Dealing with the fallout from two tornados

Well, over this winter/spring, my boat survived two tornados. Link below. The first one did a good bit of gelcoat damage, nothing major, but quite a bit of scratches, gouges, and peppered the starboard side pretty good. The custom cover was shredded also. Some other smaller stuff, but that's the main stuff. Then two weeks later, at the marina for repairs, another tornado ripped through that area, and broke my bow light and port side windshield. The windshield alone is why the insurance company is having to total out the boat. I'll be buying it back no matter what, but man....what a kick in the nuts. All because of a windshield. I searched high and low, called company after company, junkyard after junkyard, no luck. I finally contacted a custom marine glass company, and they can help...... for $8K. Not in the budget. For temporary (maybe permanent) use, I'll be making a windshield out of plexiglass. I've made a rough template with cardboard, got a good start on a metal form (buck), and made a rudimentary oven to heat it up for thermoforming the plexiglass. If anyone here has experience with thermoforming plexiglass, I'm open to advice. There's a company called Taylor Made that makes windshield assemblies for a lot of different boats, and I ordered three templates from Great Lakes Skipper to see if any of them would work on my boat. That's pretty much best case scenario, but I'm not holding my breath. Anyway, we have a houseboat trip coming up in the second half of June, so I'm working my butt off to get this old girl up and running by then.

On a side note, I have officially settled on a new name for our boat. She is now the Twin Tornado. Obviously, because she survived two tornados, but also because she's a twin engine, and finally, because my wife and I have a set of twins. It kinda plays on several angles. lol

What year and model is your boat? I recently replaced the front facing glass on my 2010 242 LS with parts from a 2017 240 because the driver windshield shattered on me. As a result I have the remaining glass from the 2010 that I could be convinced to sell.

Another thing to consider is how to get it to you from NCal. I got a quote for the part I needed shipped from Seattle, it was $500. I was told that I’m better off ordering it through a local dealer so they would have to deal with the shipping and the risks associated with it.

If you decide to make your own, good luck, I didn’t even consider doing that. Getting the curve right so that it fits in the frame looks like a PiTA

06 SX230. Mine is a different windshield than the 2010's have. I actually checked, and it's only the 23' boats, from 04-06 that use my windshield. Whether or not I'd be able to acquire an entire assembly from your year model, and make it work is a whole other ball game, but it appears the panes are different, anyway. Matching the curvature and walkthrough doorway would be the big issues. Thank you very much for the offer, though.

Great name for that boat! Good luck on the windshield work. let us know how it goes.

Working late every evening I have available. Got the metal form done, the makeshift oven is pretty much done, I've disassembled the windshield frame, and straightened the bent part.... Had to order the 3/16 plexiglass. Couldn't find any at the local stores. They all go from 1/8 to 1/4. Still planning to do the thermoforming Saturday. Trimming to size is going to be a little nerve-racking. I want to keep it tight, and it has to be done right so the walk through window hinge is kept at the right angle. Anyway, I'll try to remember to take pics, but when I get to working on something, it becomes my primary focus, so I often forget.

Well, I’ve got a windshield. It’s scratch resistant plexiglass, thermoformed to shape, and trimmed to fit the frame nicely. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do just fine for this summer. Had to heat it up to 300 degrees, and fight hot spots. Didn’t want to heat up evenly, likely due to its size. Had to rotate in the oven, and still ended up with a little bit of a buckle/bulge from a cold spot. It’s low in the window, so I’m not too disappointed. All in all, I’m happy, but aware of the imperfections. I would consider this an acceptable solution for those of us who have boats that no longer have replacement windshield support from Yamaha.

@dgfreeze , you have awesome skills.

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Great job! Love that you were able to figure out a fix, do it, and get your boat back on the water!

Jim

Man what a PITA. My biggest fear (well one of them) is breaking one of these windshields. I've noticed a lot of the nice surfboats out there run square/rectangular panes these days. From what I've seen here NEW windshields are tough to get. Either way, awesome job on the replacement. It looks good and was a great job of problem solving.

Thanks, guys. Took the boat out this evening for a spin, just to make sure everything is still in good working order, and all seems well. Got a houseboat trip with friends next weekend, so I was kinda busting my butt to get it done, and take a water test. Now I just have to focus on cleaning her up a bit, and making sure all the glass shards are gone. Pretty sure they don’t feel good under bare feet. Lol

Outstanding job, @dgfreeze

That's a damn fine job!!!

I'll bet that @drewkaree would be impressed as well and he is our resident MacGyver........

dgfreeze said:

Well, I’ve got a windshield. It’s scratch resistant plexiglass, thermoformed to shape, and trimmed to fit the frame nicely. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do just fine for this summer. Had to heat it up to 300 degrees, and fight hot spots. Didn’t want to heat up evenly, likely due to its size. Had to rotate in the oven, and still ended up with a little bit of a buckle/bulge from a cold spot. It’s low in the window, so I’m not too disappointed. All in all, I’m happy, but aware of the imperfections. I would consider this an acceptable solution for those of us who have boats that no longer have replacement windshield support from Yamaha.

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Well Done! Amazing Job, you could make some serious $$$$$ with your skills, that said, what would you charge to make me one for the Starboard?

Well, it’s not really something I’m trying to do for money. It takes more time than you’d imagine. Also, your 08 is a different windshield than mine. Unless you’re nearby, to where I could sort of help you with it over time, it’s probably not a viable option. Also, if insurance is involved, this doesn’t qualify as a replacement windshield. Long story, but as I mentioned, they totaled the boat out, and I made the windshield on my own time and dime. I offered to do this instead of totaling it out, but they said since it’s not tempered glass, they can’t go that route. Is insurance involved?

dgfreeze said:

Well, it’s not really something I’m trying to do for money. It takes more time than you’d imagine. Also, your 08 is a different windshield than mine. Unless you’re nearby, to where I could sort of help you with it over time, it’s probably not a viable option. Also, if insurance is involved, this doesn’t qualify as a replacement windshield. Long story, but as I mentioned, they totaled the boat out, and I made the windshield on my own time and dime. I offered to do this instead of totaling it out, but they said since it’s not tempered glass, they can’t go that route. Is insurance involved?

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Hey, it was worth a try,
I am in Turks and Caicos Islands, I bought it as a REPO and picked it up with the broken screen, thus no insurance. I will have to give it a go myself, Where did you buy the plexi and what size if you don't mind me asking?

LOL, that makes it challenging to say the least. I got the plexiglass from an online hardware store, mcmaster.com. They're actually located just a couple hours from me. I could've gotten it cheaper, but by the time insurance gave up, and I had my ducks in a row, I was pressed for time, and they deliver to me next day. I got scratch resistant plexiglass, 48" x 48" x 3/16" thick. I also got flame retardant paper. Having something like that between the plexiglass and the buck is very important, otherwise the plexiglass will melt/stick to the buck. I used the extra plexiglass for testing, and I'm very glad I did. Build a makeshift oven with plywood. You could line the inside with aluminum foil. You could even scavenge a propane grill, and build a box on top of it. Just need a makeshift oven of some sort. Try to make so it heats up evenly, as that will likely be the biggest hurdle. Use a large sheet of paper or compressed cardboard and get a fairly close pattern. Leave some extra all around, as you'll trim it down anyway, and that'll allow you to trim off the marks left from the clamps and vise grips. Have someone there to help you. A second set of hands is very valuable. Also, I found there to be not a lot of temperature difference between a malleable piece of plexiglass, and a soft/squishy/too hot piece of plexiglass. Let it heat up slow, and check it often as it's getting close. I put a grill thermometer in the top of my makeshift oven to keep tabs on and regulate the temperature inside the oven.

dgfreeze said:

LOL, that makes it challenging to say the least. I got the plexiglass from an online hardware store, mcmaster.com. They're actually located just a couple hours from me. I could've gotten it cheaper, but by the time insurance gave up, and I had my ducks in a row, I was pressed for time, and they deliver to me next day. I got scratch resistant plexiglass, 48" x 48" x 3/16" thick. I also got flame retardant paper. Having something like that between the plexiglass and the buck is very important, otherwise the plexiglass will melt/stick to the buck. I used the extra plexiglass for testing, and I'm very glad I did. Build a makeshift oven with plywood. You could line the inside with aluminum foil. You could even scavenge a propane grill, and build a box on top of it. Just need a makeshift oven of some sort. Try to make so it heats up evenly, as that will likely be the biggest hurdle. Use a large sheet of paper or compressed cardboard and get a fairly close pattern. Leave some extra all around, as you'll trim it down anyway, and that'll allow you to trim off the marks left from the clamps and vise grips. Have someone there to help you. A second set of hands is very valuable. Also, I found there to be not a lot of temperature difference between a malleable piece of plexiglass, and a soft/squishy/too hot piece of plexiglass. Let it heat up slow, and check it often as it's getting close. I put a grill thermometer in the top of my makeshift oven to keep tabs on and regulate the temperature inside the oven.

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Hi Thanks, I will order the plexi and start thinking about the oven, I have been watching a crap load of youtube videos and think I will order two pieces of plexi, for just in case. I am in no hurry as I have another boat, this will be the "bayboat".
I will post when I have given it a go, wish me Luck!

By the way, I have twin daughters too they just turned 22 in Dec, but I named this little boat Squirt after the sea turtle in finding Nemo, because it does squirt water out and it is cute