420 / 44 sundancer front strata glass

[1000islander]

Doe anyone know where I could get the 5 panels of strata glass for a 05 420 Sundancer. I know Great Lakes does the sport Cruiser line. They do not do the larger boats. Who does? I have had a custom canvas shop do the front glass but it is not nearly as good as the original. All the 420's and 44's look great from the factory. They are almost perfect. Nice and tight without wrinkles. The ones that have been replaced by canvas shops are loose with wrinkles, I have looked at least 20 different jobs and none of them look as good as the factory. If anyone knows who does the original let me know please.

 

[CAMELLA]

I believe Gioia Sails South did them. http://www.gioiasailssouth.com

 

[1000islander]

Doe anyone know where I could get the 5 panels of strata glass for a 05 420 Sundancer. I know Great Lakes does the sport Cruiser line. They do not do the larger boats. Who does? I have had a custom canvas shop do the front glass but it is not nearly as good as the original. All the 420's and 44's look great from the factory. They are almost perfect. Nice and tight without wrinkles. The ones that have been replaced by canvas shops are loose with wrinkles, I have looked at least 20 different jobs and none of them look as good as the factory. If anyone knows who does the original let me know please.

I checked with Gioa and they did not make them. It looks like my boat was made in Merritt Island and Searay did their own canvas work. Merritt is closed and the patterns are gone too.....

 

[Robski97]

Any good canvas shop can make this . There are two ways to do it . first is to cut out ur old glass and sew in the new. I prefer all new. So the canvas and glass is new . The Glass searay uses is crap.

Go with like Mikrolon or something close to it . U want the hard perfect optical stuff.

Rob

 

[fwebster]

You should read post #1 in this thread before buying polycarbonate (Makrolon) clear panels for any boat.


http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/36062-Heads-Up-Markolon-Problems

 

[1000islander]

Ok here is what I have discovered......As I said in an earlier post Merritt Island plant is closed and the patterns were tossed. BUT the originator of the patterns appears to be Boatswains locker in FL, (www.boatswains-locker.com ). Unfourunitly they do not have the patterns, however they did make the first panels when the hardtop option became standard.( which includes my year). I spoke to a very helpful person at Boatswain, she happens to be one of the owners of the company. She said that they have seen many times what I am talking about with the poor fit of the front panels. Appearantly when the patterns are made by the local canvas companies they are not taking into account the radius of the Windsheild, or at least not pattering it coreectly. I think the trick to getting the panels to fit like the factory is to measure/pattern the panels from the inside of the radius on the winshield not the outside as has been done twice on my boat. By patering the inside radius the panels can then be formed around the outside making them very snug. Byusing the out side as the pattern it makes the panel too large causing bags and stress wrinkles at the snaps. Boatwain has offered to come up to my boat and make a new set of patterns, they will be travel up to the northeast on family business and said they would be happy to include the 1000 islands one of their stops. I know this seem a bit extream, but I am a fanatic at getting the panels to look as good as they did when they were new! It will also benefit Boatswains because they will now have an original 420/44 set of patterns.