270 SD windshield mis alignment

[The machine]

Hi all. I have looked as far back as I can and cannot see anything about a misalignment between the split windshields on a 270 Sundecker. The misalignment shows up when you close the pass through window. It sits about an inch low on the starbord side( the non-hinged side). I have seen this problem on other bow riders. Does anybody know the proceedure to realign the windshields? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Funny you mention that. I had a bowrider in the 90's that happened to. I figured the only thing that could have caused that was a shifting of the entire hull from having sat on an uneven trailer (as in...the weight distribution of the boat on the trailer was not even).

I adjusted the rollers on the "low side" of the boat upwards about a half inch along that entire side. Over the period of a year or so the misalignment corrected itself.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Yeah, boat hulls flex - what you're experiencing is more normal than you know.

Alright... ready for the complicated fix? Here goes...

-- Brace one foot against the starboard side of the boat. Put both hands on the top, inside corner of the port-side windshield. Push. Don't push down or up on the windshield - push straight. You didn't push hard enough - push harder. Repeat for the stbd-side windshield.

This may last for a month, it may last the season, it may last a few seasons. Repeat when needed.

 

[Woody]

Yeah, boat hulls flex - what you're experiencing is more normal than you know.

Alright... ready for the complicated fix? Here goes...

-- Brace one foot against the starboard side of the boat. Put both hands on the top, inside corner of the port-side windshield. Push. Don't push down or up on the windshield - push straight. You didn't push hard enough - push harder. Repeat for the stbd-side windshield.

This may last for a month, it may last the season, it may last a few seasons. Repeat when needed.

What is it that this 'fix' is fixing?

 

[The machine]

Yeah, boat hulls flex - what you're experiencing is more normal than you know.

Alright... ready for the complicated fix? Here goes...

-- Brace one foot against the starboard side of the boat. Put both hands on the top, inside corner of the port-side windshield. Push. Don't push down or up on the windshield - push straight. You didn't push hard enough - push harder. Repeat for the stbd-side windshield.

This may last for a month, it may last the season, it may last a few seasons. Repeat when needed.

Let me try to understand this. Should I push where the front winshield blends into the side window, or should I be pushing at the top of the hinged part of the windshield at the pass through?

 

[Lazy Daze]

What is it that this 'fix' is fixing?

The hull flexes - but you're not going to push that back into shape. However, the windshield also tends to move. That you can move back - there's just no guarantees as far as how long it will last - but it's about a 60 second fix. Well... "fix" is a term I'm using loosely!

 

[Lazy Daze]

Let me try to understand this. Should I push where the front winshield blends into the side window, or should I be pushing at the top of the hinged part of the windshield at the pass through?

You can do both. Usually just from the top of the hinge (and the other side) is good enough. I know it sounds weird. But I've done it more times than I can remember. Believe me - it looks even weirder to watch someone doing this!

 

[Woody]

I did have some misalignment on my 280DA once. What I found was a few windshield mount screws on the port side of the walkthru opening had loosened. When I tightened them down it lined right back up.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I did have some misalignment on my 280DA once. What I found was a few windshield mount screws on the port side of the walkthru opening had loosened. When I tightened them down it lined right back up.

Good point - that's easy enough to check. That tends to be more the "exception" than the "rule" when it comes to that center windshield, but it's certainly worth a look.

 

[Woody]

When I had my 270SD I was using the boat in a way I don't think it was intended, it was in some rough conditions many times and extreme bad conditions once. I used to have some of the windshield frame screws and bimni mount screws work loose. I never thought about how the windshield itself was mounted so never checked those. I never had any alignment issue like the op described but I wonder now if other loose windshield screws were a contributor to the ones I did find and tighten.