Sailfish front windows: glass or plastic?

[RI Grady]

I'm replacing the windows on my 1988 Sailfish and the ones I took out are craze cracked plastic. Anyone know if the originals were glass or plastic? Also wondering if anyone knows where I can get new moldings that hold them in. The ones that I have are about a 1/2' short at each corner.

 

[Fishtales]

I'd say they should be glass. Maybe someone changed them at some point. Usually TaylorMade did the glass and windshields. Can also check the corner of the glass pieces (like automotive glass) to potentially see who the manufacturer is.

 

[RI Grady]

that's what I thought too. I have the plastic ones as a pattern that I will bring to a glass shop to see how much they will cost.

 

[Hookup1]

Windshield parts Marine Glass Specialties in Florida

Marine Glass Specialties

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www.marineglassspecialties.com

My front windows are glass. It is know as "school bus glass", a non-tempered glass lamination with plastic inside. A good glass shop should be able to cut them for you. For plastic acrylic is the clearest compared to Lexan. In either case the plastic is not UV stable and will need to be re-done in a few years.

I replaced my opening side windows with clear acrylic and made them fixed. I set them in black silicone but have since changed my mind. The flex of the boat broke the seal to the plastic. I'm using a 3M automotive windshield product now. Messy to work but better adhesion. Use clear silicon to caulk the window frames.

 

[RI Grady]

Thanks for the info. When I had my car windshield replaced I showed them to the guy who came out and he told me the stuff they are mounted in is called butyl. It is a rubbery tape and comes in various widths. The stuff on mine was 1/2" wide and it did not leak at all. I'm replacing because the plastic looked so bad! I also made my vents fixed. I never opened them.

 

[Hookup1]

The tape is a great way to go. Easy to control and no mess.