BeagleBoy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2014
- Messages
- 18
- Location
- Australia
- Vessel Name
- Viking
- Vessel Make
- Nova 48 Cockpit Motor Yacht
I need to replace my flybridge clears. They will probably last another couple of years but they are quite scratched and starting to go cloudy. It irritates me to no end looking through something that is not clear - sort of like having smudgy glasses on!
I have taken them down and polished them which made things better for a couple of weeks but slowly and surely the vision impairment returns - for the time it took I don't consider this a solution.
The front one rolls up which is great for vision. Unfortunately I live in a part of the world where the temperatures and winds rarely allow for the front screen open and for everyone to remain happy boaters.
Ball park pricing to replace all of these is $10-12k using Strataglass or similar high end clear.
I hate doing anything twice and anything I can do to minimise maintenance is great, so I just want to replace and forget them.
For longevity and ease of maintenance, I am considering having glass frames put in with either a flip up or sliding centre section in the front to let the air in on those few good days.
To me it seems like such a great idea - put rain-x on it to keep the spray to a minimum, hose it down at the end of the trip, use a broom to scrub the bird droppings off - no scratches, polishing, broken clips, jamming zippers, shrinkage, etc etc etc. Downside I can see is weight - perhaps 60kg/120lbs, which I think is negligible for the coastal cruising we do.
Doing much research, I don't seem to be able to find anyone that has done this. There are no doubt reasons that I am missing, so before I embark on this exercise I would like to hear from more knowledgeable owners why I would not do this. Hopefully the reasons are not so obvious that I will kick myself!
Further information on the structure - the Flybridge roof bolts to the top of the radar tower which is in the centre. At each corner there is a 50mm stainless support post with a 100mm flat plate through bolted. This support post bolts to the superstructure. There may be a bit of flex somewhere that might need to be considered.
Thanks in advance.
I have taken them down and polished them which made things better for a couple of weeks but slowly and surely the vision impairment returns - for the time it took I don't consider this a solution.
The front one rolls up which is great for vision. Unfortunately I live in a part of the world where the temperatures and winds rarely allow for the front screen open and for everyone to remain happy boaters.
Ball park pricing to replace all of these is $10-12k using Strataglass or similar high end clear.
I hate doing anything twice and anything I can do to minimise maintenance is great, so I just want to replace and forget them.
For longevity and ease of maintenance, I am considering having glass frames put in with either a flip up or sliding centre section in the front to let the air in on those few good days.
To me it seems like such a great idea - put rain-x on it to keep the spray to a minimum, hose it down at the end of the trip, use a broom to scrub the bird droppings off - no scratches, polishing, broken clips, jamming zippers, shrinkage, etc etc etc. Downside I can see is weight - perhaps 60kg/120lbs, which I think is negligible for the coastal cruising we do.
Doing much research, I don't seem to be able to find anyone that has done this. There are no doubt reasons that I am missing, so before I embark on this exercise I would like to hear from more knowledgeable owners why I would not do this. Hopefully the reasons are not so obvious that I will kick myself!
Further information on the structure - the Flybridge roof bolts to the top of the radar tower which is in the centre. At each corner there is a 50mm stainless support post with a 100mm flat plate through bolted. This support post bolts to the superstructure. There may be a bit of flex somewhere that might need to be considered.
Thanks in advance.