Best sun shade material

[Tracyandkimo]

Any suggestions on what's the best material to make a sun shade to go across the stern of my cat. It's a large panel approximately 10' x 6'.
I see that Sailrite has Phifertix, but I'm unfamiliar with any of the products.
Thanks,
Tracy

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Tracyandkimo

Any suggestions on what's the best material to make a sun shade to go across the stern of my cat. It's a large panel approximately 10' x 6'.
I see that Sailrite has Phifertix, but I'm unfamiliar with any of the products.
Thanks,
Tracy

I still go for Sunbrella.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Tracyandkimo

Any suggestions on what's the best material to make a sun shade to go across the stern of my cat. It's a large panel approximately 10' x 6'.
I see that Sailrite has Phifertix, but I'm unfamiliar with any of the products.
Thanks,
Tracy

Tracy, it kind of depends on what you want it to do. If you want exclude rain as well as sunshine, shade cloth doesn't cut it. However, many catamarans and some monos in Australia use shade cloth. It is easy to work with, both for sewing and positioning grommets. It is also the lightest weight fabric for shade.

I have worked with "Breezeway", it is a pvc cloth with a scrim and holes for air circulation. It is not rainproof. If air circulation is more important, some form of shade cloth, whether it is large mesh Phifertex or some other brand, will allow more air circulation than Sunbrella.

Sunbrella weighs about twice what Weather Max weighs, but it lasts a lot longer in the tropics. I think it (an acrylic fiber) has the best UV resistance of everything I've tried. Over the years, I have also used Stamoid. It is a solid pvc fabric, with a 10 yr. guarantee. Mine has made it past 10 years, with a couple of patches in high flex areas. It has no stretch, so it must be measured very carefully and given a hair extra tiny bit of clearance.

If you decide to try the WeatherMax, because of the weight savings, it really only is good for 5 yrs. in the sun. It is a UV treated polyester. I would avoid the dark red (it faded to a color I don't like, a muddy grey with red undertones). However, the medium gray (dinghy chaps) fades to an okay lighter gray. But for me, the next pair of chaps I make will be Sunbrella.

Sunbrella lasts best, and will keep rain out; it is also quite expensive....and it is heavy.

PVC has poor UV life, and so does WM, for my use.

Good luck with it. I hope you are pleased with your choice. Consider it an experiment. One keeps on trying.

Ann

Good luck with it.