Boat Blinds Buying Guide

Aqua Narrowboat Furnishing specialises in boat blinds for narrowboats, canal boats, also suitable for caravans and cabins. All of these spaces have a number of things in common: space is compact and walls are never straight! We are experts in designing for these unique spaces and therefore have developed a range of prints that enhance space, with designed features that enable blinds to sit flush.

What is a Straight Edge Roman Blind?

A roman blind is composed of a single rectangular piece of flat fabric, which will form a series of horizontal folds when drawn up.

This classic blind style is suited to both traditional and contemporary tastes and suits a wide range of fabric styles. Roman blinds are a great choice when you are looking to save space whilst remaining stylish.

Aqua Narrowboats Furnishings have added roman blind design features that will enhance your compact space. We use small and colourful prints, which will add depth to your small space and allow you to choose key colours for cushions and other accessories. We also add press studs at the bottom of blinds enabling the blind to sit flush with the wall and look good too; we reduce the fold to 10cm so when the blind is drawn up the horizontal folds are compact, allowing as much light into your window as possible and making the space seem bigger; we recommend a shorter draw cable with a safety hook for a smarter look. We also offer a fitting service in some regions across the Midlands, giving you peace of mind that your interior design project will look stunning. Click here to browse our shop.

Please read these instructions carefully for measuring your boat blinds, and caring for them:

Tips for Measuring

  • Boat blinds will be made to fit outside a window recess
  • Always use a metal tape measure as cloth or plastic may stretch
  • Double check all measurements
  • Measurements must be in centimetres
  • Look at any other batons or wood features that will obstruct the blinds. Many boats have these above or below the window frames. if it is above you may also need a plinth to attach your boat blind to. Many boats have a baton below the window frame which is less of a problem.
  • Press studs will always be position approx. 6cm from the bottom of the blind as there is often a baton obstructing the blind fitting flush and the bottom bar of the blind is not flexible, positioning the studs above the blind bottom bar allows some flexibility and will give a longer life to your press studs.

Measuring for your boat blinds

Our boat blinds are designed to fit outside the recess of your window. Measure the exact width and exact drop you require in cm. We recommend a window recess overlap of at least 6cm / 2.5″ all round ie top, bottom and sides, you will need to consider the frame of your window and where you would like your press studs fixing. This ensures that the window does not show on either side or obscure part of the window when fully raised. Step by step guide:

1. Measure the width of your window and any overlap you require. We advise an overlap of at least 6cm on the window recess, and consider the window frame.

2. Measure the drop (height) of your window and any overlap you require. Once again we advise an overlap of at least 6cm on the window recess. Consider where you would like the side press studs fixing, as press studs are placed 6cm from the bottom of the blind , one on each side.

3. Use these exact measurements throughout our website when giving your ‘Actual’ measurements.

4. You can now enter your actual blind measurements and select the size that your measurements fall within ie xsmall, small, medium or large. You will see the cost at the end of your options based on the size of your blind and any additional extras chosen.

Please Note: we do not make any deductions to the measurements given when using the actual blind size option.

These four sizes have been ideally developed for canal boats, cabins, barges and river boats & cruisers, if you would like another size that is not given as an option please get in touch for a quote.

Blind Sizes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manufactured: In the UK

Safety: Adheres to child safety legislation with the supply of a P clip which is used to fix the control chain to the wall.

Fitting instructions: Supplied in packaging or you can download instructions below.

Lining Options

You may choose between Standard Premier Twill, Thermal and Blackout lining (cream or white).

Cable Options

You may choose between brass or chrome, and you may choose if you want this on the right hand side or left hand side.

Press Stud Option

You may choose to have press studs added to your boat blinds, these are placed approx. 6cm from the bottom of the blind, one on either side, please think carefully where you want these to fall in order to press stud you blinds to the wall and enable them to be as flush as possible.

Design – Fabric / Alignment

Fabric blinds are always cut on the same design at the top; if you order multiple blinds of equal size in the same fabric the position of the design will be the same throughout. If you order blinds of different sizes the design will differ at the bottom but will match at the top.

However, we cannot match the design of the fabric on the edges of adjacent blinds. This is due to part of the design being lost in the blind facings, and as the blinds are made with the centre of the fabric design in the middle of the blind, blinds with different widths will have different parts of the design at the edges.

If you would like several blinds it is best to place the order for all blinds at the same time as the fabric used will be from the same batch. There is a slight variation in batches and ordering at different times could mean that a different batch of fabric is used and a slight variation may occur.

Movement

Fabric may shrink or relax due to variations in atmospheric conditions such as humidity and temperature over time. It is important to control the environment surrounding the blinds to prevent movement. We recommend your blinds do not hang too close to radiators or areas of excessive moisture from condensation or excessive heat and dryness. Condensation can also result in the blind discolouring and eventually the fabric deteriorating because of this.

Hanging

Full instructions on how to hang your boat blinds will be included with your delivery or you can download instructions from our website (see Fitting Instructions above).

Care

Please take great care with your roman blinds. All our roman blinds are dry clean only. Please ensure you keep your blinds safe by using the P clip provided so the cable is tied back and out of harms way. Please take care of the blind around the press stud area to gently secure in place and gently pop out for winding up. Whilst our fabric collection has been chosen for it’s durability, it will still be subject to wear, tear and damage if tugged and pulled too harshly.