J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Window Replacement

I will be replacing the windows on Hullabaloo this spring. I'm looking for input from those who have replaced their windows with glass or lexan. I have inexpensive sources for either lexan or tempered glass, so I'm looking for input related to performance of both materials. Any input would be appreciated.

I'm thinking about this too. I've seen people who have used tinted auto safety glass. It is inexpensive to have them cut at an auto glass shop, and it's very durable. I think that's what Nemesis did. I'll see Mark at work tomorrow and ask him to post.

At some point I am going to need to change my windows as well, so this thread is relevant to my interests

I used safety tinted glass and love it. Seawater turns lexan and other plastic products cloudy. I called my local car auto business and asked for a list of people who do glasswork on the side. I took him a template. $75. Hullabloo I would call Bill Smith to use the same fellow who cut the windows for Awesome.

I did use auto safety glass on Nemesis when I first got her 12 years ago. At that time, I took the original plexi pieces to my local auto glass shop, and they turned out 4 perfect, slightly tinted safety glass pieces for $7.00 each. (1997) I just calked them into place with Life Calk. Last year I renewed the seals by cuting away what I could of the life caulk and pushed them out from the inside. The glass cleaned up easilly to like new condition with a razor and acetone, and I cut out the rest of the Life Calk from the frames with the razor. Then I simply reinstalled the same glass the same way. I couldn't be happier with them.
Mark

I did this project about 1.5 years ago and have been very happy with the results. There is a ton on the forums about this, but I think I can contribute a few tips:

Material - I thought about using glass, but didn't like the idea of glass on a boat (prolly more worry than actual problem). Also, I wanted to be able to remove old and install new ports at the same time (w/o a trip to the glass cutter). As David mentioned, there is a lot out there about water/salt/UV turning Lexan cloudy. However, one particular product MR10 Lexan by GE is coated to resist this, and even West sells it for use in boat ports:

http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/9643-smoked-lexan-mr10-hatch-lens-replacement-from-ge.html

I found it very easy to work with (table saw for rough, trim with a jigsaw). Also, you can buy scraps of it for pretty cheap on eBay, which is where I got mine:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=mr....m270.l1313&_odkw=mr10&_osacat=0

Cutting Windows - I read somewhere on the forum that the holes are not exactly the same sizes, and that some users had to cut each from the previous port to get the sizing right. I went to great lengths to do this on my boat, which is 4 hours away, only to eventually find that all my new ports were essentially the exact same size and were interchangeable. Would have saved me a huge amount of time to cut them all at once. Maybe your boat is different...

Caulk - I used GE Silicon II, white. I used a ton of masking tape on both sides of a caulk line so I could smooth it to the tape with my thumb, then remove the tape. The results looked like a brand new boat. The silicon needs a bit of special attention to get dirt off when I scrub the decks, but its not that bad. I also figure the silicon will be very easy to remove and redo when the time is right. I believe there was a post about this taping method somewhere...

Hope this helps.

At the recommendation of my yard, Sintes Boat Works, I used black Silaflex on the inside and white on the outside. The black helped make a consistant blend with the dark tint while the white matched the external paint. The job cost about $100 total including glass and caulk. After 1.5 years - no leaks!

Reference:
http://www.silaflex.com/

Here is a photo of the back window. I'll try to find a better shot.

What window?

have been wanting to post the same question, never heard of a boat with windows, but now I've seen one

David - your installation is enhanced with high quality window shades. Looks like a great cruising asset. Are the window shades both for cruising and racing?