520DB Windows blind advice

j98052

Active Member
Jul 17, 2015
296
Anacortes, WA
Boat Info
2010 Sedan Bridge 520
Engines
Cummins QSM11
My wife and I would like to have window blinds installed on the front windows of our 520. In the summer the salon gets really hot!

We had the local Ocean Air dealer come and give us a quote, sort of -- the dealer doesn't really seem to know what he's doing, and he ballparked it at $8k but wouldn't give a final quote until we sign.

Wondering if anyone has had blinds installed or has other ideas. For example, we are thinking of having a new windshield cover made out of Sunbrella.
 

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I would suggest you consider a professionally installed UV reflective tinting film (3M makes some good ones). You could likely match the existing tint percentage so it wouldn’t even be noticeable visually but it will definitely be noticeable temperature-wise.
 
We thought about blinds but decided that since we never drive from down below (well, twice in 9 years is almost never) we would just go with a stamoid cover for the windshield. It snaps top and bottom and zips on each side to the window screens.

It works great to keep the sun out and temps down and only cost a couple hundred bucks IIRC.

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White or off white sumbrella or stamoid windshield screen is 100% better BTU gain wise compared to any interior treatment or 3M coating product period. Heat loss/gain calculations was a large part of what I did for forty+ years.

I prefer the Sumbrella screen over the Stamoid for the windshield screen as you can determine the amount of block or view you’d like from inside. Our previous boat as well as this one had black screen which looked fine but cooked ya. We went with about an 70% block off white on that boat to closely match the white hull color and worked great.

On our 52DB I just put on an 75%+- bright blue sunscreen to a couple of weeks ago as I wanted some color and am headed to KW for the winter. Mine was done on a rush job for $400 and looks great IMHO.
 
Our new to us 520db has a window shad on the exterior that is made out of a mesh fabric. I am not sure what they call the fabric but I see it on many boats like ours as a sunshade. It snaps onto the outside of the window but you can still see out of it just fine. It may be the same thing that is talked about in the post above. Here is a pic of the boat with it on.

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Very common window treatment especially on sedan bridge boats. Ours is made from sunbrella UV mesh. It does come in different “strengths” I believe it’s 50% or 70% blockage ours is 50% and from inside there’s some blockage of your view but the 70% is way too dark for us I like being able to look out the windows . The 500/52 USA model does not have the second station so you need not worry about leaving it on they also will make them for the side salon windows if you’d like.
 
Interesting.... My wife just requested the window blinds as well.... Not only to reduce the heat gain but for direct sunlight blockage in the morning. We just spent several weeks in a slip where the morning sun came directly through the front windows. It would have been nice to have the flexibility to be able to block out the direct sun for a short period of time in one or more of the window panes. We both will work on a laptop at the dinette and it would be convenient to pull a shade down. We have the mesh as well........
 
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If you're stuck on blinds, find a custom blind company. For a few blinds it shouldn't cost anywhere near 8k.
 
We have the white stamoid cover as well as the factory black mesh. I agree with all the previous comments on the white stamoid however we find that we only use it on very hot days. It absolutely does the job of blocking the sun on a hot day. One of the two downsides to the stamoid has been mentioned, it almost completely blocks the light and makes the salon dark. We enjoy the forward facing view even when in a marina which you loose with the Stamoid

The second downside is it’s not easy to keep clean. The white seems to get dirt trapped in it that doesn’t come out no matter how much scrubbing.
 
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We have the white stamoid cover as well as the factory black mesh. I agree with all the previous comments on the white stamoid however we find that we only use it on very hot days. It absolutely does the job of blocking the sun on a hot day. One of the two downsides to the stamoid has been mentioned, it almost completely blocks the light and makes the salon dark. We enjoy the forward facing view even when in a marina which you loose with the Stamoid

The second downside is it’s not easy to keep clean. The white seems to get dirt trapped in it that doesn’t come out no matter how much scrubbing.

Take it off the boat and use Wesley's Tire Bleach and a soft deck brush on a stick. Cleans up easily and looks like new again. Hose off with lots of water. No scrubbing needed.
 
I agree with all the previous comments on the white stamoid however we find that we only use it on very hot days. It absolutely does the job of blocking the sun on a hot day.
The ability to block the sun is why we went with Stamoid. We live in a desert and are often boating on 100*-110* days.

sbw1, thanks for the tip on cleaning the Stamoid. When you do that, how long do you leave it on the Stamoid before hosing it off?
 
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The ability to block the sun is why we went with Stamoid. We live in a desert and are often boating on 100*-110* days.

sbw1, thanks for the tip on cleaning the Stamoid. When you do that, how long do you leave it on the Stamoid before hosing it off?
Don't know if you have used it to clean white side wall tires. Don't see them much any more. Anyway, spray on. Do a couple of good passes with a proper brush, and then hose off. Takes maybe 45-60 seconds per tire. I use this stuff on my Porsche tires and wheels. Have to be careful with the wheels not to leave it on too long and use lots of water to make sure they are not damaged. Also don't spray it on painted parts of the car. Stamoid should clean up on contact and a good brushing. Again, don't let it sit and rinse with lots of water. I've even used it on Sunbrella floor runners repeatedly with good results.
 
We have the mesh cover, but it doesn't really block the sunlight.

I've never heard of a stamoid cover - is this essentially similar to the mesh cover but with a different material?
 
We have a black mesh cover that we use in TN in the covered slip. Let's light in. Then we have a white sunbrella solid cover that we use in FL. It can go home to the washing machine just like the carpet runners...
 
Phifertex is also another brand of the mesh material. We use the black mesh cover 90% of the time while in our covered slip or out for the day. I switch to a tan Sunbrella cover when out in the sun for longer.
 
I am not familiar with the inside of your boat and how the windows are shaped, but on my old 400DB I ordered one inch slat blinds from Lowes and then cut them to fit. The front of the windows were slanted geometric windows and I had to cut each slat at an angle to fit the window angle. I then drilled a hole in each cut end and ran a string (from top metal bracket to the bottom metal bracket) to hold the end of the slats up and not let them hang limp. I put a knot in the string under each slat (knot was one inch apart) as I ran the string though the slat. The blinds worked and looked great.

I had a pro blind place quote me $2000 for blinds cut to fit. I ordered them for $175 each. I think Levelor blinds can special ordered up to 96 inches in length if needed. It took about two weeks for them to be shipped to the store.

Blinds are easily cut and altered. It just takes a little patience and time. I did both of mine in about two hours.....but my windows were easy to work with. I cut the slats with tin snips (very fast) and it gave it a nice clean edge.

Good luck,
Keith
 
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If you put blinds to stop heat on the inside of the boat then the heat is already inside of the boat and your blinds end up being the radiators. They do help some but the best is to have the heat reflected on the outside. I have a Phifertex mesh cover when we are on the boat and also a silver reflective cover that snaps over the phifertex which really knocks the power bill down.
 
Ttmott, what do you mean by “silver reflective cover” ? Do you see silver outside like tin foil? That would be a hellava reflection. Trying to picture it. This should be our last NE winter so any tricks I can learn and bring with me South next year is another tool in the box. Pics?
 
If you don't have a lower helm you could get away with a silver reflectorized coating like you would use on car windows. It lets you see out but at night restricts your vision but that's not a big deal if you're not driving from there.
 
Anything inside the boat becomes a radiator which is proven through the finstation analogy. Example, aluminum mini blinds were very popular for a short time. Why do you think they are installed on electric and hot water baseboard heaters, they dispell and radiate heat inside the space beautifully. Goes totally against what you’re trying to accomplish. Cover glass on the outside or wind up doing it the next time to correct the problem you’ve created worse than before. Enough said, I’m done!
 

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