Strataglass big disappointment

This is a rant. I replaced my enclosure vinyl in May 2015. After less than two year it was getting foggy. I contacted Strataglass and they suggested I polish it several times to see if it comes back. I polished it and it looked better, not great. That was at the 22 month point on the warranty. They did say they had my info and if it didn't work they could give me new material. Well its now 34 months and the cloudy crap is irritating me. I contacted Strataglass and of course they don't respond. Maybe because they have a 24 month warranty. It sucks to spend good money on vinyl that is essentially disposable.
I only use Imar products on the vinyl. The boat is in the water year round. Jan to May in Florida and the rest on the Chesapeake.
Crap!
Rant over

Try cleaning it with Lemon Pledge furniture polish. You can even use it when the plastic is wet. Use something soft to polish it.

Yes, I would expect more life. You don't flip up the panels up on top of the bimini, do you?

I had some on my last boat and at the two year point it looked brand new. I washed and cleaned it with IMAR products.

I pinned it to the bottom of the hardtop rather than rolling it up.

This is from the Strataglass website;

NEVER:

• Use Windex, Rain-X, Pledge, Plexus, Simple Green, Orpine or any other harsh cleaner to clean Strataglass products. This will void the warranty.
• Use a car wax or any kind of wash and wax to protect Strataglass products. This will void the warranty.
• Use cleaners, polishes, scratch removers, or any products intended for commercial grade vinyl or plastic. This may damage the Strataglass and void the warranty.

I had a StrataGlass panel do the same thing as the OP's within 6 months after installation.

It never had anything on it except water, mild soap and a microfiber cloth.

IMO it's a quality control issue with the manufacturer.

My company had some QC issues with UV stabilizers in plastic. We ultimately had to buy a UV weatherability tester machine to insure compliance.
I used plane jane iesenglass on my boat in S FL. But, i took it off whenever the boat was not being used. It is a bit of a painful exercise. I had custom sunbrella tie bags for just the 'glass. And, then it means you have to have a tonneu cover to protect the bridge. It went 15 years OK.

diver dave said:

Yes, I would expect more life. You don't flip up the panels up on top of the bimini, do you?

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No they snap to the underside of the roof.

seasalt007 said:

I had some on my last boat and at the two year point it looked brand new. I washed and cleaned it with IMAR products.

I pinned it to the bottom of the hardtop rather than rolling it up.

This is from the Strataglass website;

NEVER:

• Use Windex, Rain-X, Pledge, Plexus, Simple Green, Orpine or any other harsh cleaner to clean Strataglass products. This will void the warranty.
• Use a car wax or any kind of wash and wax to protect Strataglass products. This will void the warranty.
• Use cleaners, polishes, scratch removers, or any products intended for commercial grade vinyl or plastic. This may damage the Strataglass and void the warranty.

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I have been pretty anal about using Imar products. I have followed all the recommendations.

I am located in the PNW. At least 3 times a year I clean my strata with IMAR cleaner. I have had my glass now for 5 years and still looking great.

Are you sure that the windows are genuine Strataglass? I have heard of canvas shops selling "Strataglass" that "isn't." Our Strataglass is now 5-years old and is still quite clear and serviceable. I only use Imar products on it.

Our Strata glas outlasted the Sunbrella top. Very clear after 10 years. It was up 24/7.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

I am located in the PNW. At least 3 times a year I clean my strata with IMAR cleaner. I have had my glass now for 5 years and still looking great.

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I clean my strata at least once a month with that product. I polish It about every other month with the Omar polish. Hell! maybe I wore it out

hmason said:

Are you sure that the windows are genuine Strataglass? I have heard of canvas shops selling "Strataglass" that "isn't." Our Strataglass is now 5-years old and is still quite clear and serviceable. I only use Imar products on it.

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Maybe they did hose me over on the material.

So how can you tell if you actually got the real stuff?

No clue

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

So how can you tell if you actually got the real stuff?

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Go into the back of the shop and look at their supplies: if they are selling strataglass they will have rolls or sheets with the OEM packaging and protective wrap. If they say they will have to order it for you, ask to see the material when it arrives and before it is cut to size. Again look for OEM packaging......

If you have to redo it use lexan

bayview said:

If you have to redo it use lexan

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What thickness have you used?

Don’t use lexan. It’s not UV stable and will be yellow in 3 years.

Most plastics benefit from additives to block uv degradation. Including nylon, polycarb and pvc. Without the right additives you will be disappointed.

There are products to restore car headlight lenses, here is an example:
Rain-X Headlight Restoration Kit - Supercheap Auto.
If the "Strataglass" is so bad it`s going to get replaced it might be worth a try. The area it covers might make it a tad expensive,maybe there is a better deal in larger volumes.

Had a couple guys on my dock that had the same issue and were told the same thing about polishing, they both went back to 30 gauge optical clear plastic and never looked back.