Polycarbonate Bimini Window

Nodak7

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,250
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Has anyone used polycarbonate for their bimini window? My front window is currently stratoglass. I want some material that can been seen thru without wrinkles and sheds rain better. I don't roll it up and it can be stiff. I am thinking of using Tuffak/Makrolon VR 40Mil and wondering if it would work but I am not certain what thickness to use. Can it be sewn in with my Sailrite machine? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

.
May 17, 2004
5,080
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
We had Makrolon dodger windows and were very pleased with them. They eventually got hazy and couldn’t be polished for restoration the way strataglass can, but until then the optical clarity was excellent. We replaced them with strataglass but that has noticeably more distortion wherever it bends. When the strataglass eventually wears out I think we’ll go back to Makrolon. Our canvas guy said it would be a little cheaper anyway. I don’t know the exact thickness of what we had originally, but it looked stitched into the sunbrella basically the same way strataglass does.
 
  • Like
  • Helpful
Likes: Ward H and Nodak7
NYSail

NYSail

.
Jan 6, 2006
3,064
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
We have a uv poly on our dodger. Great stuff with great visibility. use strata on the enclosure sides.
 
  • Like
Likes: Nodak7
Nodak7

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,250
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Davidasailor26 said:
We had Makrolon dodger windows and were very pleased with them. They eventually got hazy and couldn’t be polished for restoration the way strataglass can, but until then the optical clarity was excellent. We replaced them with strataglass but that has noticeably more distortion wherever it bends. When the strataglass eventually wears out I think we’ll go back to Makrolon. Our canvas guy said it would be a little cheaper anyway. I don’t know the exact thickness of what we had originally, but it looked stitched into the sunbrella basically the same way strataglass does.
Click to expand
Thank you for the information. The improved Optical clarity is just what I am looking for. Was the haze due to sun exposure? Did it resist scratching?
 
Nodak7

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,250
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
NYSail said:
We have a uv poly on our dodger. Great stuff with great visibility. use strata on the enclosure sides.
Click to expand
The only place i want to use the poly is the center window in the dodger. The sides for the dodger and enclosure are strata now.
 
thinwater

thinwater

.
Mar 26, 2011
3,417
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Chemists can't help having a pet peeve over "poly."
  • Polycarbonate (Makralon is a brand name)
  • Polyvinyl chloride, vinyl, or PVC (Strataglass is a brand name)
Both have coatings to improve weathering.

---

The weakness of polycarbonate is poor UV resistance and less UV screening than PVC for a similar thickness, and less abrasion resistance. You must be VERY careful with cleaning. But it is nice when new.
 
  • Like
  • Helpful
Likes: Project_Mayhem, Ward H, LloydB and 1 other person
Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

.
May 17, 2004
5,080
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Nodak7 said:
Was the haze due to sun exposure? Did it resist scratching?
Click to expand
We didn’t have any real problems with scratching. The haze seemed to be deterioration of a coating like what thinwater mentioned, either from UV or overspray from deck cleaning. We replaced the front 3 panels after about 7 years. We still have the original side panels after 10 years, but they aren’t very clear anymore.
 
  • Like
Likes: Nodak7
thinwater

thinwater

.
Mar 26, 2011
3,417
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I've always though the holy grail of dodger design would be to have window segments that snapped/Velcro/something in and out for easy replacement. Zippers leak. It can be done, I'm sure, but the complexity makes the original build more expensive, heavier, and probably more prone to distortion. So not practical. Still, we can dream.
 
  • Like
Likes: Rick D and Nodak7
Dr. D

Dr. D

.
Nov 3, 2018
275
Beneteau Oceanis 35.1 Herrington Harbour North
We have Makralon AR2 which has anti-scratch anti-UV coating on both sides. After five seasons still clear and good optics.
 
  • Like
Likes: Nodak7
Nodak7

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,250
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Dr. D said:
We have Makralon AR2 which has anti-scratch anti-UV coating on both sides. After five seasons still clear and good optics.
Click to expand
Do you know what thickness it is?
 
Nodak7

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,250
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Has anyone here sewn in a polycarbonate dodger window? Would a Sailrite machine be capable. What thread and needle would work the best?
 
dLj

dLj

.
Mar 23, 2017
3,425
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
Nodak7 said:
Has anyone here sewn in a polycarbonate dodger window? Would a Sailrite machine be capable. What thread and needle would work the best?
Click to expand
Contact sailrite, but pretty sure the answer is yes - their machine can sew it. I'd definitely ask them the correct thread and needle.

dj
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H
S

servechilled

.
Aug 9, 2023
2
Cal 29 Shilshole
Hello All,
I'm having a new dodger made, and have decided to go with the polycarbonate 60 mil for the windows. I'm considering getting sunbrella covers for the windows, but it's another $500 expense. I obviously want to protect my investment, but I also don't want to throw money away that's not well spent. Your experiences and opinions?
 
jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,116
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
servechilled said:
I obviously want to protect my investment, but I also don't want to throw money away that's not well spent.
Click to expand
I look at the situation. I want the window to be clear when I’m using the boat. Out of 365 days of Sun, wind and rain how many days will the boat be in use and how many days will the boat be sitting still?
If sitting is greater than sailing then window covers are a good investment.
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H, servechilled, Nodak7 and 1 other person
jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,116
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I know the challenge. My boat has been sitting for about 14 months while I did the engine rebuild. 2024 is going to be a change year.
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom