Wheelhouse Windows?

[Dougal]

About 8 years ago I replaced our wheelhouse cockpit windows, as the old acrylic was was very cloudy and stress cracked. I used Perspex originally designed for shower doors. Just one window that almost permanently faces the sun, is now again full of tiny stress cracks.
Is there a concensus on the best product to use?

 

[PaulRainbow]

Toughened glass would last forever.

 

[Tranona]

About 8 years ago I replaced our wheelhouse cockpit windows, as the old acrylic was was very cloudy and stress cracked. I used Perspex originally designed for shower doors. Just one window that almost permanently faces the sun, is now again full of tiny stress cracks.
Is there a concensus on the best product to use?

That will happen with all plastics, although polycarbonate is perhaps better and certainly stronger, but is softer than acrylic and more prone to scratching. As Paul says the permanent solution is glass.

 

[Dougal]

That will happen with all plastics, although polycarbonate is perhaps better and certainly stronger, but is softer than acrylic and more prone to scratching. As Paul says the permanent solution is glass.

I have to be able to drill the 20 holes for the inter screws.

 

[pvb]

I have to be able to drill the 20 holes for the inter screws.

It's rather unusual to drill the actual glazing material - that's usually contained within the frame, and only the frame is bolted to the boat.

 

[Pete735]

PVB,It may be unusual but having owned a similar boat for around 8 years and having replaced the perspex windows for identical reasons that's what is required. I used tinted acrylic Dougal, I cannot understand why that would make a difference, but would yours have been clear acrylic if designed for a shower cubicle?

Presumably the perspex in the sliding hatch has gone the same way? I had to replace that unit twice in my ownership. Could also be that in the Uk there was less Uv degradation than you experience in France.

Personally I am not a fan of polycarbonate as I found it scratches too easily and glass is a non starter, not so much because of drilling holes (which certainly could be done at a cost professionally, not sure I would fancy the risk of drilling that many and getting it right though) but the wheelhouse double curvature will not allow the ally trims to sit properly i don't think. Unfortunately I think you may be stuck with perspex, on the plus side you will have some excellent patterns to work with.

You might consider some form of external canvas covering for the wheelhouse windows when you are away from the boat, cheaper and easier to replace that periodically than all the faffing around with perspex. Good luck getting the interscrews out as well, that was a b****r of a job.

 

[rogerthebodger]

About 8 years ago I replaced our wheelhouse cockpit windows, as the old acrylic was was very cloudy and stress cracked. I used Perspex originally designed for shower doors. Just one window that almost permanently faces the sun, is now again full of tiny stress cracks.
Is there a concensus on the best product to use?

My wheelhouse windows are 2 toughened glass laminated together so that if one of the toughtened layer shatters the other layer will hold the window together.

 

[Pete735]

Re thinking this a little, you might be able to get away with the forward facing windows being in glass. They are relatively small with minimal (if any) curvature of the fibreglass. If I was going to experiment, one of them would be the place to start and if they happened to be in the problem area it could solve your problem in the short term.

 

[Dougal]

Hi Pete and thanks for the feedback. No sliding hatch. This is the original Evasion 32 ketch. Not the later model with sliding door. It is just the front four I want to do. All flat with zero curvature. The shower door was indeed tinted blue but not heavily. The interscrews are a TOTAL B1TCH to remove. All corroded. Aldo EXTREMLY expensive when you can even find them!