Clear porthole covers for Winter liveaboard ?

We are year round liveaboards in Ct.
We have the PYH1 portholes and have been experimenting with clear covers over the ports on the outside. We leave a few ports clear for available day light and cover the rest with opaque refletix inserts.
The clear sample sheets have cut down on the drafts and convection heat loss. Does anybody know of a company that makes something like this ?
Of course, we would need to install some snaps or a track on the outside of the boat above the windows. We would remove the panels in the spring.

We replaced the 11 portholes in our 41 with NFM ports. As to covering the ports on the outside maybe a clear shrink wrap? I think that 3M makes kits that go on the inside of house windows, maybe there is someone that makes something similar for the outside.

TJM said:

We are year round liveaboards in Ct.
We have the PYH1 portholes and have been experimenting with clear covers over the ports on the outside. We leave a few ports clear for available day light and cover the rest with opaque refletix inserts.
The clear sample sheets have cut down on the drafts and convection heat loss. Does anybody know of a company that makes something like this ?
Of course, we would need to install some snaps or a track on the outside of the boat above the windows. We would remove the panels in the spring.

Click to expand...

Is it like the Outland hatch covers?
Welcome to Outland Boat Hatch Covers | Outland Hatch Covers

Over in EU and UK the narrowboat and barge guys make bungs as they're called. They are insulated pillow like things that fit neatly but snuggle in windows, portholes, and portlites. I don't know how you could make them clear. You could use acrylic glass and wrap some foam around the edges like auto door seals and that should seal them into the window openings. They wouldn't really be insulated but would add a layer between the inside and out plus block or slow down drafts.

I often wonder if it would be worth the extra cost to install double pane glass windows and portholes. Perhaps on a new build or major refit.

Your local hardware store should have weather insulation kits. It’s a clear film that goes over the port creating an insulation air gap between the weather and the port.

double pane windows and hatches

With all the flexing that happens on with a boat, the seal between the two panes probably would not last long. I know that some narrowboat builders offer that as an option, but they have a big rubber gasket between the opening and the window, so any boat flex is isolated from the windows.

Double pane windows have two parallel panes of glass (and sometimes a film suspended in the middle, between the glass panes) and then a glue bonded to hold the windows together as one part. Then all the air is replaced with an inert gas like argon or nitrogen.

It would be nice to have a vacuum between the two panes but the seal wouldn't hold the vacuum too long.

The average double pane window has a life of about 15 years before you need to replace at least some of them.

If you are just looking to let light in and don’t need to see out of them, bubblewrap works well and you can probably get it for free. Just cut it to size and stick it to the glass.

Big box stores sell clear shrink plastic for dirt houses with double stick tape.

Do both inside and outside , and if vision out doesn't matter bubble wrap between the layers helps.

stubones99 said:

With all the flexing that happens on with a boat, the seal between the two panes probably would not last long. I know that some narrowboat builders offer that as an option, but they have a big rubber gasket between the opening and the window, so any boat flex is isolated from the windows.

Double pane windows have two parallel panes of glass (and sometimes a film suspended in the middle, between the glass panes) and then a glue bonded to hold the windows together as one part. Then all the air is replaced with an inert gas like argon or nitrogen.

It would be nice to have a vacuum between the two panes but the seal wouldn't hold the vacuum too long.

The average double pane window has a life of about 15 years before you need to replace at least some of them.

Click to expand...

That must be the older ones. The newer narrow boats glue the windows in flush with the hull using urethane. A couple guys I chat with had a narrow boat built a little over a year ago and that's the way they installed theirs. No leaks, yet.

This is a $0.27 thin clear ~14" flower pot water base with about a dollar's worth of split pipe insulation around the edge, both from Lowe's - pressed up around the outside of the port.

Works pretty good for us!

boathealer said:

This is a $0.27 clear ~14" flower pot water base with about a dollar's worth of split pipe insulation around the edge - pressed up around the outside of the port.

Works pretty good for us!

Click to expand...

That is a pretty cool and cheap idea.

I'm a full time liveaboard in Boston. I don't wrap any of my portholes.

South of Heaven said:

I'm a full time liveaboard in Boston. I don't wrap any of my portholes.

Click to expand...

Your window shapes would be hard to wrap, I would think..... JFK library would still be in your sights..

Sailor of Fortune said:

Your window shapes would be hard to wrap, I would think..... JFK library would still be in your sights..

Click to expand...

Haha, yeah! I love my city views!

South of Heaven said:

Haha, yeah! I love my city views!

Click to expand...

JFK out one side, Ho chi Minh out the other?, right?

Sailor of Fortune said:

JFK out one side, Ho chi Minh out the other?, right?

Click to expand...

??

Sailor of Fortune said:

JFK out one side, Ho chi Minh out the other?, right?

Click to expand...

I don’t get it either...

boathealer said:

This is a $0.27 thin clear ~14" flower pot water base with about a dollar's worth of split pipe insulation around the edge, both from Lowe's - pressed up around the outside of the port.

Works pretty good for us!

Click to expand...

His portholes are rectangular in shape so these won’t work on his.

We spent 5 winters in the Chesapeake. We have seen temps to -2 degrees. for our climate the clear window film has proven to be good at stopping drafts and providing some added thermal insulation. On some of our larger windows in the salon we put 4 mill polyethylene foam between the glass and the clear film covering about 60% of the window. IT lets light in and still gives a view out the window .

tadhana said:

We spent 5 winters in the Chesapeake. We have seen temps to -2 degrees. for our climate the clear window film has proven to be good at stopping drafts and providing some added thermal insulation. On some of our larger windows in the salon we put 4 mill polyethylene foam between the glass and the clear film covering about 60% of the window. IT lets light in and still gives a view out the window .

Click to expand...

For low cost double pane window performance, use clear poly film over the window with an adhesive like this one...
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...gCRIjFQpSAUJfQPfR4BoCeWQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It has non-marking adhesive on one side and is clear. 24"x200' roll is $43 bucks. Peel it off when you don't need it. This also keeps moisture off the aluminum frames which condense moisture and sweat down the side walls or drip on your beds...