Marine window tinting near Annapolis

[ranger58sb]

I’m considering interior window tinting to control summer heat in our saloon. Search engines aren’t finding nearby installers who admit they’ll work on boats. Can folks recommend tint installers in the Baltimore/Annapolis area? Extra points for dealers who handle 3M ceramic tints…

Thanks, -Chris

 

[OldDan1943]

Window tint can be great in the day time but at night time folks can see what you are wearing.
I suggest you get a 2 part shade for each window, a gauze and opaque system.
They came with the boat so I cannot give you a brand name. Sorry

 

[ranger58sb]

Yeah, I know. With or without tinting, it can be like the inside of a fishbowl.

Our windows are already tinted to a certain extent, but not with a product that will reduce UV and heat. And we have mini-blinds on all of the side windows.

Heat coming off the front windshield is the biggest problem. I'm having an external mesh cover made for that, too... but I really dislike those, would only typically use the mesh in July and August.

-Chris

 

[rgano]

I have told this story before:
When considering whether to add tint to the glass at the lower helm (where my radar was located and where I would be while navigating at night), I drove my tinted car to the pier at night and watched as tug and other traffic went by on the ICW. The reflections of the car's interior instruments on the tinting were all over the place, something you don't notice when driving because you look ahead rather than all around as you do on a boat. I felt this condition would be very distracting at night. In the end, I elected to have white fabric snap-on screens for the exteriors of the windows. They were semi-translucent, and we had curtains for marina privacy. When anchored or moored I could even place collapsible automobile windshield sun screens between the fabric screen and the glass to boost the reflectivity rather than heat the glass as tinting could do.

 

[ranger58sb]

We have no lower helm, so at least that's not a huge issue. Good to point it out, though; I can see (unintentional pun) where that would be a big deal.

The mesh windshield cover we had on the previous boat helped a lot, but it was a pain to look through (outwards). We usually only put it on in July and August, because of that.

Guys in another forum have been saying their tint jobs, ideally ceramic, many 3M, usually only windshield and sometimes slider... have cut down interior temps by at least 10°F or so... and that would help in our case.

Our current windshield is already tinted, but it has some flaws in the installation... and I expect it was just "stuff," probably not ceramic, and it doesn't really reduce interior heat all that much.

I'm thinking windshield and slider tinting, plus mesh cover in July and August, ideally to lower our saloon temps by a solid 10°F. Maybe revisit, potentially tinting side windows sometimes afterwards, depending on initial results.

-Chris

 

[rwidman]

Have you called any of these installers on the phone or visited them in person? Installing window tint on a boat is no different than installing it in a car or truck.

3M makes a film that is supposed to block 95% of the sun's rays while still allowing 95% visibility. You don't want to block visibility in case you ever operate at night.

The 3M film is not cheap though. And only certain dealers can get it.

 

[ranger58sb]

I've called a few, and emailed a few. Mostly they suggest I "bring it in."

It's easy enough to find marine installers in places like Florida... dime a dozen, all with decent websites... search engines do great. Up here... not so much...

Most of the recommendations I've gotten from a boat owners forum (often members in Florida) have been for 3M products... but then 3M has a range so I'll want advice from the installer bubbas... to try to balance heat/UV mitigation versus visibility.

We only have a flybridge helm, can't operate at night from our saloon, no issues there.

-Chris

 

[Dwk]

D L Tinting

Chris, I spoke with a fellow boater that had windows tinted and sliding saloon access doors last summer at his slip in the Severn river area by D L Tinting and according to him it was 3M ceramic tints so its hopeful they will travel to Annapolis area and use 3M tints. tel:410-335-1025.Good Luck. David

 

[OldDan1943]

For the windshield and pilot house side widows, I put the canvas on the inside. my preference. Seems to be more effective at keeping the heat out and faster remove in an emergency

 

[ranger58sb]

Chris, I spoke with a fellow boater that had windows tinted and sliding saloon access doors last summer at his slip in the Severn river area by D L Tinting and according to him it was 3M ceramic tints so its hopeful they will travel to Annapolis area and use 3M tints. tel:410-335-1025.Good Luck. David

Thanks! Got that same name from another (different) owners forum too, and that helps!

For the windshield and pilot house side widows, I put the canvas on the inside. my preference. Seems to be more effective at keeping the heat out and faster remove in an emergency

Wouldn't be bad, but it'd take a lot of work to do that on ours. The severe windshield slope would mean runners would be necessary for an inside mount. Or snaps all round, and we can't really reach all the way up in there. And mounting something like on the inside of our slider would likely impede opening/closing (the slider glass already bangs against the slider screen, no spare room in between).

The inside mini-blinds on our side windows do a pretty good job; ideally I won't need to tint the side windows too... but I suspect evaluation after the first go-round will answer that better.

-Chris

 

[OldDan1943]

From a safety stand point, I am not sure tinting the pilot house windshield is a good idea especially during the early dawn or early evening. If you run at night, dont tell your insurance company you have tinted the pilot house windows.

 

[Martin J]

My saloon windows were already tinted. Where I am moored my port side faces the afternoon sun, and the heat the tint attracts is impressive. I have venetian blinds on the windows but that is not enough. I have since installed modified / cut down car window shades to reduce saloon heat.

 

[ranger58sb]

From a safety stand point, I am not sure tinting the pilot house windshield is a good idea especially during the early dawn or early evening. If you run at night, dont tell your insurance company you have tinted the pilot house windows.

Yep, but as I said further above, no pilothouse.

-Chris

 

[ranger58sb]

My saloon windows were already tinted. Where I am moored my port side faces the afternoon sun, and the heat the tint attracts is impressive. I have venetian blinds on the windows but that is not enough. I have since installed modified / cut down car window shades to reduce saloon heat.

Is that the standard "dark window material" tint? Or an aftermarket film tint?

Ours are "dark" already, as they came to the boat builder from TaylorMade, and they're seriously hot. This is NOT what my buds in the other fora are describing when they've added after-market film tints. They describe experiencing a 10-15°F reduction in interior temps, measured.

-Chris

 

[Bmarler]

i have roll up heat control film over every window on the boat. when the sun shines and you deploy them it immediately cuts the temperature. my wife was just amazed how well they work. they reduce the glare too. they were custom made for each window including the odd shaped ones. i wouldn't have thought to buy these shades, but since they came with the boat and i've had a chance to use them i'd certainly replace them if they ever wear out.
most of them are hidden behind the curtains and trim when not in use, only a couple on the odd shaped windows have to roll up from the bottom. i remember seeing the receipt for them in the boat paperwork, hard to say if the installer is still around, but there must be other installers that do these.