Using plexiglass for clears?

[Anthony]

Hi,

The clears on my sports cruiser are shot again after 4 years, going brittle and stopped being see thru a while ago (just the clear windows, the fabric around them and roof are fine) despite vary careful handling, cleaning and polishing with the correct products etc (we get a lot of UV here in Australia).

The cost of the clear plastic alone is very expensive before you get into the labour cost or effort to sew it in, just to expect it to start to degrade again in again in a few years. So I was wondering, why don't we use clear plexiglass / acrylic for these window, which is cheaper, and easier to clean, and that sort of plastic in hatches etc seems to last a lot longer than the flexible plastic used for clears?

Ok so you cant just sew it in to the cover panels as you can the clear flexible material, but I am wondering about bonding a strip of material around the edges of it and then sew that material in; has anyone ever tried it? Of course on curved areas in the front the rigid flat pieces wont work, but there are a lot of flat pieces on the sides and rear where it potentially could be used, could even apply tint film to it to keep the uv and heat down inside.

Practical idea or ramblings of someone driven to desperation by repeatedly spending $$$ on a solution you know will fail again very soon...?

Ants

 

[PlanB]

You wouldn't be able to roll it or fold it.

 

[Croftie]

Could you bond Velcro to the glass and sew the other side to the cover making it removable?

 

[Rappey]

Lexan has been used as an alternative to the usual clear vinyl.
It's about 0.6mm thick but very tough stuff. Can be sewn into the surrounding material.
Lexan is used for radio controled car body's.
The only down side is it can't be rolled up

 

[BruceK]

What about covers on the outside. Like curtains, roll them up when you get to the boat. Better yet have the clears removable on velcro as above with those "curtains"

 

[Anthony]

I don't need to roll the clear areas up, I normally just lay them on a double bunk below when not in use. Researching the above ideas reveals that typically thin polycarbonate can be sewn, but also susceptible to UV, acrylic is much more uv stable but typically bonded in. This seemed to be a good summary of the various info I found The Expected Life Span of Yacht Enclosures - The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS)

Thanks

 

[jrudge]

I suspect making that arrangement water tight would be challenging - or at least keeping it that way.

Also most covers are not flat but curved / sagging in some way. Putting in flat panels may make the fabric lie in a strange way.