We have a small steel boat and I'm removing and replacing the windows in order to clean up the corrosion around them. The existing windows are laminated glass 4mm thick and they are a pig to replace without damaging them. We're getting better at it but a couple of the windows will need replacing. So, what's the best type of clear plastic to use to replace them? The windows don't really need the strength of laminated glass, it's not a speed boat. I guess it's just 'safety' glass to prevent the risk of sticking one's hand through them. We obviously do want reasonably good clarity and UV lifetime. However the main requirement is that the plastic is easy to work with. Some of the windows are quite odd shapes, like five sided, and they all have curved corners. So we need to cut them out with a jig-saw. They are also difficult to re-insert in the rubber seals (we have new seals, they're as soft as they're going to be) so toughness (in particular resistance to cracking) is important. Any/all advice welcome, re most suitable types of plastic and good suppliers.

I had to make some housings for TV sets (etc) for use in a place where the viewers might suddenly decide to smash the place up (the tellys were to display a video entitled "Welcome to HMP Xxxxxx. We hope you enjoy your stay".) I used 6mm macrolon clear sheet on steel frames. It worked fine. Never got smashed. I used the offcuts for windows in a shed and that was OK as well. Bill

Best/easiest to D-I-Y glass replacement plastic?

Nov 03, 2018 21 Replies

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Chris Green 7 years ago

Thanks, their prices seem pretty competitive and the various sizes should enable me to be reasonably economical when cutting.

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Chris Green 7 years ago

It's an inland waterways boat so that's not a big issue.

That's good to know, thank you, just need to be careful when cleaning stuff then.

Similar price I think.

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