Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
I know that many owners of older boats with Taylor Made plexiglass windshields have a need for a new windshield due to aging, yellowing, and stress cracking. Most of the windshields are available from Taylor Made, but there is an eight week lead time and about $300 plus shipping.<br /><br />I decided to take a chance and replace the aging plexiglass with Lexan because it is rather cheap. I bought a 30" x 96" x 1/8" piece of Lexan from the local supplier of plastics (look in the yellowpages under 'plastics suppliers'). It was $77.00 for that piece. It was actually much larger than I needed.<br /><br />I removed the heavy aluminum frame from the plexiglass by driving it off with a block of wood and a hammer, working from the backside of the windshield while my wife held it from moving around on the workbench. The plexi was held in by some C clips that gripped holes drilled in the plexi. It took some work, but it came off without breaking the plexi. I broke it in two when trying to press the lexan into it from the back side. I used packing tape to tape the two halves back together so the template could be made.<br /><br />Then I used heavy posterboard and made a template of the plexi from the inside, being careful to NOT allow the posterboard to sag into the top to bottom curve of the windshield. (Only let the posterboard touch the perimiter of the plexi). I traced the posterboard and then cut out the template, transferred it to the flat lexan, and then cut it out using a saber saw on low speed with a wood scrolling blade. It cut easy, no chips and no cracks. support the lexan well so it does not vibrate or chatter while being cut.<br /><br />The new lexan windshield is then fit into the old frame. It needs to be forced into the curve, but it does go in and fits well. Now the lexan is thin and very flexable, so after setting the windshield on the boat, the leading edge of the front side will have to be pressed down to the deck to secure with nuts/bolts to the origonal fasteners. I am even able to re-use the origonal rubber seal because it is not cracked. <br /><br />I am not done yet, but I plan to fill in around the windshield where it meets the aluminum frame with a silicone adheasive to help hold it in place and make a nice clean seal.<br /><br />Even though the plexi windshield was curved in two dimensions, I cut the lexan out of flat stock and it still fit nice. Be sure to make the template as accuratly as possable.<br /><br />Will post some pics when its complete.<br /><br />A side note about Lexan: The supplier told me it can be "cold bent". I tried this with a scrap. Put it in my vice and bent it over at 90* angle. Surprise! It did not break, or turn white on the bend. I made a nice sharp bend that was clear! But the supplier told me it has a memory, and a 90* bend results in a 45* angle. To get a 90* angle, it needs to be bent past 90*.<br /><br />Mark.<br /><br />PS total time invested so far is less than 2 hrs.