The Catalina 27 has an athwartships rib that stiffens the deck and helps support the load of the mast and supports the upper edge of the interior bulkhead. At its ends, both port and starboard, the rib comes very close to the forward edge of the middle window. That rib presents a challenge when mounting a window shade, as it dips down into the same space where you would ordinarily mount your window shade. There is more than one way to deal with this issue, so here is what one of our staff did in his Catalina 27, along with another option you might favor. A Catalina 27 with six deadlights (non-opening ports) will require 4 36" shades and 2 25" shades. If either of the smaller ports forward are opening ports, you can measure the width of the frame and add a small amount to that width if you wish to use a smaller shade in that position. You may, of course, just use 25" shades on both of those smaller forward ports if you wish.

First Option:

Mount the window shade from the bottom, below the window. The mounting edge must be on a relatively smooth surface, so putting it below the window allows you to avoid having to deal with that rib. You can then mount the screw-in snaps directly to the aluminum frame, on the top edge of the aluminum frame. Doing this keeps the upper edge of the shade below the stiffening rib. The drawback to this method is that snaps that are mounted near the edge of the shade will require installation of a standoff of some sort to keep those snaps at the same distance off the bulkhead. This significantly increases the difficulty of the install.

Second Option:

Just like in the first option, mount the mounting edge of the shade below the window. Next, install the screw-in snaps just above the upper edge of the aluminum window frame, in the fiberglass. The middle window shade will dip down a little at the forward edge, but it doesn't seem to be as noticeable as using standoffs and mounting to the window frame.

Common to Both Installation Methods:

We recommend that all of the shades be mounted in the same manner (from below the window frame) for the sake of consistency. Good luck on your installation, and don't forget to go sailing afterwards!