Crestliner windshield Smashed...HELP
 

As I always feared.. my port side glass got taken out this weekend. And within a few calls, it seems I can only buy both port and starboard windshields together. I have a 2014 Crestliner Superhawk 1750, Does anyone have a similar issue and want to split the $1276 + shipping and take the starboard side?? Im not sure the compatability with other models. Or better yet, anyone have another solution that may not be such a sting in the pocketbook?? Maybe someone on here has been through the search process and knows what my best steps are. Thanks

2 years
 

That's how long it took me to find a portside windshield for my Lund. TaylorMade dual curve tinted. I advertised everywhere, searched everywhere. Finally Barry Jay's came to the rescue and had the piece I needed (so I saved half the cost) but a 10 hour return trip was involved. I installed it myself; comes with the frame and gaskets.

Now I have a canvas cover fitted to the glass for transportation home. I never cover the boat for the homeward journey but the glass is well protected.

Free

Well thats the process I wasnt hoping to hear. Heheh. I dont even mind running the boat like this except the bimini cant install and the travel/storage cover doesnt fit well obviously. I also try not to trailer the boat with the cover (which proved costly), But my last travel cover got destroyed trailering, so sounds like the glass guard is the way to go. What brand is the one you found where did you find it? And is it custom fit? or standard for full windshield?

I feel your pain. About three weeks ago I was taking the wife fishing. Dropped the kids at my moms and then headed for sylvan. This involved about 2km of gravel. I didn’t have the cover on the boat. Looked back and saw glass falling off the side onto the road. Looked up and saw this.

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I cleaned all the glass up and put the boat in the lake. The wife out fished me as per usual, not in numbers as we caught a ton of walleye but she managed to land this old girl at 16lbs

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I started looking for glass when I got home. Long story short Taylor made was close to $2k plus shipping and duty from the states and 10+ weeks. Two Alberta dealerships said they couldn’t find one. Virden recreation in Manitoba could get me one for $1600 plus shipping and 10+ weeks.

I thought about putting it through insurance but didn’t/don’t want to.

In the end I went to Home Depot and bought a 3’x3’ piece of Lexan that says it’s good for 10 years with no hazing for $153. Took it home and traced the other window with a piece of wrapping paper. Transferred it to my lexan and cut it with a grinder. Test fit and trimmed it a few times then installed her.
All up it took me about 2 hours. The lexan made the bend without issue, no heat required. It’s as sturdy as my other windshield and so far there are no scratches and it’s as clear as the day I installed it.

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Now I travel with the snap on cover. It sucks putting it on and taking it off but it’ll save the other two pieces of my windshield.
This winter I might build a plastic cover that snaps top and bottom over the glass. I just have to find the right plastic. So far all I’ve seen is corogated stuff for patios. If I can build that it’ll be quick and easy to protect the windshield without spending 10 min putting a cover on the boat.

Try UPD plastics they can manufacture OEM spec windshields for 100's of different boats.

That's a great job with the Lexan! Nicely done.

For a temporary cover, maybe one of those windshield frost/snow protectors would work? I picked one up cheap at Costco a couple of winters ago (I think the brand was Frost Shield).

Lexan, as indicated above. Seen this done a few times and it is tuff too!
Go back to glass and you might be in the same boat again with a broken window.

I have a curved 1/3rd windshield here, if there is any chance it would work for you I can send you pics and measurements? It is new never installed.

Great job with the Lexan on your Lund!!! That looks mint at a fraction of the cost hey. I did use UPD Plastics once already like an above poster mentioned. They are out of Florida somewhere. In the end I was very happy with the quality of the product they supplied me. It was as good as OEM, in fact better. In my case I was able to order a thicker guage windshield and in a dark smoke colour, they had like 3 different tints I could choose, but that was back a few years ago when the cost was still kinda reasonable by today’s standards.

Windshield
 

I just order for upd plastic the bubble window was 138 and they charged me 98 dollars to ship its a good thing I needed it!

I made it myself (with a little help from an upholsterer who sewed the hems)from a piece of canvas tent that never saw the light of day for 25 years. It fits perfectly and snaps on with dome fasteners, most of which serve to hold the sun top in place. Not to put too fine a point on it but $1200.00 is closer to the values that I had quoted from Lund dealers. Taylor Made does not sell retail.

Try these guys in Quebec,

Veralex

20 Boulet St.
Princeville, (Quebec) CANADA G6L 4M1
T 819 364-3419
F 819 364-3628
Toll Free 1 855 364-3419
Email veralex@prelco.ca

Wow!! That Lexan worked out really well and looks great. I didn't really examine the frame yet, was it hard to take apart and get the glass remnants out and fit the new sheet of lexan in? What thickness Lexan did you buy and how much was it approx? Did you just use a zip disc in your grinder? Sorry for all the questions, but sounds like ( and looks) like the way you did this was very successful. Any other HOT tips for me before i get this underway? So it sounds like a good option for me as I dont mind messing with it to save a pile of money.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Brilliant job CoilOil37, have always worried about that happening, and here you make it look like nothing to fix it, great stuff, btw you never needed to heat the lexan at all? that's awesome

Id certainly entertain the idea if it was the correct size. Thanks

Two screws on the frame to remove the top section. I used one hand to pull the rubber out and a flat screwdriver to separate the rubber from the frame where they had glued it. Vacuum up all the glass and your ready to install the lexan.
I used a cutting disk on the grinder. I used wrapping paper on the other window and left it a little big then transferred it to the lexan. Once cut I tried to install it in the bottom section of the frame then trimmed all the oversized lexan from the left side and top until the top section of the frame would fit on. Then I peeled the plastic off each side of the lexan and did the final install. All up I probably had to do three dummy installs before it was trimmed correctly.

I used the thickest lexan Home Depot had. It was probably 2/3 or 3/4 the thickness of the original glass. It made the curve without issue, if I could of found lexan as thick as the glass I think it would of made the bend as well but that’s speculation. The lexan was $150. Besides the wait and hassle of getting new glass through insurance, the other deciding factor was I won’t have to worry about breaking this again. IF it scratches or if I break the other side I can pull this one out, trace it onto another piece of lexan, cut and install it in less then half an hour. Now that I’ve got the correctly sized window it’ll be very easy to replicate.


My factory cover was fubar from the sun which is why I never trailered with it. After I broke the glass I used a universal boat cover from Cabela’s I had bought for $99 on sale. I put the factory cover on the boat and put the Cabela’s cover over top. Pinned the new cover to the old, added some pleats to stay tight to the windshield and then sewed the two together around the bottom. I then trimmed off all the excess around the bottom and installed new snaps plus the vents. It fits as tight as the old cover and the material is tough. I put a hole in an off cut and couldn’t rip it by hand. Now the cover is double thickness and a little heavier but it’s tight and doesn’t flap in the wind. That took me about 4-5 hours but was a whole lot cheaper then buying a new travel cover.
If and when I do it again I’ll separate the two pieces by ripping the stitching, transfer the pattern onto a new universal cover, wrap the bottom edge around a 1” piece of webbing and sew them together then install new snaps. That way it’ll be single ply and lighter.

Sounds awesome man. I really appreciate the tips from your experience. I threw out a couple emails to plastics companies in the area to see if they may have any scraps or a better price than H.D. They also have a Lexan that is UV treated which seems like a good option if the price works. Not sure if the H.D. product had that or not. I'll head over there later and have a snoop.

Yea HD has that lexan. UV treats and 10 years haze free. Good luck.

Coiloil37 great retro-fit job. Looks awesome in the picture. Thanks for sharing your process as well.

Just out of curiosity, we you guys running pick-ups without mudflaps in the back?

I was dragging it with my Jeep and it’s got mud flaps.

Yup nice job buddy. Nothing like saving a few bucks and the satisfaction of making something good out of an aggravating situation.

I was pulling with a F150 truck without mud flaps, but I have a rock guard on the front of the trailer. (That apparently isn't a sure bet). Obviously got the high lob over the guard.

I found a plastics place that can supply 3/16" lexan for $15 a square foot. ... sounds much better than the glass quote. So i"ll probably grab that unless the plastics pro recommends otherwise. I think that thickness should make the bend, I'll try before I buy. Do you know the thickness of the product you bought? Because the only lexan that I saw at home depot is 3/32" .093" which I thought seemed to be thin. Good for the bending though I suppose.

So just to quiz ya a bit more on the initial layout.... You traced the starboard side just inside the frame and added on to that? Roughly how much extra did you allow? I'm also going to measure how deep it seats into the frame, but yours turned out great, so thought I'd ask your technique.

Lexan is great but.....
It scratches so easy, do not wipe it off, not ever, or soon you wont ever see out of it again. We have tried putting these in our track hoes. work great for a very short time then they are scratched up. On a boat I can see them lasting better, but like I say don't wipe them off with a cloth.

I taped the paper over the window and used a knife to trim around the frame where i thought the edge of the glass was. I cut the lexan a little big the first time and trimmed it down after I could slide it into the frame.
For as easy as the install and removal of the glass is, you could remove the other side from the frame and use it for a template. It would probably take less time then the way I did it.

That’s my biggest concern. I know plexiglass scratches easy but I haven’t got any long term experience with lexan. The only advantage on a boat is I don’t ever touch the glass anyway. When I wash it it’s at the car wash and I just blast it off, I’ve never felt the urge to rag wash it. Some window tint over top would probably protect it. I know when I drove a bike they made a clear film to protect the visor. Possibly they make something similar that’s big enough for a windshield. My replacement windshield was the best part of $2k so I could replace this every year for 15 years before I spend two grand on lexan. Time will tell I guess. I like saving a buck but if it starts looking bad I’ll be finding a solution because a scratched window would drive me nuts.

Great job. I have sheets of lexan at work. I cut them out with a laser engraver. Great option rather than paying huge money for custom glass.

Does anyone know where I can get the black trim piece that is under the bottom of the window

Well the process is complete... and with great success I might add. I got a sheet of 3/16"polycarbonate from Plastic works Inc. in Calgary. Worked with the owner John to get me the right rough size cut, and then heat formed to make the project with the heavier plastic easier to fit into frame. Took It home and cut with jigsaw( super easy)and fought a bit to get into frame with the gasket. But me and 10 year old son managed. It turned out just as good as the initial glass ( except my pathetic silicon skills). All for under $ 200. The rigidity of the plastic is not quite as strong, but more than adequate to save money. I feel only a slight bit of movement when leaning heavy pressure on the frame going through the walkthrough. A great option and I truly appreciate the idea and all the steps that were laid out for me . Thanks! I have pics but am struggling to put them on, so I gave up. Would love to show how well it turned out but that's ok. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this option. I also recommend John and his company Plastic Works Inc. for helping me more than just selling me a stock sheet of plastic.

Nice to here you got er done.

Sounds like a great job!! Just keep on mind to keep it covered when trailering to minimize bug splatters and sand/rock damage...it obviously wont break....but it will scratch and get scaring. Also make sure you follow the cleaning recommendations from the supplier. I have seen many home made windows from various non-glass materials become very obscured due to people using the wrong products or abrasives. In the end though I am sure your story will inspire and help others! Thanks for keep us updated!