Every time we’ve been aboard a catamaran, Dave and I have remarked about how light and bright it is inside. But last January spending a week aboard our friends’ boat Beagle Knot in the Virgin Islands, we discovered the downside to this, as well as a simple and ingenious way to make boat window covers to keep the sun out.
You see, all the panoramic (and mostly non-opening) windows aboard Beagle Knot are fine while the sun wass high in the sky. But by mid-afternoon the sun is pouring through those windows on one side of the boat and it’s getting HOT inside! Barefoot Gal (our Gemini catamaran) doesn’t have as many or as large windows, which is good from a heat standpoint.
LaDonna got some auto windshield reflectors and cut them to size to make boat window covers. She simply puts the ones in that are needed on a given day. She uses just a bit of masking tape on each one — since they’re only up for a few hours, it comes off easily. She labelled each one for where it goes — it literally takes her about a minute to put them up!
If they’re leaving the boat for any amount of time — say snorkeling, walking the beach or a shore excursion — they put all the window covers in so that even if the boat swings at anchor, the inside will be shaded.
They also have pieces on the inside of the hatches in the cabins — these are usually open when at anchor and only closed underway or if it’s raining, so it doesn’t interfere with light in the cabin but significantly cuts the heat build-up when they’re underway. Should there be an extended rainy period when they want the hatches closed but also want the light, it only takes a second to remove them. (Another option for hatches is Outland Hatch Covers (see my review), which can permanently be left in place.)
When we bought Barefoot Gal and immediately prepped her for summer storage in the blazing Florida sun, we did a slight variation on LaDonna’s idea. We bought rolls of Reflectix, which are basically the material that the auto windshield shades are made from and cheaper than the shades (it can be hard to find outside the US, hence using windshield shades). I’ve written before about using Reflectix to add insulation to your refrigerator or cooler — see that article here.
Reflectix is easy to cut and shape as necessary — it’s bubble wrap with foil on both sides. I simply taped a piece roughly in place, then used a felt pen to draw the shape of the window. I took the piece down and just cut along my lines and got quite a good fit.
I didn’t want to use masking tape as I worried that it’d be hard to get off after six months. Instead, I used Command Strips for posters.
UPDATE: Don’t use Command Strips. They leave a nasty residue on the windows in the sun.
ANOTHER UPDATE: See comments to the effect that putting anything reflective inside windows for a long time can be bad as it will actually increase the heat hitting the window and can cause windows to warp. We now put our long-term shades on the outside of the windows and keep UV from the windows and sun out of the boat. Double-win. See how we now do them now: Better Window Covers
Reflectix is sold at many home improvement stores. In Fort Myers, where we were, Home Depot didn’t carry it in the store, but Lowe’s did. If you can’t find it near you — or just prefer the convenience of having it delivered to your door or the marina office — it’s available on Amazon:
- Reflectix (comes in many sizes to suit your needs)
Wondering how much to get? To do our entire boat (Gemini 34′ catamaran) I used one roll of Reflectix that was 18″ wide and 25′ long and one that was 24″ wide and 25′ long and had a little left over.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Mili Cook says
Yes! We do this, too. I’ve found if you cut them a1/2 inch bigger than the window opening, they’ll stay put without tape. (On our boat, at least.) To take function into fashion, I sewed a cool fabric to the inside of the panels using a zig zag stitch.
Lori Steinbrunner says
Be careful. This works great in the side windows, but on our Gemini, after a couple of years, two of the horizontal hatches had bowed lenses, which then leaked. We suspect it may have been heat build up between the aluminum and the lens due to reflection. We’ve since made outside covers (phifertex plus in a light color) which work beautifully.
The Boat Galley says
Eww, we’ve had them in our hatches all summer. Hope that didn’t happen on our Gem — at least our boat watcher hasn’t said anything about a leak. I’m hoping. Thanks for the warning!
Annette Cleckner Baker says
We’ve done this too. Helpful to keep out heat and cold! Just made them a bit larger than the port opening and tuck them in. They stay nicely.
David Grimm says
We’ve done the same for a number of years now. Gives you privacy at the dock also.
Jennifer Spires says
I have a Gemini, too. I’m worried about the sun shining through the glass, reflecting off the reflectix and back through the glass. Is that going to cause twice the damage to the plexiglass? Right now I have a piece of outdoor fabric that I put buttonholes in and hang it on the glass with suction cup hooks from a fabric store. I can easily take it down while we’re underway and later put it back up. The thickness of the reflectix would do a better job of keeping the cabin cooler, though.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I hadn’t thought of it being a problem and have seen lots of stored boats with the Reflectix in the hatches. But another commenter did mention they’d had a problem with it, so I’m just not sure.
Chris&Janet says
This is also a good addition over the top of the icebox (below the lid). Our reefer/freezer power consumption dropped by 15%
Jody Fortuna says
We have done this also. I did put the little round Velcro on it to hold in place. We have ours up all day if in the south. Helps greatly on the heat
Monika Ludewig Bradley says
I have made window covers like that for all three of my boats. The edges can even be sewn with an overlock or zigzag edge on a regular sewing machine!
Kelly Hauquitz says
Mili Cook great idea! May I add your pic to Pinterest? We don’t have a boat yet, but I’m pinning an archive of info for later use.
Toni Borrett says
Great article! How do you keep the boat ventilated when locked up for months? Any advice? Thanks
Joe Brown says
If you are worrried about the sun heating up the inside,i have found if you put the auto sunshades on the outside of the window it keeps the heat out better and my car stays cooler.
Amy says
I have a 380 Catalina and I have a product on my hatches made by Outland Rigid Hatch Covers and it sits on top of your hatch and reflects, protects the lenses and does a tremendous job on insulating the heat from entering the boat. They can also make them for non-opening cabin windows. Actually they can make them for most any window or hatch area. Check them out on their website at http://Outlandhatchcovers.com. They have videos on there for you to see the process and how they work. I have found that this is an inexpensive way of protecting your investment.
Cathy Waldron says
Our boat came with a set of window covers made from car sunshades and to hold them in place they cut a small hole in each end and inserted suction cups and on place of the hook they have small cable ties to stop them slipping through the holes. We live on our yacht, a 14.8m Radford in tropical Australia, and I have remade them whenever they get a bit saggy or crumpled. As they are easy to remove and replace we can allow light in and keep the hot sun out on different sides of the boat depending on the time of day, or angle of the boat when we are anchored. They also allow the windows to be opened, although during the hottest part of the year (now) we have an air conditioner in one of the hatches, so keep the boat shut up as much as possible. As we have 16 windows it is a cheap option and works well for us.
amy says
Cathy, You might want to look at the covers from Outland Rigid Hatch Covers, they go on the outside of the hatches and keep the glass from crazing from the sun. They a very good installation factor when you are trying to keep it as cool as possible in the hot summer months. They have worked wonders for us.
John Seymour says
If you are having trouble getting sticky residue off glass or plastic surface, use eucalyptus oil. Put the oil onto the offending material, leave it to do its work for 5-10 mins and than wipe off.
StarWish246 says
Perhaps, since warm air rises, this might help. Get a paper hole puncher (or use a drill) and make holes along the bottom of the covering. This might pull cooler air (cool air goes down) between the plexiglass and the covering. Sort of like leaving a window open slightly to balance the heat / cool.
I do know that the color White reflects heat, too. You could spray paint the foil on the side that faces outward of the window covering with white paint. Flat white may be less problematic that the shiny foil.
Sharon says
Its true that just this alone will cause damage to your windows and hatches. We went to Home Depot and purchased 4 x 8 x 1/2″ insulation and cut it to fit. It acts like an easy bake oven if you just put up reflective cut outs. We even made one for the sliding glass door and slid it shut for sun and privacy.
Jeannette DeFriest says
I use white adhesive shelf paper (about $6/roll) on my Reflectix to make it less reflective.