So ok, let me break down and admit it up front, we have air conditioning on Dream Catcher. I'm sure this makes us whimpy, weak willed sailors some how, but when living aboard full time and summering in places like North Carolina or the Chesapeake Bay where it regularly goes over 100 degrees, not having AC just isn't an option we'd consider.
Go ahead, call me a wuss, I'll be the wuss that doesn't have sweat running down the crack of his ass. (Sorry mom.)
Having also had AC on our previous , it' interesting to note that it is harder to keep that catamaran cooler than it was with our mono hulls. This is in part due to most of the catamaran being on top of the water rather than in it (water is cooler, acts as an insulator) as well as the larger, more spread out layout of the cat. We require 26,000 BTU's of chilling power to keep the cat comfortable where as the last mono hull we had needed only 16,500 BTU's to do the same.
In an effort to help control interior temperatures, I have systematically covered every hatch, window and port on Dream Catcher with at least a sunbrella cover to reflect the sun. On horizontal openings I have also made aluminum foil lined, 3 millimeter, XPVC deflector shields that hides under the sunbrella cover to maximize our UV reflecting capabilities.
Think: Deflectors on Mr Sulu!
The only opening that has never had a cover is the accordion door that leads from the cockpit into the inside of the boat. With temperatures already over 100 degrees this year and our AC units struggling to keep up, we decided to try and cover this opening too in an effort to save every precious cold air molecule we can.
The challenge with covering the main salon door is it's accordion style. When the door is opened it folds back on itself 180 degrees and nestles up against the forward cockpit bulkhead. In order to still open the door without removing the cover, it was necessary to build it in two pieces that butt up together when opened, but that easily separate when the door is opened.
As you can see in the photos, we made ours out of white sunbrella, more because thats what I had rather than any other good reason. Actually we considered using green, but it clashed pretty badly with the all white cockpit bulkhead. After getting the size for each side correct, I used a 1" binding around the edges to keep it from fraying and then cut in the handle, the latch, and the stand off so that the covers lay flat.
To attach the covers, I opted to use sticky back velcro on the acrylic doors. I thought about using snaps, but the idea of drilling 12 holes in the thin acrylic without making a mistake scared me. Those of you who have seen me operate power tools know what I mean. The reciprocal side of the velcro was sewn to the inside of the covers at the top and bottom. Actual testing will tell if we need a middle strip as well to keep the covers taut.
Today's temperature is forecast at an over 98 degrees, so we should be able to tell fairly quickly whether or not the covers help us to retain more cold air particles than before.
More to follow, end of line.