Aftermarket windshield

[ampersat]

I'm googled out guys so I turn to you for assistance.

My boat, '96 Smokercraft Pro Alaskan, originally had a windshield on it but a previous owner decided to remove it. I'd like to put a windshield back on it but can't find anything in the way of aftermarket windshields. I could go the route of custom fabbing my own but if I can get something that's close enough off-the-shelf, that would save me a bit of time and effort.

[Good News Tuna]

Might try Taylor Made, no idea of the price but they probably made the original one. I have spoke to them before and if you can give them a # off the window they can quote a replacement fast.

http://www.taylormarine.com/brochures/index.html

[Orca]

http://www.iboats.com/boat-windshields/

[ampersat]

http://www.iboats.com/boat-windshields/

The flat windshield won't fit my boat and I don't want to shell out $1600 just for a curved piece of glass that's broken in the middle.

Keep 'em coming folks. I've googled for over an hour solid and can't find anything that fits what I want to do. I'm hoping someone knows someone who knows someone or something like that.

[fishncliff]

PM sent :gotmail:

[Smj]

Have you called Smoker Craft, in Stayton, Oregon, I believe?

Smj

[uhmw]

Thin polycarbonate plastic bends quite easly and can be cut with a jig saw it is extreamly tough. I have made race car windsheilds and motor cycle windsheilds and boat windsheilds by drawing out the shape on the plastic and cutting it out with a metal cutting jig saw blade. A thin 1/8 to 1/16 48x96 sheet is not very expensive. Remember never to use clear acrlic sheet as it is very breaky but looks the same.

[Orca]

Thin polycarbonate plastic bends quite easly and can be cut with a jig saw it is extreamly tough. I have made race car windsheilds and motor cycle windsheilds and boat windsheilds by drawing out the shape on the plastic and cutting it out with a metal cutting jig saw blade. A thin 1/8 to 1/16 48x96 sheet is not very expensive. Remember never to use clear acrlic sheet as it is very breaky but looks the same.

That sounds like a good plan. That and some of the rubber/plastic edging, some 3M 4200/5200, and some supports. Supports can be found at boatfix dot com, search for windshield, then pick page 89. Support braces are $8 - $12.

[Pinecone]

sent you a pm.

[ampersat]

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm currently the high bidder on Ebay on a glass windshield that I should be able to modify sufficiently for my purposes. For some reason, it didn't occur to me to look there before. Also got a couple of leads via PM.

I ran across a page where a fella made a windshield for his boat using polycarbonate and that's still an option. It requires bending aluminum though, which I'm not set up to do (he used an oxyacetylene torch to anneal it prior to bending) but that still may be an option if this other deal falls through.

I'm also considering making a mini-windshield just for my console and going with a full rag top for the boat. I can buy a plexi windshield for $80 or so online, or I can fashion my own for less than half of that price using a heat gun or propane torch.

Thanks for all the help and I'll post up the final result when it's done.

[Tail Out Swingin]

Amp-

My smokercraft is 92 pro alaskan with the windshield. If it would help you out I could bring it by for any measuring/visualization purpose that you might need. I would do mine different than the way it was done at the factory if I was starting from scratch. Let me know.

Chris

[ampersat]

Hey Chris, I didn't know you also had a pro alaskan. Yeah, I've never liked how far back they run the windshield on the standard setup. Definitely a mid-West setup. I'm looking to put mine a foot and a half farther forward. I'm looking at other boat pics to see how I might want to handle building it in.

[Tail Out Swingin]

Yeah, I had a top made before I spent enough time in it to realize that I wanted to move the console and windshield up toward the front. I cant do it now without modifying the top, longer steering cable... and ... and. It would be nice to have a little more weight toward the bow, but I think for now the work/expense is more than I am going to do for this boat.