Age Old Quesiton: EZ2CY Vs Strataglass

[Hampton]

Time to start replacing more panels. I actually cracked a roll up the other day. The L and R front panels can be solid, but need to flex 90 degrees in about 4 ft of panel length. I never, ever take them out. The side ones definitely need to open up but could possibly be lifted and snapped to the hard top.

Anyone regret EZ2CY yet?

 

[dpmulvey]

I've often wondered if it is possible to mount tempered glass in a frame that you could mount on a hinge that could swing up to the overhead.

 

[fwebster]

EZ2CY is only sold thru franchised dealers and the nearest one was 90 miles away the last time I asked about it. That make it prohibitively expensive and almost impossible to get a decent fit unless you take your boat to Pensacola and leave it a while. I tried Makrolon (sold by The Recovery Room) with unacceptable results. It isn't warrantied for recreational use or in thicknesses less than .125". Look for my post on Makrolon Heads Up here on CSR.

That leaves us with Strataglass which can handle the radius without a problem, has a scratch resistant and a UV coating and will give you a reasonable life if you use IMAR products for cleaning and polishing. In fact, you can replace the Strataglass 4-5 time for the cost of EZ2CY………but a full enclosure of EZ2CY is beautiful. It is just unfortunate that we live in no-man's land for their dealer network.

 

[tc410]

My boat is a 2005. I just replaced the original EZ2CY bridge enclosure last winter - and more out of preference than necessity. I would say 8 years is great for any enclosure. Only one panel had some cracks in it and that was on the tight radius of an aft outboard curve. I recommend it, but due to licensing restrictions and lack of local EZ2CY installers, my new enclosure is supposedly the same product without the EZ2CY label. I can't tell the difference. And I highly recommend it.

 

[Converse48]

John-

You may recall that I had that same boat and I had an EZ2CY enclosure made for it. Especially on the configuration of your boat, the radiuses on the corners (both fore and aft) scream EZ2CY. Strata will never look as good. Also with your arch, there are some very logical places to put snaps to lift the panels out of the way when you want some air.

That said... EZ2CY is WAAAAAAY more expensive; as Frank said you could replace strata several times for what you pay for EZ2CY. Also, EZ2CY is prone to "catastrophic failure". I was caught with the panels open during a 70MPH thunderstorm and in the process of trying to close them, one of them was violently sucked outward and shattered. Not like a car window shattering, but splintering into a thousand pieces. That was a cool $1,000. Yes, $1,000 for one panel. So the product has its pros and cons.

It does look really good though.

 

[Searaybio270]

[my new enclosure is supposedly the same product without the EZ2CY label. I can't tell the difference. And I highly recommend it.[/QUOTE]

Jeff,
What is the product? Name and who handles it. Sounds like it might be a good alternative.
Joe

 

[fwebster]

You guys might want to read this:

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/36062-Heads-Up-Markolon-Problems?highlight=heads+up


Pay particular attention to the warranty discussion……it doesn't matter what your installer says, the manufacturer will not warrant this product for recreational use and for thicknesses less than .125".

 

[tc410]

Jeff,
What is the product? Name and who handles it. Sounds like it might be a good alternative.
Joe

Joe, it is a product called ACRYLITE Resist 45 made by Evonik. It was offered as an EZ2CY alternative by my local canvas shop. Can't attest to the warranty concerns that Frank raises other than to say that per the companies website, they seem to warranty it in any use (i.e.: no excluded uses noted on the warranty definition). Also it is important to remember that whoever assembles the panels for you does NOT stitch them into the canvas frames. This perforation will cause the plastic to fail prematurely with age or heavy winds.

 

[endless seas]

Going on eight seasons with strata glass and used only Imar products. Side panels are still great but fronts are a little hazy.
Not bad and easy to maintain.

 

[Rocket]

I had 3 seasons on my EZ2CY panels for the 420DA. No Issues in regards to cracking. Clarity was better than looking through the taylor clear curve glass. We had some minor scratches from some aggessive cleaning by my marina. Used the EZ2CY polish and buffed them right out. Great product if you can get support. Our dealer is local on Long Island and his work was excellent.