Replacing Glass in Screen hatch ( I thought I'd been shot )

[Geoff Cooper]

I was just leaving the Marina exit so still doing about 5 mph and i heard a loud crack and glass went everywhere, I thought i'd been shot but soon realized that the center walk through hatch had shattered for no apparent reason, That put a stop to the days fishing so nobody move just stay where you are and we returned to the slipway to take the Boat out of the water, ok, Passengers disembark from the sides of the boat thus keeping any glass in the Cabin area and not spreading it to the swim platform, I hate leaving jobs unfinished i cant stop thinking about them until there done so i had to get it sorted, Again a step by step account of how i did the job remember this is not carved in stone you may have done it different maybe have better ideas, There's a few Tips on the way which may stand you in good stead, I'm a firm believer in prevention is better than cure, Ok enough talking lets get on with it.



Remove top and bottom screws on right hand side of hinge retaining strip this screws to passenger windscreen side of the frame
Remove the other 2 screws in the same position on the inside of this strip in the cabin area


Remove the top 2 screws on the Passenger windscreen stabilizing post this is connected to that same hinge retaining strip, I've put 2 Pictures of this so you can make it out easy

You can see the windscreen stabilizing post above the door rubber next to the side of the plastic glove box.

While your looking at these Pictures cast your eye on the upholstery i will leave you a little tip at the end that may help you.



Tip number 1...About every 6 months i take these screws out of the windscreen surround one at a time and put a small amount of grease on them it only takes 10 minutes and saves a lot of trouble if this happens, As you can see mine came out very easy, This has happened to me before on another boat years ago and the screws were seized solid and sheared off then i had big problems,

The hatch should now be free so gently ease it away from the passenger windscreen and remove it.
I cleaned all the remainder of the broken glass from the hatch surround and 7 am the next day off i went to my local glazier to get the job sorted.



Ok 7 am and he's open for business, My glass specification code is Dot 241 that's all he needs to know to sort the job out, I leave the frame with him he tells me it will be ready for 10 am, That's what i call service, This guy will even build you a new screen surround if needed, That gives me 3 hours to clean up.


Tip 2 You should find your Glass spec code on the bottom right hand side of your windscreen drivers side, Near your right hand, The lights gave to much reflection to get a good Photo but you can just make out DOT 241 below the manufacturers name at the bottom.



Start the Clean up process while I'm waiting for the screen to get sorted, Work from the back of the Cabin forward so your not treading on the glass
After clearing all the broken glass you can see with the Brush and vacuum remove the carpets over the side of the Boat keep them well away from the swim platform, Then Vacuum again all through the Cabin area.



Dispose of the remains

Ok all cleaned and Floor washed, Time to go and see the main man and see if he's done my hatch



He's not let me down i got there about 9.45 am and it was finished looking good correct spec, Notice my hatch in one hand and the invoice in the other hand, The hand with the Invoice was bandaged i was worried it was so expensive it burned him when he made it out, I was frightened to look at it, Hey no fly's on him.



Ok 300 Thai Baht with the exchange rate about $9, I think we can stand that, Gave him 50 baht tip he's happy I'm happy we both had a smile on our faces lets put it back together.


Clean all surfaces


Remove the rubber seal from the door hinge and clean it inside and out and fit it to the passenger window i sprayed a little glass cleaner on the inside of it so it's easier to position in the right place.



Ok fit the door onto the rubber and put the door in the closed position this makes it easier to handle, You can now line everything up correctly and use your fingers to make sure the rubber sits in the right place well, Make sure the holes are lined up so we can now put the screws back in.



As i suggested before a slight amount of grease on the screw makes a hell of a difference, Ok start putting the screws back in the front and back of the hinge panel top and bottom and don't forget the 2 screws on the windscreen support post.


He fitted new Bump stop rubbers so you may need to trim these accordingly so when the door is all fitted back together open it fully and see if the door securing strap fits at the bottom of the door when it's fully open if not trim them back slightly a little at a time and keep trying the strap until you get a nice secure fit.


Beat the Carpets and then scrub them, Remember people will be walking on them with bare feet and we don't want any accidents it could spoil your day, Ok put tools away let Carpets dry refit them and give yourself a pat on the back, Job well done and not spent a million dollars in the process. Good Luck.



Oh i nearly forgot the Tip about the upholstery my Boat is nearly 10 years old now and i do take very good care of it the upholstery is all original, I use it a lot as the conditions here are perfect, I've been out more than 70 times this year so far and it's only just October, Ok this is what i do.
When i have cleaned my Boat inside i put about half a cup full of bleach and dilute it with warm water in a bowl and i wipe all the interior down with it, I don't wipe it off with another cloth i leave it and especially if the Boat is not used so much it stops any mold from attacking the upholstery and keeps it looking good,
Oh a big thanks for the support i received for the previous posts i wrote, I really didn't think anyone would be interested but i must admit i was very surprised, Good Luck.

 

[whaler7626]

@Geoff Cooper What a story! Glad you got it all fixed nice though!

 

[Geoff Cooper]

@Geoff Cooper What a story! Glad you got it all fixed nice though!

Thanks for that

 

[Zarrella]

Nice write up....You are very through!!!

 

[Bruce]

Great write up! Thank you!

 

[Geoff Cooper]

T

Great write up! Thank you!

Thanks for that i try to do the best job possible.

 

[Wayloncle]

Do you know what caused it to shatter?
Forgive me if I missed it in the post.

 

[Scottintexas]

$9. !!!!! I think I might just go out a break one to buy another if it's only $9,

also would be curious to know what made it shatter, mine has caught the wind a time or two and really slammed to the closed position,

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Do you know what caused it to shatter?
Forgive me if I missed it in the post.

No you never missed it like i said it went for no apparent reason only doing about 5 mph and i check mounting screws after and all was ok so a mystery I'm afraid, hope you liked it. check out my media Photos from Thailand let me know what you think, Good Luck

 

[Geoff Cooper]

$9. !!!!! I think I might just go out a break one to buy another if it's only $9,

also would be curious to know what made it shatter, mine has caught the wind a time or two and really slammed to the closed position,

I have no idea i would like to know also, Did you check my media i managed to sort the problem out, Bruce suggested i use Google and it worked first time.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Do you know what caused it to shatter?
Forgive me if I missed it in the post.

Never found out just one of those thing's I'm afraid

 

[BigN8]

We forgot to snap the center window secure when it was open one time on a very windy day. Turned the boat West into a South wind and WHAM! That damn window slammed shut so hard it bent the bottom rail of the frame and chipped the fiberglass where is closes. Crazy thing is, the window never broke, not even a crack. I carefully bent the frame back and you can't tell the difference. Crazy.

 

[Julian]

@BigN8 we had the same thing happen with our window once....SLAM....and I was just expecting it to shatter as I saw it coming....but nothing! @Geoff Cooper - Nice write up....I wonder - have you ever had the window slam when caught by the wind? Possible it had a tiny crack that slowly spread and then gave way? $9 dollars....would cost most of us that much to drive to and from the glass store! LOL

 

[Geoff Cooper]

@BigN8 we had the same thing happen with our window once....SLAM....and I was just expecting it to shatter as I saw it coming....but nothing! @Geoff Cooper - Nice write up....I wonder - have you ever had the window slam when caught by the wind? Possible it had a tiny crack that slowly spread and then gave way? $9 dollars....would cost most of us that much to drive to and from the glass store! LOL

I had a Glastron 156 in the late 70s when i was in England and that door slammed and shattered, I had a nightmare of a job replacing the Glass as the guy that had owned it before me hadn't greased the securing screws and the majority of screws sheared off, I had to re drill the holes and replace all the screws as it was impossible to remove the old screws and it left the remains visible so i re painted it and it was good after that, Hence the reason i have always removed the securing screws around the screen aperture about twice a year just to put a s very small amount of grease on the screws so to prevent the same problem again, Sorry for the late reply there's a 12 hour time difference between Thailand and America I'm just having breakfast on the 8th.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

We forgot to snap the center window secure when it was open one time on a very windy day. Turned the boat West into a South wind and WHAM! That damn window slammed shut so hard it bent the bottom rail of the frame and chipped the fiberglass where is closes. Crazy thing is, the window never broke, not even a crack. I carefully bent the frame back and you can't tell the difference. Crazy.

I did that on a Glastron 156 in the late 70s and had a nightmare of a job replacing the Glass because the previous owner hadn't greased the securing screws. Good Luck

 

[Gym]

Nice write up @Geoff Cooper. I also appreciated the tips you included. What would it take to get your glazier to smile? He probably was wondering why you were smiling so much when he handed you a $9 invoice.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Nice write up @Geoff Cooper. I also appreciated the tips you included. What would it take to get your glazier to smile? He probably was wondering why you were smiling so much when he handed you a $9 invoice.

Ah but what i didn't tell you was i put the Door into the back of the Jeep before i opened the invoice then i smiled, I knew that with his bandaged hand he wouldn't be able to lift it out again so if the invoice was to expensive the scales of financial bargaining were tipped in my favor, Many years ago when i was an apprentice engineer my old boss once said to me Son an ounce of thought to a pound of thrust It always works and i have never forgotten it, I always study the job and work out the options before i tackle any job, If man built it man can fix it, Many thanks for the compliment, Good Luck.

 

[Big Shasta]

Nice job on the write up....that's some serious cheap glass work, I expected a huge bill.

As for cleaning the interior, I had always heard that you should never use bleach on the vinyl because it soaks into the threads at the seams and deteriorates the threads. Maybe it's a myth.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Nice job on the write up....that's some serious cheap glass work, I expected a huge bill.

As for cleaning the interior, I had always heard that you should never use bleach on the vinyl because it soaks into the threads at the seams and deteriorates the threads. Maybe it's a myth.

Thanks ken for your thoughts and yes the Glasswork was cheap but i suppose it all reflects on the the cost of living and as the minimum daily wage here is approximately $10 then it may seem cheap to us but not cheap to Thai people, As for your comment on Bleach i only use half a cup full and dilute it in a Bowl of water and you can judge the results for yourself, You don't soak the seats just wet a cloth and squeeze it out and just wipe over the interior with a the damp cloth, I live alone and do all my own laundry and i always use a small amount in the washing machine when washing white clothes so i have never found that problem but as i said in the post nothings carved in stone, I appreciate your comments, Good Luck.

The Boats 10 years old now but as you can see it's not bad

 

[Big Shasta]

Thanks ken for your thoughts and yes the Glasswork was cheap but i suppose it all reflects on the the cost of living and as the minimum daily wage here is approximately $10 then it may seem cheap to us but not cheap to Thai people, As for your comment on Bleach i only use half a cup full and dilute it in a Bowl of water and you can judge the results for yourself, You don't soak the seats just wet a cloth and squeeze it out and just wipe over the interior with a the damp cloth, I live alone and do all my own laundry and i always use a small amount in the washing machine when washing white clothes so i have never found that problem but as i said in the post nothings carved in stone, I appreciate your comments, Good Luck.

The Boats 10 years old now but as you can see it's not bad

Very True. The results speak for themselves. I have used it in the laundry too but in the boat I had always heard it's bad because it isn't getting rinsed out of the threads like it would in the washer. I suppose you have found the safe dilution ratio and that's the difference. I believe people would normally put it on much heavier thinking it would help. More is not always better.