathan G.]

Those tracks that your existing curtains use are standard, and still widely available. The easiest thing to do would be to find somebody who can replicate the old curtains with sliders to fit the track, a marine interior fabric, and a backing of black-out fabric. Sailrite has everything you need, including a video of how to make that style of curtain.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Those tracks that your existing curtains use are standard, and still widely available. The easiest thing to do would be to find somebody who can replicate the old curtains with sliders to fit the track, a marine interior fabric, and a backing of black-out fabric. Sailrite has everything you need, including a video of how to make that style of curtain.

I have a friend who just 3D printed some of the curtain sliders for me. I can upload the STL file if there is interest. I also have photos showing the various dimensions of the sliders if anyone wants me to post those.

 

[Frank Langer]

I have a friend who just 3D printed some of the curtain sliders for me. I can upload the STL file if there is interest. I also have photos showing the various dimensions of the sliders if anyone wants me to post those.

That would be great! Thanks!
Frank

 

[Nick J]

@Shannon & Doran Jones

That's exactly what I would like to do on our boat, but more importantly, do you have any information or additional pics on your portlights? It looks like a really well done conversion with the wood trim. I don't think I've seen anything like that on an Ericson. It also looks like there's been quite a bit of work on your headliner. Both look great!

 

[Shannon & Doran Jones]

@Shannon & Doran Jones

That's exactly what I would like to do on our boat, but more importantly, do you have any information or additional pics on your portlights? It looks like a really well done conversion with the wood trim. I don't think I've seen anything like that on an Ericson. It also looks like there's been quite a bit of work on your headliner. Both look great!

Ah you caught me. I’m a former Ericson owner. We had a sister ship to Frank.

This is inside our Nordic 40. The headliner set up is amazing. So easy to remove and access. I can definitely take more pics as an example for you, but alas it isn’t an Ericson

 

[ConchyDug]

I got rid of the headliner in my 38 and used celtex panels with teak trim to cover the screws, but the teak trim is fastened by countersunk brass screws. Makes getting to the back of hardware easier... somewhat just have to keep track of panel hardware(I've taken a lot of aircraft interiors out so it's second nature). The sides of the cabin top are a Formica type laminate, ports are NFM.

I ripped the curtains out years ago reminded me too much of an RV. I've done the silver bubble wrap stuff meh. I currently have self applied cheap dark automotive tint and it's pretty tacky looking. The next thing I plan to do this winter is hire a local tint shop to install ceramic tint, which now has an almost clear variation that blocks 99% UV and like 60% IR. I've also thought about getting Outland hatch covers made for all the port lights and fixed lights but then you get the weird little 1/4 turn locking mechanisms on the windows.