broken walk through window

[schmitty 1]

I did bad today, tightened up the window latchs on walk through window and screw must have hit glass and shattered into a million pieces. I don't want to spend a fortune to replace, don't want a whole window frame etc. just want tempered glass or lexon or?? 1996 Sea Ray 175 ,. In Canada what are my best options, , should I go to glass places, boat shop Thanks for any help

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

I would try a glass shop before a boat shop. Some glass shops have the equipment to cut or a way to order custom sized tempered glass without the "marine" penalty.

 

[schmitty 1]

Thank you , I will phone some glass shops today

 

[ajgraz]

Is this pane completely flat? Can you get good measurements?

There are places online (and maybe some plastic places local to you?) where you can get a custom-cut piece from a sheet of acrylic. If you do go with acrylic, make sure it is CAST, not EXTRUDED.

(Extruded acrylic gets those long "crackles" that cause haziness, like you see in cheap plastic tumblers and on many plastic windshields...not an issue with cast)

A fishing buddy did bust a pane out of my old 70's StarCraft with a sinker. I replaced it with cast acrylic bought online, and 5 years later (when I sold it) was still visually indistinguishable from the remaining glass.

 

[schmitty 1]

Wow, that's good to know, yes it is flat and I can get a good measurement, I phoned Speedy Glass near me and they said tempered glass would be about $45,00 US and Lexan which they thought would be fine was half of that in price. Ajgraz do you think the lexan would be ok?

 

[ajgraz]

It would work, yes...but personally I don't like polycarbonate (Lexan) for this application. It will look optically different from the remaining glass, it scratches too easily, and it also may craze since standard polycarbonate is typically extruded.

EDIT: in case you're wondering, diff between cast and extruded is that cast melts all the little plastic pellets right inside a laid-out frame, where extruded melts them in a pot and then sheets them, essentially on a conveyor belt...this is why extruded has a "grain" to it that creates crazing over time and with flexing

Acrylic is optically more similar to tempered glass. If that shop can do cast acrylic for similar price as the Lexan, I'd do that...otherwise for only $45 I'd go with the tempered glass.

EDIT 2: as I recall that repair I mentioned earlier ran $20-25 shipped, so I think the pricing you're getting is reasonable. BTW, this is exactly what I ordered, don't know if they ship to Canada:
https://www.acrylite.co/index.php/cast-23-conf.html

 

[Mopie]

Polycarbonate, Lexan is not UV stable. Ask. It will turn and become opaque. If your boat is covered or garaged, that will take time. Lezan is softer than plexi, but tougher.
Plexiglass if you go to plastic. It works well till you wipe something across it and scratch it.
Glass is really nicer.

 

[sly_karma]

If you go glass, it should be laminated glass, not just tempered. Otherwise you get the crack into a million pieces situatioin again.

 

[Scotvl]

Did the same thing two years ago, ordered green tempered glass for $70.00 and its just like new.