Cockpit Shade

Have you every been sitting in your cockpit late afternoon with the sun behind you.  You gotta have one of these if you plan to spend any time in your cockpit while cruising, or just sitting at the dock.  This is the best thing I have come up with, period.  I rank it as number one above all else .  I’m quite serious about that, it has made a huge difference in our enjoyment of our boat.

This blocks 85% of the sun, and yes, you can see through it.  I researched many different materials, and searched everywhere to buy this sort of shade.   It’s a soft “vinyl coated mesh” material called VCM that makes it  flexible, and durable.  It’s made for outdoors so it will last for years in the sunshine.  It can be folded up the size of a beach towel, so it’s easy to sto.  It has brass grommets every 18 inches along all sides. 

I hang mine off the center bimini support bar down to the top of my gunnel.  It goes behind my backstay.  My center support bar is only 28″ from the back edge of the bimini, and about a foot inside the gunnel. I use shower curtain hooks to hang it, spaced 18 inches on center.  I have small lines to secure the corners in place.

I have a friend, Becky D. that uses the small Home Depot spring clamps to secure hers in place. These claps cost $.37 (cents)each.

Here it is on the side of the boat.  It’s late afternoon and we are traveling north with a glaring sun on the port side.  Total shade in the cockpit, otherwise we would have baked. 

I’m currently looking at another, less expensive material and I’ll report on that soon

Whatever material you use, make sure it is in the 85% to 92% blockage range.  You’ll be disappointed in something that is only 75% blockage.