Glass vs. Clear-Plastic Windshields
Courtesy Grady-White
Advancements in glass molding and adhesive technology, coupled with the ingenious and dedicated work from marine designers, has sparked a transformation in boat windshields and windows, particularly on center-console saltwater fishing boats.
Known as glazings in the marine-design field, the latest glass windshields and windows are not only strong and durable, but they are also more stylish and safer when compared with other windshields made from materials such as clear acrylic, polycarbonate or vinyl.
“These glass glazings first appeared in the marine market on superyachts,” says Rob Kaidy, vice president of engineering for SeaVee Boats. Yachts require sweeping high-strength glazings, and today’s styling cues often demand complex curves.
Bonding Experience
High-strength-yet-flexible bonding agents are available from companies such as Michigan-based Sika. Adhesives such as SikaFlex were born in commercial construction, where builders needed to secure large, frameless panes of glass to high-rise structures. The adhesives also work well in rough-and-tumble marine applications.
More Protection
One of the major benefits of the latest glazings lies in the ability to include a full-height glass windshield between the console and hardtop. A prime example of this is Grady-White’s Canyon 456, says Christian Carraway, an engineer for the North Carolina-based boatbuilder. The windshield complements the integration of the console and hardtop.
“The glass also adds structural strength,” Carraway says. “At the same time, the adhesive allows for a certain amount of flex and expansion due to sea conditions and temperature differences between the glass and the material to which it is bonded.”
Bringing the windshield all the way up to the hardtop protects the helm from wind blast, rain and spray, and also enhances the effects of onboard air conditioning and heating.
Better Optics
While a full-height windshield is possible with other materials such as clear vinyl or polycarbonate, optical clarity is better with glass. With laminated safety glass, there’s also greater protection from large waves or marine objects that might strike the windshield in heavy seas.
“Laminated safety glass is very strong and will not shatter into tiny pieces, and that makes it a better choice for forward-facing glazings than other materials such as clear acrylic or clear vinyl,” Kaidy explains. Also, clear vinyl cannot be fitted with windshield wipers, as can glass.
Then there’s the convenience factor. With glass, there’s no need to put up the windshield and enclosure, and then take it down and find a place to stow it when you’re done for the day. Finally, glass offers far more durability and longevity than any other clear material, and it is highly resistant to scratching.
Fresh-Air Options
The permanence of glass glazings has a downside: You can’t remove the windshield and windows to get some fresh air. But boatbuilders have created ways to circulate air around the helm when you need it on sultry days. Manual and motorized vents at the upper portion of glass windshield allow a refreshing breeze to sweep around the side and circulate in the helm seating area. In an innovative touch from Everglades Boats, hydraulic sliding glass windshields on center-console models retract downward to open the bridge area to a refreshing breeze.
The Grady-White 456 offers two ways to get more air. In addition to a motorized vent atop the windshield, there are motorized sliding vents on the side windows.
Smooth Styling
Curved-glass glazings give boatbuilders greater latitude in designing windshields and windows that flow with the graceful lines of the boat.
Carraway used the windshield of the Grady-White 456 as an example. “This wide, one-piece windshield bends in two directions,” he says.
The vertical- and horizontal-curving glass windshield complements the similarly curving design of the front of the 456 console. Curving tinted-glass windows on the sides of the console serve not only to help illuminate the cabin inside the console, but they also serve as accents. The ability to have sweeping one-piece windshields also eliminates the vertical frame members that disrupt an otherwise smooth design, not to mention possibly blocking the field of vision.
Ultimately, bonded-glass glazings have made boats safe and more comfortable, as well as better-looking.
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Source: https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/boats/glass-vs-clear-plastic-windshields/
