Clear vs Tinted hatches.

[er9]

all my ports and hatches are tinted grey at the moment but are getting ready to replace. I really like the extra brightness inside from clear hatches but am concerned about the heat buildup of having clear -vs- a dark tinted plexi.

for anyone who has had both would you guess that clear hatched allow significantly more heat buildup inside the cabin or not a big enough difference to worry about?

[coopec43]

My suggestion is if people live in cold climates it would be best to have clear ports to let the warmth in. As I am in a warm part of Australia I have tinted ports.


Clear or Frosted Portlights - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

www.cruisersforum.com › Cruisers & Sailing Forums › The Fleet › Monohull Sailboats
Apr 6, 2017 - 15 posts - ‎10 authors
For privacy with the newer clear port lights I have cut up a car .... Are there significant disadvantages of clear material, like: lack of privacy, glare, or heat? ... As for clear vs. tinted, I think that's a function of how light your interior ...
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[rbk]

With clear there is less privacy when waking around the cabin at night naked with the lights on. More of a worry dockside

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by rbk

With clear there is less privacy when waking around the cabin at night naked with the lights on. More of a worry dockside

I don't think tint would help much in that situation: you'd need curtains.

[RaymondR]

The general perversity of all things boating will guarantee that the boats heading and the sun's azimuth is such at nap time as to place the heat and glare fairly on your head.

[mnh]

Hi, We went with re-tinting old clear hatch covers. Now have a lovely shade of green,
that is opaque from the outside, but you can see through them from the inside. The green color diffuses the sunlight, and adds a nice color to the sunlight inside the cabin. I sent the hatch covers to a company in Sweden. Costs were not high, and I'm really happy with the tinted green color. Matches the Jade Mist Green Awl Grip too. short answer, yes to tinting, I prefer the green color though compared to grey...

[er9]

Originally Posted by rbk

With clear there is less privacy when waking around the cabin at night naked with the lights on. More of a worry dockside

lol...i definately will consider this if i turn my boat into a nudie camp.

[er9]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

The general perversity of all things boating will guarantee that the boats heading and the sun's azimuth is such at nap time as to place the heat and glare fairly on your head.

seriously...whats up with that? im fairly convinced now there is a god and he/she is a giant gremlin who enjoys tormenting us...

[kas_1611]

The other thing to consider with tinting is UV. Whilst you can get clear tint film that will block UV rays from passing through the hatch/window/porthole it kind of seems a bit of a daft idea. All shades of window tinting film will block UV and this will reduce wear and tear (mostly bleaching) of your interior fabrics.

Tinted hatches also offer more privacy which is another consideration.

I used to have 35% tint on the side and rear windows of my car when living in SW France and it did make it more comfortable inside and protected the leather.

Personally regardless of where I was using the boat (currently in the Ionian) I'd have tinted hatches for UV protection inside and privacy. Oddly our main heads/shower doesn't have any tint, go figure.

[er9]

Originally Posted by mnh

Hi, We went with re-tinting old clear hatch covers. Now have a lovely shade of green,
that is opaque from the outside, but you can see through them from the inside. The green color diffuses the sunlight, and adds a nice color to the sunlight inside the cabin. I sent the hatch covers to a company in Sweden. Costs were not high, and I'm really happy with the tinted green color. Matches the Jade Mist Green Awl Grip too. short answer, yes to tinting, I prefer the green color though compared to grey...

thanks mnh. appreciate the feedback. i think im going to keep the hatches tinted then and possibly use clear on the ports as they are easy to slide a curtain across. im worried the hatches will just be too much heat if clear.

[er9]

Originally Posted by kas_1611

The other thing to consider with tinting is UV. Whilst you can get clear tint film that will block UV rays from passing through the hatch/window/porthole it kind of seems a bit of a daft idea. All shades of window tinting film will block UV and this will reduce wear and tear (mostly bleaching) of your interior fabrics.

Tinted hatches also offer more privacy which is another consideration.

I used to have 35% tint on the side and rear windows of my car when living in SW France and it did make it more comfortable inside and protected the leather.

Personally regardless of where I was using the boat (currently in the Ionian) I'd have tinted hatches for UV protection inside and privacy. Oddly our main heads/shower doesn't have any tint, go figure.

im in a similar climate (southern california). i think tint is the way to go on my deck hatches. unfortunately i did just redo a small vent hatch using clear and is what started me thinking about this. luckily its only 10 x 10 vent hatch and is in a hallway so shouldnt be too big of a deal. if the 795 hadn't already set i might consider re-doing but it set in with a heck of a lot of 795. getting it out might be a real issue now.

[skipper53]

I'm pretty sure that anyone who looks in my hatches and finds me naked likely won't look a second time.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I don't think tint would help much in that situation: you'd need curtains.

Only if I cared

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by coopec43

My suggestion is if people live in cold climates it would be best to have clear ports to let the warmth in.

That would more likely be letting the warmth out and the cold in.... and I don't thinking tint would alter that fact.... but 'double glazing' would.....

[greensail]

Hi.

If you are in the tropics, I seriously recommend clear hatches with a UV reflective film applied on the outside. (Exterior film can be hard to find I hasten to add) Our boat has the film on the inside meaning the acrylic gets a double dose of UV and deteriorates more quickly. Sun passes through the acrylic, reflects and passes through it again. This also makes the acrylic hot, adding more heat in the cabin. The difference is significant.

Also, it acts as a scratch protector for the hatch. Peal it off and renew when it gets scruffy.

All the best
Bob