Tempered glass versus plexiglass

Pilot Traveler

Pilot Traveler

New Member
Jul 9, 2014
27
Maine
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer
Engines
350 MAG MPI w/Bravo III
I was going to launch my 2004 260 Sundancer this morning and found that my walkthrough windsh ield glass was shattered. I think it was the extreme heat generated from the sun heating the dash and the cockpit cover holding in the heat. I am thinking about replacing the glass with plexiglass although I am waiting for quotes on glass. Unfortunately, Taylor Made no longer has a replacement. One of my concerns is that the plexiglass will not match the glass in clarity or color. The shattered glass looks green but perhaps that is because it is broken. Does anyone have experience with using plexiglass glass as a replacement and are you pleased with the result? I really appreciate any help.

933407B1-1BE9-4ADF-898B-91DF8775ABA5.jpeg
 
I would avoid plexiglass. It scratches, it glazes over, and you want your windshield to be as clear as possible. Take the frame to a good glass shop and see what they can do for you.
 
Thanks very much for replying. That is an awesome picture. I didn’t think about the fact that the plexiglass could be scratched more easily then glass. Unfortunately there are no local glass shops here in Maine that deal with curved tempered glass. I will have to ship the frame and have the glass manufactured. I may use plexiglass to get through the rest of the summer and then in the late fall send the frame in for the glass. Can you tell me what color the glass is on The 260 Sundancer?
 
I’m in the same boat as you (haha!)

The center glass on my 240 Sundeck broke 3 years ago.
It is also a curved piece. None of the local shops here could replicate that either.

I bought a 24”x24” piece of plexiglass from Amazon. Cut it to shape, slid it into the frame, and it’s been there ever since.

It’s a very close match and difficult to tell that it’s not glass. It hasn’t scratched easily and still looks clear and easy to see through.
 
Espos4 said:
I’m in the same boat as you (haha!)

The center glass on my 240 Sundeck broke 3 years ago.
It is also a curved piece. None of the local shops here could replicate that either.


I bought a 24”x24” piece of plexiglass from Amazon. Cut it to shape, slid it into the frame, and it’s been there ever since.

It’s a very close match and difficult to tell that it’s not glass. It hasn’t scratched easily and still looks clear and easy to see through.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the info. I wanted to ask if the frame is curved. If so did you heat the plexiglass to bend it or use as is. Thanks
 
There is no way heat broke that glass. It was an impact that broke it. Maybe someone threw a rock at it or a branch from a tree hit it. Maybe an insurance covered item?
 
Creekwood said:
There is no way heat broke that glass. It was an impact that broke it. Maybe someone threw a rock at it or a branch from a tree hit it. Maybe an insurance covered item?
Click to expand...
I am sure you know more than me about this. I did some research on how glass is tempered and I think it will remain a mystery. It rained during the night but the dash area was dry but the sun could have evaporated the moisture before I began taking the cover off at 10am. I didn’t find a rock or a branch inside or outside the boat or anything that might have impacted the windshield. Definitely frustrating for me and my surveillance camera at the end of the driveway had a dead battery. Would have been interested in seeing if anyone had come down the driveway but we live in a good area.
 
We have a jetboat with three windows in the front. One shattered when we were towing it. I took the boat to an Auto glass place. They made a new one for me for 275 size was 2 by 2.5 feet. I went with car windshield glass instead of tempered because I did not want to spend days removing little piece of glass from the boat.
 
northern said:
We have a jetboat with three windows in the front. One shattered when we were towing it. I took the boat to an Auto glass place. They made a new one for me for 275 size was 2 by 2.5 feet. I went with car windshield glass instead of tempered because I did not want to spend days removing little piece of glass from the boat.
Click to expand...
Was that a flat or curved piece of glass?
 
Espos4 said:
Was that a flat or curved piece of glass?
Click to expand...
Flat
If yours is curved a good shop might be able to cut and fit a car windshield. What they cut was 1/4" flat windshield for me. The place is more than a car place. They do custom work.
 
Espos4 said:
It’s only a slight curve. The plexiglass (1/8” I believe) is flexible enough to bend to conform to the window frame.
Click to expand...

I bought a sheet of Optix acrylic. Now I will have to make a template and make four cuts as the shape is not a rectangle. The frame is wider at the bottom and more narrow at the top. Also the top and bottom frames have a bit of a U shape. Wish it was a more simplistic design. Was you center piece like this as well?
 
Pilot Traveler said:
I bought a sheet of Optix acrylic. Now I will have to make a template and make four cuts as the shape is not a rectangle. The frame is wider at the bottom and more narrow at the top. Also the top and bottom frames have a bit of a U shape. Wish it was a more simplistic design. Was you center piece like this as well?
Click to expand...

Yes. Same for me. I made a template out of a thin piece of fiber board (masonite) Once I was able to trim that to slide into the frame, I traced that shape onto the plexiglass and cut it out.
 
Espos4 said:
Yes. Same for me. I made a template out of a thin piece of fiber board (masonite) Once I was able to trim that to slide into the frame, I traced that shape onto the plexiglass and cut it out.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for all your help. I finish installing the windshield and was concerned about the tight fit so I removed the plexiglass and then reinstalled the frame and the fit was the same so I feel that this fit must be correct. The end caps make contact and the hinge on the left side seems slightly over extended. I remember from last season that the fit was very tight. Without the end caps it would be metal on metal at the top right where the locking latches are. I am surprised that the fit is so tight but this must be by design?
 
Pilot Traveler said:
Thanks very much for all your help. I finish installing the windshield and was concerned about the tight fit so I removed the plexiglass and then reinstalled the frame and the fit was the same so I feel that this fit must be correct. The end caps make contact and the hinge on the left side seems slightly over extended. I remember from last season that the fit was very tight. Without the end caps it would be metal on metal at the top right where the locking latches are. I am surprised that the fit is so tight but this must be by design?
Click to expand...
Mine closes easily but the top frame doesn’t line up exactly with the fixed glass on the driver side.

it did that too with the original glass. I turned the adjusting screw on the bottom of the frame to try and straighten it and that’s how my original glass broke. The rubber stopper between the glass and adjusting screw fell out of place and the added pressure of tightening the screw shattered my walkthrough windshield glass.

Moral of the story…….don’t ever touch that adjusting screw!!!!!
 
northern said:
Flat
If yours is curved a good shop might be able to cut and fit a car windshield. What they cut was 1/4" flat windshield for me. The place is more than a car place. They do custom work.
Click to expand...
Now you’ve got me thinking.

It’s only a very slight curve on the walk through windshield frame. If I lay the frame on enough car windshields, I’m bound to find one that has the correct contour somewhere.

If you see a news story after November 15th about some weirdo walking around the mall parking lot with a boat windshield frame……..
 
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