Companionway hatch windows-what are we using?

[Alaris]

Do I try to polish these or replace them? This companionway will face south and so I’d like them to be UV resistant while still letting in a lot of light. Lexan? The woodwork to replace them is not a concern.

Note: I am living aboard and would like a view. Not interested in solid or dark options.

 

[Vieux Port]

Cast Acrylic. Lexan yellows. Or consider tempered glass.

 

[Son of Hans]

Should polish up OK. I used Flitz on mine with decent results. Can be a lot of work depending on how far gone they are.

 

[gkny]

if you polish them and are worried about them hazing, there is film material that is used to tint car headlamp lenses. Practical sailor reviewed this kind of film

 

[Howler]

I've had good luck polishing scratched-up acrylic (Plexiglas) with 3M's Finesse-it II, which is an ultra-fine rubbing compound. Fair bit of time leaning over with a rotary buffer, though; you might be better off replacing.

 

[Marcjsmith]

worst part is going to be trying to polish them up with out being able to get inthe corners near the wood.

 

[slug zitski]

worst part is going to be trying to polish them up with out being able to get inthe corners near the wood.

Yah…tough job

I don’t like plastic companionway slides …they always get beat up , are heavy , and hard to maintain

 

[SloopJonB]

Is the plexi crazed internally? Every hatch lens I ever had that was that clouded was toast from internal crazing.

 

[DriftingWithoutGrifting]

I would go with Lexan.
I am certainly not a material scientist or necessarily update to date with what is best and fancy for modern/expensive boats, but lexan has been around for a while. It does require things like the wife/girlfriend not cleaning it with 'windex' from the house but it is solid. Your wood frames will probably cave in before the windows. And stay crystal clear.

 

[yoyo]

A bit from hatchmasters on material preference https://hatchmasters.com/acrylic-vs-polycarbonate/

If replacing, you might consider going with a light tint (grey or bronze). It lets in plenty of light and you can easily see out. The tint blocks out some of the solar energy.

 

[Grrr...]

I would go with Lexan.
I am certainly not a material scientist or necessarily update to date with what is best and fancy for modern/expensive boats, but lexan has been around for a while. It does require things like the wife/girlfriend not cleaning it with 'windex' from the house but it is solid. Your wood frames will probably cave in before the windows. And stay crystal clear.

Lexan is polycarbonate and scratches very easily. Acrylic does not scratch as easily and is what most professional shops recommend.

 

[Bump-n-Grind]

Do I try to polish these or replace them? This companionway will face south and so I’d like them to be UV resistant while still letting in a lot of light. Lexan? The woodwork to replace them is not a concern.

Note: I am living aboard and would like a view. Not interested in solid or dark options.

View attachment 566883 View attachment 566885

I'm gonna try out what this dude did on his headlights on my companionway board. It's a solid piece of plastic with some teak strengtheners bolted across it.. has about the same transparency as yours does.... this couldn't possible make it any worse than it is right now....

 

[Will1073]

We made a set of cabin doors (removable hinges) and had tempered tinted glass panes made by a local glass shop. They’ve aged well and the glass panes make revarnishing a little less taxing because any splatter leaks past the tape can be easily razor bladed off.

If I were making a set of drop boards with windows, and I wasn’t using tempered glass, I would construct them in such a way that the acrylic is easy to remove for replacement and to facilitate varnishing

 

[Howler]

I would go with Lexan.
I am certainly not a material scientist or necessarily update to date with what is best and fancy for modern/expensive boats, but lexan has been around for a while. It does require things like the wife/girlfriend not cleaning it with 'windex' from the house but it is solid. Your wood frames will probably cave in before the windows. And stay crystal clear.

I would recommend reading the article posted by yoyo. You can get in trouble doing a drop-in replacement of a polycarbonate ("Lexan") panel in a hatch that was designed for acrylic. Flex characteristics of the two materials are different, and you can pop the panel out of its frame. Which is unlikely to happen in your harbor at noon on a warm, calm, sunny day.

 

[SloopJonB]

I've read a lot of comparisons of acrylic and Lexan and it seems clear that the consensus of industry and other knowledgeable people is that Lexan is the wrong choice for boat windows. Scratches easily and is susceptible to UV degradation.

I think its rep of being bulletproof is behind a lot of the support for it.

There's a reason why hatch manufacturers don't use it and it isn't the cost.

 

[El Crap]

You want outdoor rated acrylic. McMaster Carr carries it although you probably can find cheaper sources.

 

[Diamond Jim]

Why not tempered glass or laminated ‘safety’ glass?
They won’t scratch or craze as acrylic or polycarbonate will.

 

[DDW]

I'd use surface hardened polycarbonate if replacing those. It will outlast acrylic.

But if I was living aboard like you are, I'd bin those immediately and replace with swinging companionway doors. Drop boards are an extreme PITA if you spend a lot of time aboard. I don't know what the rest of your companionway looks like, but it is often possible to keep the drop board channels and mount removable swinging door inside of them. Then if you really feel the need (for security or weather) you can remove the swinging and install the drop. Thats how I designed mine.

 

[slug zitski]

I'd use surface hardened polycarbonate if replacing those. It will outlast acrylic.

But if I was living aboard like you are, I'd bin those immediately and replace with swinging companionway doors. Drop boards are an extreme PITA if you spend a lot of time aboard. I don't know what the rest of your companionway looks like, but it is often possible to keep the drop board channels and mount removable swinging door inside of them. Then if you really feel the need (for security or weather) you can remove the swinging and install the drop. Thats how I designed mine.

Hinged doors work on some boats but can be hard to live with

the one I’ve sailed with had pull up hinge pins and were removable when sailing

as for slides , normally a boat has two sets..one offshore, waterproof then a set of screen sliders for summer use

 

[Alaris]

I do have screen slides.

This whole question is informing the design and build of companionway doors. They will be on removable hinges.