skrip345
Jetboaters Commander
- Messages
- 255
- Reaction score
- 329
- Points
- 182
- Location
- Sedalia, MO
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2016
- Boat Model
- Limited S
- Boat Length
- 24
Im posting this for two reasons, first to brag on my sweet new super cheap mod, secondly to hopefully encourage some brave diyers to tackle this too. I have been drooling on some pics you gents have been posting of some great looking boats with tint. So I figured I would give it a shot. I didn't take as many pics during the process as I would have liked, but I had my hands full.
I opted to remove the glass all together, which I believe was the key to my success here. Im sure a professional tint guy could do it without, but it made it possible for me to get it laid down without wrinkles or bubbles in a clean environment in my house. So step 1 was to remove the small screws that hold the aluminum trim together. I started with the middle window because it was the smallest, and I wasn't sure if they would be glued in. It came out easily so I continued. They can be stubborn but I took my time and wiggled the frame work until the glass came free. One by one I removed the glass pieces and placed them CAREFULLY in the spare bedroom where my two year old couldn't play with them!
I purchased the tint at my local oreillys. I read some reviews on the tint I bought online, most were mixed, but I think most peoples terrible experiences were due to lack of patience and ability. They had truck/suv sized, which came in a 30"x10' roll. I knew I would need the wider stuff for the curved windows to allow me to get it in one piece. The rolls were 28.95 each (I bought two) and I also purchased their install kit, which consists of a spray bottle full of soapy water, a lint free cloth, and a squeegee. Ill keep the squeegee and skip that part of the purchase next time.
My next step was prep. The glass has to be spotless! I scrubbed it down with windex and a bristled brush twice, then scraped it gently with a razor blade, wiped it off completely, then once more with the brush. A thorough final wipe down, followed with a pass with the lint free cloth.
Next I unrolled the tint and made rough cuts leaving several inches all the way around. The flat pieces could probably have been cut to exact at that time, but I opted to trim after it was stuck on there so I wouldn't have to worry about placement when the tint went on. I soaked my slider with the soap mix and slapped the tint on the window with the adhesive side facing me, then used scotch tape to separate the tint from the protective clear covering. It peels off, leaving the tint on the sliding glass door. Then I sprayed down both the inside of the boat window, and the tint. Then we just carefully peel the tint from the door making sure it doesn't try to roll itself back up, and lay it on the glass.
This is where it got fun. The flat windows were an absolute breeze. Squeegee the bubbles out, razor the edges, boom, done. The curved ones took a little more work. The main thing is to take your time, used lots of soap on top of the tint so the squeegee would glide along easily. I had to use some heat on some stubborn parts in the curve and just patiently work it down. The first one took several hours. On the second curved one I made sure the tint was very relaxed and started in the curve instead of the flat area. It still took about an hour and some heat, but I got it done.
I let the finished pieces "cure" in the spare room for a day, as the tint is still very easily lifted when its fresh. Then it was a matter of reinstalling the glass. I had help, and I needed it. Guiding the glass back into the channels alone would be difficult, and dangerous. I pulled the molding out and installed it onto the glass, then pushed them back into the aluminum trim. Used soapy water for ease, and it all went back in smoothly.
I am very pleased with the results! For around $75.00 it will rank as one of my cheapest mods. Let me know what you think!
I opted to remove the glass all together, which I believe was the key to my success here. Im sure a professional tint guy could do it without, but it made it possible for me to get it laid down without wrinkles or bubbles in a clean environment in my house. So step 1 was to remove the small screws that hold the aluminum trim together. I started with the middle window because it was the smallest, and I wasn't sure if they would be glued in. It came out easily so I continued. They can be stubborn but I took my time and wiggled the frame work until the glass came free. One by one I removed the glass pieces and placed them CAREFULLY in the spare bedroom where my two year old couldn't play with them!
I purchased the tint at my local oreillys. I read some reviews on the tint I bought online, most were mixed, but I think most peoples terrible experiences were due to lack of patience and ability. They had truck/suv sized, which came in a 30"x10' roll. I knew I would need the wider stuff for the curved windows to allow me to get it in one piece. The rolls were 28.95 each (I bought two) and I also purchased their install kit, which consists of a spray bottle full of soapy water, a lint free cloth, and a squeegee. Ill keep the squeegee and skip that part of the purchase next time.
My next step was prep. The glass has to be spotless! I scrubbed it down with windex and a bristled brush twice, then scraped it gently with a razor blade, wiped it off completely, then once more with the brush. A thorough final wipe down, followed with a pass with the lint free cloth.
Next I unrolled the tint and made rough cuts leaving several inches all the way around. The flat pieces could probably have been cut to exact at that time, but I opted to trim after it was stuck on there so I wouldn't have to worry about placement when the tint went on. I soaked my slider with the soap mix and slapped the tint on the window with the adhesive side facing me, then used scotch tape to separate the tint from the protective clear covering. It peels off, leaving the tint on the sliding glass door. Then I sprayed down both the inside of the boat window, and the tint. Then we just carefully peel the tint from the door making sure it doesn't try to roll itself back up, and lay it on the glass.
This is where it got fun. The flat windows were an absolute breeze. Squeegee the bubbles out, razor the edges, boom, done. The curved ones took a little more work. The main thing is to take your time, used lots of soap on top of the tint so the squeegee would glide along easily. I had to use some heat on some stubborn parts in the curve and just patiently work it down. The first one took several hours. On the second curved one I made sure the tint was very relaxed and started in the curve instead of the flat area. It still took about an hour and some heat, but I got it done.
I let the finished pieces "cure" in the spare room for a day, as the tint is still very easily lifted when its fresh. Then it was a matter of reinstalling the glass. I had help, and I needed it. Guiding the glass back into the channels alone would be difficult, and dangerous. I pulled the molding out and installed it onto the glass, then pushed them back into the aluminum trim. Used soapy water for ease, and it all went back in smoothly.
I am very pleased with the results! For around $75.00 it will rank as one of my cheapest mods. Let me know what you think!
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