Windshield glass replacement

[clancy72]

I just got a great deal on a Sunbird corsair 218 cuddy, only catch is that the 3 front the windshield glass pieces (flat & square) were broke last winter. My question is, should i replace them with tempered, plexi or just safety glass? I'm not sure how thick to order it as none of the old glass was there (I assume it's pretty standard on boat glass) Has anyone on the forum ever just cut their own tempered? I'd like to keep this as "cost effective" as possible, but still have nice glass. Thanks for your help.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Windshield glass replacement

tempered you can not cut. why not use lexan. i have replace several windshields with it.

 

[clancy72]

Re: Windshield glass replacement

I was hoping to get lucky with some "salvage glass" I may just use Lexan or plain safety glass. Thanks for the input...

 

[DaveHawkins]

Re: Windshield glass replacement

Here is an overview on the differences of the three choices to re-glaze your windshield.

Tempered glass is a heat treated product. It starts out as a annealed glass product that is fabricated to size then ran thru a tempering oven. It has roughly 5 times the face impact strength that regular annealed glass does. Tempered glass has to be custom fabricated for a specific opening...It can not be cut afterward. When it does break, the whole piece of glass breaks into smalls chunks instead of larger shards that could cause more serious injury.

Safety Laminated glass is 2 layers of regular annealed glass with a poly vinyl buteral safety layer between the 2 layers of glass. It can be can cut and fabricated to size. Because it is just annealed glass, it breaks just as easy as annealed glass, but the safety factor is that the PCB inner layer holds the glass together so there is less chance of larger shards causing major injury. Laminated glass is what automotive windshields of made of.

Lexan is a brand name...(kinda like Kleenex)the same product as polycarbonate. Extremely strong against impact and easily fabricated. Using polycarbonate sheet for a windshield has several drawbacks to it...It scratched easily, the sun's UV will discolor it over time, and when it gets really cold it breaks easier from impacts.

Each type of glazing has pros and cons to it.

Also, you mentioned not knowing the thickness of the glass that use to be in there. If you are going to replace the glass in the existing frames then you are going to have to measure the glazing vinyl or the frame pocket to get the right thickness glass. There is no such thing as standard thickness or standard panels. Most boat windshields will probably be 3/16" or 1/4" thick though.

Good luck to you.

 

[seagull369]

Re: Windshield glass replacement

Right on the money, Dave. Couldnt have said it better myself.

clancy72 unless you can salvage the glass from a boat similar to your own, you'd be best to call up a trusted local glass shop. As long as the original peices had no curves in it, they should be able to help you.

Best thing to do is to bring your boat over (or have them come to you) and have them measure for you. The place I went to did that and didnt charge me any extra for it. Most likely you had tempered in there to begin with, but they'll know for sure. If it is, they should have no trouble ordering the pieces you need. If you get it installed or do it yourself, just make sure that there are no exposed (cross sectional) edges, since tempered glass is weakest at those areas.