After taking care of the stuff that makes the boat seaworthy, one of the first things that I replaced was the Plexiglas in the two hatch cover. The original was badly crazed and just translucent. I had it replaced with tinted lexan. Unfortunately the day after I installed the hatches I sprayed silicone on the gaskets and the propellant etched the lexan.
So after two years I am replacing the lexan with lightly tented safety glass. Register's Glass, a local shop two blocks from my home, has done a good job replacing not only the glass in the hatches but also the glass in the portholes.
I am really pleased with the outcome. If the new glass proves to let in to much light I can always have it tinted.
regards charlie
They do look nice. Is it strong enough to stand on? How about the shock of a block getting dropped. I don't know much about the glass but I have hatch lense replacement on my list of "To Do".. so always looking for a good solution.
Thom
SV TomCat
Chicago
Hey Thom:
It is two ply glass, with plastic in-between the layers. It will shatter if you drop a winch handle on it. It will support my weight since the area is pretty small. It is a bit heavier than the lexan so I had to tighten the support friction screw more than normal to keep the hatch open on the first trial this morning. I will take the trade off(s) for clarity, looks and usefulness.
Should be going out soon and if anything doesn't work out I will post.
regards charlie
Charlie,
It looks so clear you will have to come up with some sort of shade. Definitely clearer than lexan.
BobK
Thanks Charlie--- Maybe I can find smoked glass for mine!
Wayne