cabin window replacement material

[hobie61]

Hi,

I am seeking advice for best material to replace cabin windows on my older C&C--Plastic (lexan), tempered glass, or regular glass? I discovered cracks in my cabin windows. The windows are contained in the older style screw on aluminum window frames (25x7). I have removed one window for which I discovered is plastic. In the mean time, I had a local glass shop cut some regular glass for me for replacement. I had inquired about tempering and was quoted $100/ window and they suggested not worth the cost. Beginning to wonder now, as dont want to rebed/replace once on the water. Inquired with Boman and quoted approx $275 with new frame and tempered glass.

Seeking your suggestions for best materials for the windows.

Thanks for your time and help.

Tim

 

[MrBee]

Don't think I would want "Glass" in my boat.

Do a search on this site and you will find plenty of answers to your question.

Bee

 

[flynfol]

Contact Idasailor....they might be able to make new ones using your old ones as templates.

 

[sailingdog]

The material you want for the ports is cast acrylic or plexiglass—probably 3/8" or so. Do not use regular glass. That is very prone to breaking and will leave nasty razor-edged shards... tempered glass is not a bad choice but far more likely to break if hit by an accidental shackle or sail clew...

Hi,

I am seeking advice for best material to replace cabin windows on my older C&C--Plastic (lexan), tempered glass, or regular glass? I discovered cracks in my cabin windows. The windows are contained in the older style screw on aluminum window frames (25x7). I have removed one window for which I discovered is plastic. In the mean time, I had a local glass shop cut some regular glass for me for replacement. I had inquired about tempering and was quoted $100/ window and they suggested not worth the cost. Beginning to wonder now, as dont want to rebed/replace once on the water. Inquired with Boman and quoted approx $275 with new frame and tempered glass.

Seeking your suggestions for best materials for the windows.

Thanks for your time and help.

Tim

 

[Hermit Scott]

I have a 1979 catalina 30. I didn't like the window configuration. And the windows were old and corroded and were made of tempered glass. Regular glass is a terrible hazzard by the way.
I filled all the ports in and I am replacing them with smaller opening ports.
This is no joke though. I am aobut 45 or 50 hours into the job and not close to fininshed on the outside. The inside is finished except for paint.

 

[PeteK]

IIRC, there are acrylics and polycarbonates specifically formulated for glazing. They are highly scratch and UV resistant.

I would ask your local glass and window guys (a shop big enough to have this sort of experience anyway) about these materials.

You can cut and fit them yourself with regular woodworking tools, if that's your inclination.

Pete

 

[Richard Bryer]

I replaced the fixed ports in our H34 with 1/2" acrylic. There is a posting in Modifications describing how I did it.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

If you want smoked or tinted windows, you have to find a source that has the tint you want, for starters. Secondly, usually Lexan is used for deck hatches because the material is stronger than acrylic and you need strength where you want to stand on it. But, Lexan is a bit more scratch susceptible than acrylic. Acrylic is more scratch resistant, I think, and since you don't need similar strength properties for a window mounted on the side, I think that is preferred. C&C had a recessed area where the window was installed, in many of their boats and I assume that is the situation you have here. I think they used an epoxy to adhere the window to the fiberglass. If you have the type window that has a frame around it, you can use the same material. If you have the type of window, like a Bomar opening hatch, I would just replace the part instead of trying to fit a window into it.

 

[hobie61]

Thanks for your advice. It is much appreciated.

 

[sailingdog]

There is so much wrong in this statement it is scary.

First, I don't think C&C ever used an epoxy to adhere glazing material to the boat. The expansion coefficients are not the same for the hull and the glazing material. The ports would have cracked from the stresses caused by thermal expansion differences.

Second, polycarbonate is not used for deck hatches, not commercially. For instance, if you look in the Lewmar catalog—every hatch specification says ACRYLIC WINDOW THICKNESS. I doubt any of the other manufacturers are any different.

Third, there is no need to buy the part...which would be far more expensive to do. If the aluminum frame is in good shape, Select Plastics can cut cast acrylic to fit most of the stock hatches made by Bomar, Lewmar, etc. If you have questions on this stuff, you really should be asking someone who knows, like Select Plastics.

Finally, I'd also point out that strength is highly necessary for the ports on the cabintop's sides. The many boats that are sunk were sunk because the ports failed when the boat fell off a wave and the ports hit the water. While polycarbonate is stronger, it is far less UV and scratch resistant.

If you want smoked or tinted windows, you have to find a source that has the tint you want, for starters. Secondly, usually Lexan is used for deck hatches because the material is stronger than acrylic and you need strength where you want to stand on it. But, Lexan is a bit more scratch susceptible than acrylic. Acrylic is more scratch resistant, I think, and since you don't need similar strength properties for a window mounted on the side, I think that is preferred. C&C had a recessed area where the window was installed, in many of their boats and I assume that is the situation you have here. I think they used an epoxy to adhere the window to the fiberglass. If you have the type window that has a frame around it, you can use the same material. If you have the type of window, like a Bomar opening hatch, I would just replace the part instead of trying to fit a window into it.

 

[Maine Sail]

Secondly, usually Lexan is used for deck hatches because the material is stronger than acrylic and you need strength where you want to stand on it.

This is just not the case. There is only one hatch maker that I know of currently using polycarbonate/Lexan and that is Bomar. Even then they only use it in one series of hatch, the series 100 if my memory serves me correctly. That series of hatch utilizes cast aluminum cross braces to support the Lexan. Lewmar, Goiot, Hood, Nibo, Gebo Adkins & Hoyle, Man Ship etc. etc. all use cast acrylic. Even the Bomar hatches used on Morris Yachts use cast acrylic.

Lexan foreshortens/flexes when stepped on and a guest can wind up in the galley if not careful. At a minimum you will kill the hatch to lens seal by stepping on a polycarbonate hatch that was originally designed for cast acrylic....


As for the concern of using glass ports there are hundreds of thousands of glass port lights out there and the failure rate is very, very low. Every Catalina until about 1897 used glass port lights as well as Ericson, Cape Dory, PSC, Island Packet etc. etc. I can't recall the last time I read of one breaking..

Depending on port size my personal preference is for tempered glass then cast acrylic. The Bomon ports are beautiful and can be made custom to fit your exact boat... I would not use standard glass...

 

[sinnettc]

I've worked in Stained Glass for years and there is no way I would even consider putting standard window glass in my portholes.

That said, acrylics and lexan are relative newcomers to the porthole market. Portholes have been made with glass for years and years. The trick is that they're not made with standard window glass. They were made with very thick glass, up to an inch thick, maybe more. IMO, you could use non-tempered glass in a porthole but you'd probably need something with a thickness of at last 1/4 to 3/8 inch.

I have a civil war era porthole on my wall, 10 inch I think, salvaged from the wreck of the ship my great x3 grandfather served on. The glass is at least 3/4 inch thick, if not thicker, and weighs a lot! While it's possible the glass is not original (the ship burned at least once) I think it's unlikely the portholes were tempered glass as it wasn't invented until after the war.