Replacement Venturi wind screen

[hibanx]

I am looking for a source for a replacement section for the veturi wind screen on the fly bridge of a 1979 43C. Couldnt find it in Sams online catalog. Are these available or will it have to be custom made? Of course its the curved section, not just a flat piece.

[SKYCHENEY]

Sam's online parts are just a fraction of what they actually stock. Call them. If they don't have what you need, they will tell you where to get it.

[hibanx]

No luck at at Sam's. Has anyone here found someone to fabricate a replacement inexpensively? Or better yet know of a source for an original?

[StratPlan61]

You can create your needed replacement pretty easily, I had to make 2 for my previous 44' Trojan FBMY. I used 3/8" tinted plexiglass and cut the piece out of a flat piece of material. I used a fine blade (new) in a hand-held jig saw. Then I cut a dado (groove) a 1/2" wide in a piece of 3/4" plywood which was wider than the 'curved' area. I electrified a bare wire until red hot, then laid the new windshield piece over the groove (only heating the are to be curved) and after a minute or so, lifted up the piece and bent it around to the proper radius by hand. If it cools too quick, just re-heat the curved area again over the groove and repeat. It came out fine. Not a big deal. If the edges are exposed in your installation, you can flame-polish the edges with a torch (I think high O2 flame) if I remember right, or simply edge sand with fine grit until nearly transparent.

[SKYCHENEY]

A while back there was a guy on ebay that was advertising new windscreens. I have not seen them for some time but I believe he was in the Ft Lauderdale area.

Did Sam's have any ideas?

[SeaEric]

There is a place in Ft Lauderdale that can do this. It takes an "oven" to do a compound bend in plexiglass. Last week I had some plexi doors made at Prospect Plastics in Ft Lauderdale. I asked them about windshields while I was there. Call them, they can give you the contact info on the local fabricator that does the bending.

[Paul45c]

There is a place in Ft Lauderdale that can do this. It takes an "oven" to do a compound bend in plexiglass. Last week I had some plexi doors made at Prospect Plastics in Ft Lauderdale. I asked them about windshields while I was there. Call them, they can give you the contact info on the local fabricator that does the bending.

Ditto. I had to replace the whole screen on my old 45c (same as yours). I went to Prospect but they didn't do it. They referred me to somebody else in Ft. Lauderdale, but that guy is now out of business. If I remember correctly, it cost me about $1200 around 6 years ago.

I know I've tripped across heat strips that are specifically made to be stuck to the bending target on a piece of plexi. It's supposed to make it really easy. I think if I were to do it again I'd buy the material from Prospect, get them to cut and polish and then do the bends myself. Come to think of it, I think that's also where I saw the bending kit.

[SeaEric]

The heat strip bending kit is intended for a sharp bend in a straight line. I don't think they work on a more gentle curve/compound bend. So I guess it all depends on what you need.

I self-fabricated a windshield for my Trophy center console. I had the plexi cut and then bent it myself using a heat gun. I nailed it on the first try, but my expectations were low and the boat was not exactly a movie star.

Prospect told me if the venturi has a gentle bend, you could try using Lexan (instead of plexi) and just bend it in place. If you can hold it in the correct position and get it fastened, it will work.

[Paul45c]

Eric, the two bends he's talking about are pretty much sharp right angles. They just slope back a bit.

[hibanx]

I found a local plastics company that is willing to make the replacement. I have to buy a complete 4x8 sheet, and they will do the cuts and bends. I only really needed one side of the windscreen replaced, but since I have to buty the whole sheet, I guess I will just go ahead and redo the whole thing. Thanks for all of the input and advice. The plexi is a little pricey, so I am going to leave it to the professionals to do do the bends.