Any do it your selfer out there

freddy063

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I'm getting sick of looking through the fake plastic glass that they use for the upper half of the boats windshields , after years of using it I can't see anything. So i'm making a new top part with glass. Had anyone else done this and how? I need some ideas and some help in design, any thing will help . I will update with picture once I get a better plan on what needs to be done. give me ideas , thanks
:hmm
 

freddy063

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I started a few weeks ago make a frame with strips of 1/4 inch ply and a hot glue gun, from that I ended up with this my 2nd temporary panels. a few steps later I cut the finally panels. There are now covered with fiberglass and gelcoat, will add pic tomorrow.
 

DennisG01

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Oh, THAT's what you were after! In your first post, when you mentioned "fake plastic glass", I thought you already had "plexiglass" in some type of pilot house enclosure. But instead, you currently have isinglass (clear vinyl). Not that it matters now, but that clear vinyl can be replaced with new pieces... better pieces, too, with visibility that is as good as regular glass.

Looks like a cool project! How "weather tight" are you planning on making it? Will you create a three-sided enclosure? Will the panel in front of you be able to open? Looking forward to seeing the progress...
 

Harpoon

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There is an older Grady (25') in the Merrimac River that somebody converted to a pilot house. It doesn't look bad from a distance.
 

freddy063

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,


So now I have the marine grade ply cut , fiberglass chop and coats, with two gel coats it's starting to look like what I want.
 

freddy063

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Finally fit before the glass. I guess i should uncover the boat.
 

freddy063

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Got my glass today, weekend install, it looking good hope it works out like I planed.
What I spend so far.

Plywood 4x8 sheet $80.00
fiberglass stuff and gel-coat $109.00
glass and install $251.00
rubber molding $85.00
sand paper and glue $20.00
beer $40.00

total $585.00

What I learned.....

It's great to have a friend that knows how to do fiber glass work.

The glass places have dumpster full of glass that I might have used.

The rubber would of liked 4 inch radius better.

Tight is not all ways good.
 

DennisG01

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Looking nice. You got safety glass, right? On a side note... you may want to consider adding a support rod under the center of the windshield (where the two halves meet in the middle. The extra weight will take it's toll on that area. It's already a relatively weak part of the windshield setup.
 

freddy063

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yes safety glass and I was planing on added a brace, not sure, ss or teak. want something that will look right but different , but work.Thanks for your in put, i need more, i learned a lot, but still needs improvement.
 

DennisG01

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There's plenty of windshield support arms on the market. They would probably end up looking like the boat came that way. If you still have a lot of teak on the boat, you could make something that looks nice. It would definitely be a little "clunkier" looking, though, since it would end up being thicker. Maybe you could combine a metal rod with a teak top and bottom mount? Cut the top mount to fit the inside angle of the windshield, and flat on the other side for mounting the rod. Then a bottom mount to match... flat on the top obviously, but maybe a pentagon shape (with the point forward) to mimic the windshield angle. Just thinking as I'm typing...

I forget... did I ever ask where in Maine you are? We (family and extended family) have cabins in Friendship and Cushing.
 

freddy063

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now that's what i'm taking about i never would of never thought of ss and teak, I will look into that, thanks
 

freddy063

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I just priced out the wiper motors ,arms and blades, so much for a cheap way out,is there a boat junk yard out there anywhere? :jaw




Hey DENNISG01 I couldn't fine a brace so I made one and it tighten up the old shield, and made everything a lot more strong.
 

DennisG01

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The brace looks nice - it's not too obvious and blends in well. Heck, if you get tired of it or want to change it, it's easy enough to do.

You could try googling for "marine salvage yards" - that might get you something. There's a place called Flounder Pounder Marine - they're not really a "salvage" yard, but they do get a lot of overflow from various boat manufacturer's and sometimes you can get a pretty good deal on some things.
 

freddy063

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how come it goes back together so much slower than it comes apart?
 

DennisG01

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Ain't that always the case! :mrgreen:

Demolition is easy. Putting it back together so it looks nice takes time, effort and attention to detail.
 

the.devo

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I've been thinking of doing something like this myself. Thanks for the inspiration!