curtains for Catalina 34

[Terry Forshier]

I want to replace the original curtains on my C34 in the main cabin.. they are the ones that slide on a track and have vertical pleats on them. Anyone know if anyone still makes them? as replacement parts?

[patrice]

Hi,

If you still have the old ones.  Bring them to a local seamstress.
The person will be able to make them with the type and model of fabric of your choice.
And reuse the existing slide

[Paulus]

Hi, we replaced our curtains as Patrice has recommended.  The only problem we encountered was that some of the slides were brittle and broke in the process or removing them from the old curtains.  Catalina still had some of the slides at that time and we were able to replace the broken ones.(about 4 years ago)
Paul

[Stu Jackson]

I typed in "curtains" in the search box and came up with 2 pages, 35+ hits.  Let's say maybe 25% of them didn't apply, still a lot of input to review, if you haven't already.

Sailrite is reported to have slides.

[Ekutney]

I recently replaced my curtains, after 30 yrs they almost fell apart when I opened them.  The area where had been folded, the crease, was see through. I followed the suggestion I found on the projects page but made some minor tweaks.

www.c34.org/projects/kindred-spirit/shades.html

I used composite molding vs the yard stick & bought a single accordion type 36" X 72" shade  then cut it to fit the fixed ports.  I used the same holes the original tracks were mounted to so I didn't have to drill any new holes.  The whole project was not that involved & looks really good.  I will try to send some pics of the blinds up & stowed plus some showing how they look down covering the ports.  I also found out the same type shades can be special ordered in a variety of colors.  I went with a set that was in stock & it closely matched the inside cabin bulkhead but had a bright white exterior.

[Sue Clancy]

Sailrite sells all the parts to either remake yourself or to have someone make them for you.  I just remade mine this past summer.  They even have a newer easier way to sew on the tabs.  Instead of sewing each one individually which is VERY time consuming. they sell this tape http://www.sailrite.com/Snap-On-Tape-for-Curtains and carriers http://www.sailrite.com/Snap-On-Carrier that makes this much quicker.

[Diane J]

Whether you make new curtains or have someone else make them, be sure to save the old ones to use as a pattern.  When we purchased our boat, the previous owner had removed them, but the tracks were still intact, so I decided to make my own.  We bought the snap tape and snap-on sliders from sailrite, and they have an instructional video on the site which was helpful, however, you should be aware that the distance between the tracks is wider toward the aft cabin, and narrows toward the dinette.  I used a roll of parchment paper and a ran a sharpie marker down the track to mark the location of the track and create a pattern, and to determine where to attach the snap tape to the hemmed fabric. I love my new curtain panels, they are a perfect fit![/img]

[Jon W]

Looks great. What is the piece of teak looking wood on the trim below the curtain for?

[mark_53]

Looks good and Seahawk colors to boot.  Are you taking orders?

[Diane J]

Jon, we think the small piece of teak was added at some point (2 previous owners) to support a custom shelf as there are also some holes in the ceiling in a rectangular pattern. I find myself hanging on to it when I am reaching for something at the bottom of the fridge...

[Diane J]

Mark, I wish I had the time to take orders and make these for others... but I really don't.   I really just wanted to share the tip about tracing the tracks to make a custom pattern.  Also, I fear that the track distances may not be the same from boat to boat.