Trojan Boat Forum

in anticipation of actually getting one of these two f32's i'm looking at, i have a question...

where would i look for a cover to wrap around the cabin windscreen? i see a lot of boats with them, but neither of the two i'm looking at have them.

You get them custom made from your canvas shop. You might think about getting a white one. Mine is black and it really heats up.

diddo on the heat from the black windshield cover but I take mine off when I leave the dock. I usually run the boat from the lower helm for fishing and socializing.

I also remove my cover when I leave the dock, but I usually run my boat from the bridge. The last thing I want to do is run around removing the cover if I had to operate the boat from the lower helm.

Not sure if you are talking wind screen on the bridge or windshield, butr if you are talking windshield then I have one made of Phifertex (sunscreen) in black, I like the looks, it lets sunlight into the cabin, but keeps it cool, and I have visibility out when I am in the cabin but still enough for privacy. My canvas guy knew exactly what I wanted so I did not have to search for suppliers but here is a quick link of what it is.

http://www.scalisemarine.com/Phifertex.htm

Also if you click on my boat picture below you can see it on the boat.

Mine is white it keeps the cabin cooler . it has been off once in 4 years . The one time I used the lower helm .

The Phifertex is vinyl coated (plastick-y) and hence doesn't fold or store well (you pretty much have to try to roll it up). After a few years with exposure to sunlight and chemicals (like some deck cleaning solutions) it can get a bit brittle, and mine actually cracked when folded too sharply.
What I replaced it with was a new cover made out of "Sunbrella Shade" fabric. It is Sunbrella material, but in a mesh form. About half the weight of the Phifertex, it is also more dense (gaps in the mesh are smaller, so you get a bit more privacy out of it). They claim 84% UVA and UVB blockage. No plastic or vinyl, so 'infinitely' foldable / rollable / scrunch into a ball and cram into a corner-able. "Colours coordinate with other Sunbrella canvas colours" as the brochure says....
The Sunbrella stuff may be a bit harder to work with for people making the cover as it is more light-weight and 'flimsy' than typical canvas or the phifertex, so if you use it make sure the canvas guy eats any costs for 'redos' and not you....

http://www.sunbrella.com/am/en/marine.p ... Splash.htm

you'se guys are a buffet of knowledge!

mine is made from stamoid the same materiel that my enclosure is made from and the same ivory color matches the fiberglass almost exactly also easy to fold and prevents any water leaks

i made my own used phifertex and sunbrella 2" binding used the same snaps that were already there, piece of cake and much cheaper than paying a canvas shop , my winter projects included making screen zip on panels for my cockpit bimini top.

Mine is made of black sunbrella material. I wondered one day if the black color made a big difference in temperature so I put an old one over the windows that was white that the previous owner saved in one of the drawers and it did not make much difference at all. I always remove mine before I take the boat out just in case I have to run down below and operate from the lower helm. One day I had an engine quit because I had a plugged fuel filter and this happened on a 4th of July weekend in the channel that was crowded with boats and I had to run below while my wife pulled off the cover and then switch tanks bypassing the bad filter. Lesson learned, be prepared to operate from lower helm before you go out.

Mine came with one but I had it replaced a couple years ago. Still looks good. Here's an idea for you all.
My brother and friend have both done this and I am doing this in the spring as well....

Go to a fabric shop and pick up 6 yards of your favorite interior fabric which will match your interior decor. Then you can line (sew) this fabric to the inside of your windshield cover. When you snap your cover on, you now have a nice looking windshield area, viewed from the inside, instead of the canvas color on the outside. You can buy moisture resistant fabric and it will brighten up and enhance the cabin!

One more note: I removed my wiper arms from the motor shafts. Otherwise, they put holes into the canvas over time. (I never use the lower helm for driving)

I also have the perforated shade and like how it lets more light in without being able to see in. Mine is black and even in hot summer days it does not seem to heat up the boat.From the outside

I don't have any showing how bright it makes the inside.... but it is a big difference as one can also see through it somewhat.

Screen type windshield covers are nice, but there like a double edge sward... They block most of the sun rays and you can see through them during the day. The problem is, at night, with the salon lights on, you can’t see out but others can see in. This might not bother some people, but if privacy is important to you, you should be aware of the limitation of the screen type cover.

ready123 wrote:I also have the perforated shade and like how it lets more light in without being able to see in. Mine is black and even in hot summer days it does not seem to heat up the boat.From the outside

I don't have any showing how bright it makes the inside.... but it is a big difference as one can also see through it somewhat.

I have the Sunbrella see thru stuff...have never taken it off and have driven with it on from below a few times. Death wish perhaps.

Hey Ready123....it's so damned pretty up there where you go boating I can hardly stand to look at the pictures. I think I'm going to collect them as you post and make a file. Then, I'm going to show them to my wife and explain to her why we need to do the Great Loop or just spend more time up in the Great White North - when it's not white!
When you have free time one day, create a new string and show us where the best spots to float around are up there?!