domino Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Well, I didn't manage to get out fishing at the weekend, but at least I did something useful!! The new windows, finished in all their glory........... (this may not seem very exciting to those of you who already have transparent windows... but to someone who, for the last couple of years, has put up with windows that were only marginally more 'see through' than WOOD, this is quite an occasion!!! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Martin Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Nice one Alan Domino looks so much better with see through windows Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Bray Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 The windows look very clear now. How long did it take altogether, and how difficult was the cutting of the perspex? Eddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domino Posted October 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 The windows look very clear now. How long did it take altogether, and how difficult was the cutting of the perspex? Eddie Hi Ed, I did use clear polycarbonate sheet, as opposed to tinted... so yes, at the moment they are crystal clear. I did it all over the weekend plus a couple of hours Friday afternoon. But that wasn't working non-stop... 'she who must be obeyed' still wanted to go shopping!! I cut and fitted the the first one Friday afternoon and then cleaned it up (after the silicone had cured) Sat morning... learned a few lessons. I cut the remaining windows and fitted the second window by Sat evening and cleaned it up Sun morning... huge lesson learned - don't use Plastic Parcel Tape for masking on Gelcoat... it sticks like sh*t to a blanket and is a real bitch to get off! Now I'm getting good at it... three remaining windows fitted Sun and cleaned up today. If I was doing it again... and if I keep the boat another 4 or 5 years, I probably will... I think I could easily remove and re-fit all the windows in one day. The 'perspex' isn't really that difficult to work with, given some decent tools. The final cut to size was done with a router and flush cutting bit... with the new window material clamped to a template... either the old window or , as I did, an MDF template cut from the old window. I don't know if you're familiar with using a router... but a flush cutting bit is really only used for trimming - a few mm's - not really for cutting out. You therefore need to cut the window blank from the sheet, a little oversize... a decent jig saw would be ideal for this, unfortunately my jig saw has taken to spitting the bades out the minute it thinks it's going to have to do some work... I ended up using a small cordless circular saw, which did the job OK, but would have been better with a finer toothed blade. Hope this helps, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Bray Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Hi Alan, I am very used to using a router, one of my other hobbies is woodworking and I have 3 different routers. If I was thinking doing the windows I think I would do the rough cut on my bandsaw with a fine blade first, although I have a good jigsaw the finished cut would probably be better with less risk of scratching the material. But I have to say your finished job looks excellant in the photos. Eddie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domino Posted October 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Hi Alan, I am very used to using a router, one of my other hobbies is woodworking and I have 3 different routers. If I was thinking doing the windows I think I would do the rough cut on my bandsaw with a fine blade first, although I have a good jigsaw the finished cut would probably be better with less risk of scratching the material. But I have to say your finished job looks excellant in the photos. Eddie. Ref. using a band saw... you still might want to cut the sheet into more manageable pieces, depending on what you buy / obtain. My sheet was 8' x 4'... a bit of a handful at a bandsaw, I would think... I don't have a bandsaw (unfortunately), so it didn't enter into my thinking. A bandsaw is definitely a good tool to use on polycarb / acrylic as the blade doesn't heat up like a jig saw blade. I think that may have been the problem with my jig saw... it is a cheap B&D one with a finger operated spring clamp holding the blade in... I suspect the blade was getting too hot (No, I know it was too hot... it burnt my fingers ebery time I picked it up off of the floor!! ), causing the plastic to start to melt and sticking to the blade, pulling it out of it's clamp. The sheet material comes with a protective film on both sides, so scratching shouldn't be a problem... unless you're really rough with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domino Posted October 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 For anybody that's interested there is now a full description of how I fitted the new windows, on my WEBSITE. Cherers, Alan Edit: Link removed... website no longer exists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam F Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 I must say - what a brilliant article. Fantastically written, concise and easy to understand. It certianly has made me want to do BW's!! Well done Alan, really good site is coming together. When out on Thurs the harbour was so choppy in the F8 that all I could se was green water at times. I am not too sure whether to fit a wiper? I will re-do the windows and see if this helps, but BW's are not so misty that I cant see, more the water doesnt clear the screen fast enough. I have used RainEX and it has had limited use, but really needs applying every trip - too much hastle. Anyone have any thoughts on fitting a wiper to a Warrior 165 or other small boat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domino Posted October 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 Adam, If you fit a wiper I suspect you will need a steady supply of plastic to replace that window at least annually... I reckon it would very quickly scratch the surface... aside from the salt, there will be fine grains of sand and other potentially abrasive materials suspended in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Martin Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 Maverick has a wiper but the screen is toughened glass. I suspect as Alan has said if a wiper is fitted to a perspex screen you will be changing it regularly Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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