Material for splash guard on trawler fly bridge ?

[TJM]

Hello:

I am not sure exactly what it is called but this piece of semi transparent (tinted most of the time) plastic is on the upper front of the flybridge tilting forward. I suppose it is a wind or splash guard, but mine is crazed and cracked.

What material is this made from ?
Acrylic ? Polycarbonate ? Other ?

I do want mine tinted light gray

 

[rwidman]

If there is a company in your area that sells plastic or fabricates stuff out of plastic, I suggest taking a piece of it with you to their business. Ask them what it is and if they can make you a new one.

 

[Comodave]

It is a venturi windshield or wind screen. Most custom plastic fabricators can make you what you need. Just hold on when they give you a price.

 

[catalinajack]

Many boats have a venturi. Ours does. It's a terrific wind deflector but pretty much useless to see through.

 

[mvweebles]

It is moat likely polycarbonate (acryllic). As others have said, find a place that sells sheets of plastic and they will be able to use thr old one as a pattern. Note: drilling holes requires a special drill bit to prevent cracking. The plastic place will sell those too.

As Comodave states, it is deceptively expensive because it takes a large sheet to make the slender screen - a lot of waste.

Good luck

Peter

 

[rwidman]

As Comodave states, it is deceptively expensive because it takes a large sheet to make the slender screen - a lot of waste.

Mine is made (from the factory) in three pieces.

As for tinting, I can't recall ever looking through mine, I look over it.

 

[TJM]

mvweebles, Just as a PSA there is a huge difference between Polycarbonate and Acrylic.
Polycarbonate (commonly called tuffak, lexan etc) is bullet proof at 1/2" thick and VERY hard and tough. Hockey boards and safety glasses are made from Polycarbonate sheets.

Acrylics are commonly called Plexiglass.

The characteristics I am looking for are UV resistance and the ability to be tinted.
I can do the google search but was wondering if anybody had first hand experience with what a supplier would use.

 

[mvweebles]

mvweebles, Just as a PSA there is a huge difference between Polycarbonate and Acrylic.
Polycarbonate (commonly called tuffak, lexan etc) is bullet proof at 1/2" thick and VERY hard and tough. Hockey boards and safety glasses are made from Polycarbonate sheets.

Acrylics are commonly called Plexiglass.

The characteristics I am looking for are UV resistance and the ability to be tinted.
I can do the google search but was wondering if anybody had first hand experience with what a supplier would use.

Dang, I mis-spoke. I really meant Plexiglass, not Polycarbonate. Plexi is what is commonly used, not Lexan/Polycarb (though Polycarbonate is what is commonly used for auto headlight lenses). I've had two Venturi's replaced over the years and went with Plexi both times. Being on the West Coast, TAP Plastics is the go-to company.

Apologies for the mistake. Brain cramp -

Peter

 

[koliver]

I replaced my venturi more than 20 years ago. At the time, the tint had faded to a purplish pink, so was not what I wanted, and then I broke the section that the bimini landed on when I lowered it (carefully) forward to enter my shelter for the first time.
When I asked about colour, the auto glass shop I went to offered only 2 choices, clear or "bronze". I chose bronze. In those next 20 years, there has been no fading. Mine are curved sections, and using the old as a pattern, the shop was able, with heat, to duplicate the curvature. Mine is Plexiglass. That cost was $500 Cdn then, but I have no idea what it would cost now.

 

[Bmarler]

plexi (acrylic) seems to be more prone to crazing than the lexan type products. i use lexan whenever possible. it's not too difficult to work with, but as has been mentioned, does take some care when drilling.

 

[tiltrider1]

As mentioned the two most commonly used materials are Acrylic and Lexan other wise known as Plexiglass and Polycarbonate. By far the most common is Acrylic. It has the best UV stability and can be custom bent with a heat gun. However, dingys often use Lexan because of its indestructible nature.

Acrylic expands and contracts a considerable amount, this requires drilling oversized holes. When you see long cracks emanating from a screw hole in Acrylic it means the hole was to small to absorb the expansion.

If your Venturi is made up of pieces that are 3’ or less I would go with Acrylic. If your Venturi is made up from pieces that are 6’ or longer I would go with Lexan.

If you have a table saw and a Orbital sander it’s very easy to make replacement pieces.

The problem with Lexan is that it turns yellow and cloudy with time.

 

[rwidman]

As mentioned the two most commonly used materials are Acrylic and Lexan other wise known as Plexiglass and Polycarbonate. By far the most common is Acrylic. It has the best UV stability and can be custom bent with a heat gun. However, dingys often use Lexan because of its indestructible nature.

Acrylic expands and contracts a considerable amount, this requires drilling oversized holes. When you see long cracks emanating from a screw hole in Acrylic it means the hole was to small to absorb the expansion.

If your Venturi is made up of pieces that are 3’ or less I would go with Acrylic. If your Venturi is made up from pieces that are 6’ or longer I would go with Lexan.

If you have a table saw and a Orbital sander it’s very easy to make replacement pieces.

The problem with Lexan is that it turns yellow and cloudy with time.

Yes, Lexan yellows when exposed to UV light over time.

Cutting and sanding these plastics is no more difficult than working with wood, it's the bending that's the problem. Curved pieces will be difficult to make without special equipment.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I replaced my venturi more than 20 years ago. At the time, the tint had faded to a purplish pink, so was not what I wanted, and then I broke the section that the bimini landed on when I lowered it (carefully) forward to enter my shelter for the first time.
When I asked about colour, the auto glass shop I went to offered only 2 choices, clear or "bronze". I chose bronze. In those next 20 years, there has been no fading. Mine are curved sections, and using the old as a pattern, the shop was able, with heat, to duplicate the curvature. Mine is Plexiglass. That cost was $500 Cdn then, but I have no idea what it would cost now.

I replaced mine when I purchase about a year ago. The original had faded to a odd pink color and had clouded and riddled with fine cracks. I could see through it, but just barely. I took it to TAP Plastics as it would just fit crosswise on a 4x8" sheet of bronze plexiglass (which comes in various darknesses). Because of the bend of the plastic, the lower cut was bevelled. I didn't expect TAP to cut the bevel, but they did. Also didn't expecte them to put the holes in, but they did. Buying the whole sheet and custom cut was $350. I've slowly found other uses for the considerable amount of scrap.

Reinstall is really a two person job, but I did it by myself. If I did it over again, I would attach the supports to the plastic, then flex onto the boat and put in new support screw holes if necessary. The supports would cover the old holes and I think there would be a lot less stress on the plastic. I haven't used the Sunbrella cover now that I'm in covered moorage. Probably should.

 

[rwidman]

Using rubber or plastic grommets in the holes and then screwing through the grommets might be the best way to avoid stress on the plastic and holes. That's how mine came from the factory.

 

[Southbound]

theplasticsguy.com

I replaced my Venturi windscreen about a year ago, or Four haul outs for hurricanes) and
used the company listed above. I sent my pieces to him and he sent back predrilled replacements. You can pick the tint color and darkness you would like. Very reasonable
compared to local company I called.

Good luck

 

[Bigsfish]

On a previous boat mine cracked when a slightly drunken friend rested on it. I took it off the boat intact to a plastics company. They replicated a new one with all the bends and holes for the attachment. Easy to put on the boat. About $400.00 if I remember correctly. Easy job.

 

[Frank60]

I replaced mine a couple years ago using Lexan. From my research, I found that acrylic/plexi is more brittle but more scratch resistant. Lexan/polycarb is more break resistant but scratches more easy. Do an internet search on acrylic vs lexan, and you'll get tons of information. Here's a good summary:

https://www.acplasticsinc.com/informationcenter/r/lexan-vs-acrylic

I ordered a sheet of the Lexan from a local glass shop.

I found that the Lexan drilled and cut with no problem. I cut the sheets myself. It's easy with a sabre/jig saw using a fine tooth blade. Lay the old pieces on the sheet as a template. Mark with a sharpie and cut being sure to support the piece as you're cutting to avoid vibration and breakage. After marking out your pieces, I'd recommend cutting some scrap sections first to get the feel for cutting and speed.

You have to be careful not to scratch the Lexan in the process. It usually comes with protective plastic sheeting. Leave that on as long as you can in the process. I put some painters tape on the shoe of the saw also to provide additional scratch protection when cutting.

 

[Comodave]

I like using a router with a patterning bit to cut plastics. It gives a very nice finished edge.

 

[tiltrider1]

Router's certainly make better edges than saws. Even though the router makes a good edge, I like to polish it out with rubbing compound.

As far as Polycarbonate vs Acrylic. It is impossible to make a blanket recommendation. The final application, color come into play as well as scratch resistance, shatter resistance and UV requirements.

Fortunately, you can't really make a bad decision, just a less optimal decision.

 

[ianpatrick10]

Hi there, new trawler owner here so please be gentle ha. I'm thinking about removing the "venturi" or wind screen piece you are all referring to. Am I crazy? Curious how many folks take theirs off as I'm not wild about the look of it. If it is windy and cold, I plan on driving from the main helm down below. I'm on a 34' GHB. Thanks for your info and your patience!

Cheers
Ian

 

[dhays]

Welcome. I think you may find that the breeze in your face would get annoying after a bit. You could remove the acrylic (or whatever the material is) carefully and then try it out. If you like it without, after using the boat for a while, only then remove the supports for the Venturi.

 

[Comodave]

Hi there, new trawler owner here so please be gentle ha. I'm thinking about removing the "venturi" or wind screen piece you are all referring to. Am I crazy? Curious how many folks take theirs off as I'm not wild about the look of it. If it is windy and cold, I plan on driving from the main helm down below. I'm on a 34' GHB. Thanks for your info and your patience!

Cheers
Ian

I would not remove it. You may not be interested in it but what about the next owner. They actually work well. I think it will have a negative impact on the resale value. BTW, welcome aboard.

 

[jgwinks]

If you want to DIY Home Depot has 1/4" (actually .22") acrylic 4x8 sheets for $279. Clear only but if you want tint you could add that with window tint film.
A few years back I replaced the 1/4" acrylic windows in the sailboat. Instead of drilling the screw holes and risk cracking the material I used a fine tipped soldering iron to melt them through followed by a light touch with a countersink bit. It took longer but I had no cracks.
I've seen a few boats that I think came with a venturi but didn't have one, I would assume they got broken and the owners didn't bother to replace them. Doesn't look bad but if a prospective buyer knows there should be one it might affect the sale price. Might get them wondering what else you didn't fix.

 

[SIBERNUT]

You could google "Total Plastics Inc" see if one near you