Cabin privacy curtains

R

RicksAmigo1

New member
We like to camp out on the boat a lot, even off the water between destinations. Anyone have any ideas on some economical privacy curtains for the cabin?
Pat and Rick
The Amigo
 
I don't know how economical they are, but my CD25 came with snap-on curtins made from sail material. They provide privacy while still letting the light in and the material is just about indestructible.
 
You don't want sail material as it's dacron/kevlar and stiff as a board.

Sail cover material, on the other hand, especially Sunbrella, is the preferred material for this application. The "canvas" on my camper trailer is Sunbrella, as is my full mooring cover. Sunbrella will last years fully exposed to the weather, won't fade, and breathes to let moisture out.
 
For a set of cheap window coverings, march on down to fabric store and pick out any old fabric that catches your eye. Grab the fabric and and bunch of snaps and you're set. Just remove about every fourth window frame screw, stick a male snap on it and screw it back in, run the sewing machine around your fabric and thow some snaps in it and...poof....$40 window covers
 
Ken,
I went and got the snaps and such, but the screws on the windows are too big and won't work with the snaps so I'll have to find new screws. It's a good idea, though. I'll let you know how they turn out. Thanks
Pat
 
AW, you can just grind the head down on the screws if needed...you always wanted a bench grinder didn't you?....Sis lives in Fruitland, you anywhere near there?
 
Ken,

Right........I'll just tell my grandkids......"Grandma wants bench grinder for Christmas". Fruitland is about 3 hours northwest of here.
Pat



:lol:
 
Chuck up the screws in a drill motor for grinding the heads. Works great. If you have a bench grinder, just put the screw head against the stone while running the drill. Or, if your grandkids won't get you the durn grinder, you can hold a file against the screw head while running the drill. Keeps them round that way.

We got lucky and found the snaps with the screws built in.
 
if you want to throw those screws in the mail I'll give them the treatment for ya........you must live near (as in a lot nearer than us) Owhyee country, ever hit the lake there? great place
 
Ok Pat & Rick,
Here's my experience in snaps.

I tried to grind down the factory screws. I am obviously not a good machinist. I couldn't get them to work because the height of the the screw head was higher that the snap, so there wasn't enough room for it to actually snap together.

Even after grinding the head lower, the snap would work but then there was nothing left for the screw driver to "bite" on to screw them back in to place with.

What I ended up doing is getting the screw/snap combos like Tyboo did,and they worked great.
 
Ken,
Thanks for your offer, you're so kind, but I think I would have trouble re-attaching the screws. I'm checking my West Marine catalog now.
Never been to Owyhee Reservoir yet. Looks like it's just over the Oregon border from Boise area. We'll have to check it out. Water has become sparse in Southern Idaho with the drought and all. We spent most of our time cruising the San Juans this summer.
My friends in Fruitland are Rick and Sandie Dickensen. He works at P.O. and she at Coca-Cola.
Thanks again,
 
Yep, Rick, that kit looks like it would do it. I was able to find just the punch and anvil alone, and got a handful of snaps. The male snap had the screw built into it, and the female snap comes in two pieces. I got a bunch of the things, and it seemed like it cost quite a bit, but I don't think it was as much as that kit. If you go into a good marine store, they should have whatever you need on the shelf. If you have a choice of snap material (and prices), go for the best grade of stainless. The snaps that were on my 22 when we got it had rusted a little and stained the gelcoat pretty good.
 
Thanks Mike, Wish we had a marine store near here, but we're in the middle of nowhere, Pop. 1000. Appreciate everyone's help. Actually I'm posting these messages and trying to sew some curtains for the CD. (Don't want you to think Rick is so ignorant about the hardware, etc. :lol: )
Everyone's been so helpful. Thanks again.
Pat
 
Ken and Mike,
Thanks for your suggestions. After many miles of driving and searching thru various hardware stores, I found some male snaps with the screw. One store had exactly 11 at 56 cents each and Home
Depot's had packages of 4 for about $3 a package. Figuring I'd need quite a few, I gave up that idea, at least temporarily. Meantime, I purchased 4 yds. of "duck" cloth and 4 tension curtain rods. In a little over an hour I hemmed the cloth and we now have "instant" privacy curtains that we can roll up and throw into a tube made of PVC when not in use. They aren't very stylish, but they work for now. The nice part is, no screws, glue or anything like that to mess up the inside walls of the boat.
Pat :P
 
On the subject of curtains...been giving this some thought, and have an idea.

I've seen a number of curtain installs, and have come to the conclusion there are two things I want on mine - inside attachments, and separate curtains for every window (instead of one long one for the side windows.) I don't like the thought of going outside to put up curtains, and I'd like the flexibility to keep some open, and some closed.

The problem with inside, separate curtains - you need a place to stow them, and with 10 curtains, I'd get them mixed up all the time - I'm not that organized.

My thought - have them made oversized in height by about 2-3 inches, and attach them above the windows, not on the frame. They could then be rolled up completely out of the way above the window frame, using snaps or velcro to hold them up. This would take care of the stowage problem, make them quick to deploy, and they could still be completely removed if necessary.

Any reason the above wouldn't work?
 
Bill, Let me share my solution. I wanted seperate coverings for each window that would block ALL light and be removable/stowable. I purchased some dark blue vinyl and bulk velcro @ the fabric store. The vinyl was cut to exactly match each window. I cut the velcro into small pieces. I stapled the fuzzy sides to the vinyl and 5200'd the pokey side to the window frames. Each shroud was numbered(1-10) for easy I.D.. Virtually NO light gets through in the day. At night from outside, none of the interior light escapes. Anyone peering into the windows sees only blackness. The vinyl also has an insulating effect. They go up and down in less than a minute. The only downside is the very occasional loosening of the "glued" pokey pieces. Simply re-adhere. When storing, I stack them 10,9,8... one on the other then roll them all up and into the v-berth. I also cut one for the hatch with a hole for my solar vent. Pete [/b]
 
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