Selling boat; how best to repair/replace Isinglass?

[bythecshore]

Hi All,

I have a 2007 Sea Ray 280 that I'm looking to sell. However, the Isinglass is very cloudy, to point where you can barely see through it. The broker says it will really depress the value and I should consider replacing it. The canvas itself is in decent shape, so I really don't want to replace everything unless I have to.

I naturally want to keep the expense as low as possible, so I'm looking for ideas on the best way to handle this. Can the Isinglass be repaired/refurbished? Can I replace only the Isinglass (and not the canvas)? Are there online, reliable places to buy the needed stuff (Mt dealer is very expensive for this kind of stuff)?

Thanks!

 

[CliffA]

Hi All,

I have a 2007 Sea Ray 280 that I'm looking to sell. However, the Isinglass is very cloudy, to point where you can barely see through it. The broker says it will really depress the value and I should consider replacing it. The canvas itself is in decent shape, so I really don't want to replace everything unless I have to.

I naturally want to keep the expense as low as possible, so I'm looking for ideas on the best way to handle this. Can the Isinglass be repaired/refurbished? Can I replace only the Isinglass (and not the canvas)? Are there online, reliable places to buy the needed stuff (Mt dealer is very expensive for this kind of stuff)?

Thanks!

I have had luck in the past using a heat gun to remove the haze from isinglass panels.....make sure the panel is clean and hang the panel up and use the heat gun moving around the panel slowly but not to close or too slowly to melt the isinglass.....

if that fails you can have new isinglass panels installed into the canvas frames for a lot less expense than having complete new panels made....

cliff

 

[Little Ducky]

If you need replacement I would ask around your marina or local boating community.

There's got to be a guy who knows a guy for better prices.

Cliff - thanks for the tip on hazing. I haven't inspected all the pieces that came with my "new to me" boat purchase this year yet so I'm hoping everything looks great when I lay them out to install for the winter.

 

[bythecshore]

Thanks Cliff. I'm not sure what you mean by a heat gun... would a hair dryer work?

 

[CliffA]

Thanks Cliff. I'm not sure what you mean by a heat gun... would a hair dryer work?

a heat gun gets much hotter than a hair dryer....they can be purchased at places like Harbor freight or Lowes or Home Depot....they do get VERY hot so if you do use one start by holding the heat gun about a foot away from the panels and keep it moving slowly....if the haze isn't reacting try moving a little closer to the panel...I doubt that a regular hair dryer would get hot enough....

here is a link to an inexpensive heat gun at Horbor fright Tools.....
https://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-5721112-62340.html

 

[searaypuget]

Get a new replacement visor from Great Lakes which I just did. It is only sale and would be less than $500 shipped. In fact, when I bought my 08 280, I knocked down $1500 for the crappy vinyl visor which the previous owner didn't bother to replace as he would never drive the boat with on it anyways. I am just buying it now because it is on sale. You don't want to list your house on the market with a broken glass.

 

[Gofirstclass]

You don't want to list your house on the market with a broken glass.

True statement. We'll probably sell our boat in a couple of years after we've taken a summer long trip to Puget Sound and Canada.

My isinglass isn't horrible, but it looks bad enough that it might make a prospective buyer think twice about buying MY boat and having to replace the upper canvas and windows.

We're taking it down to Portland, OR (~235 miles) in March to a canvas guy I've used before to get a complete replacement done. It's cheaper for us to take the boat to him than have it done locally. The increased cost locally more than offsets the cost of fuel to take the boat to Portland.

 

[bythecshore]

Thanks for all the replies.I'll try the heat gun, then if that doesn't work, get a replacement from Great Lakes or somewhere similar.

Have a great weekend, and if any of you are in Florida - stay safe!!