Glass question - tempered vs laminate?

AndrewH

Well-Known Member
Well I need to get my window order in pretty quick and need to figure out the best option. (23ft aluminum boat)

I received two quotes; one from AJR and from Marinetec.... AJR uses laminate and Marinetec is tempered.

Costs are basically the same so that piece of the puzzle is a non-issue.

Feedback?
 
Well I need to get my window order in pretty quick and need to figure out the best option. (23ft aluminum boat)

I received two quotes; one from AJR and from Marinetec.... AJR uses laminate and Marinetec is tempered.

Costs are basically the same so that piece of the puzzle is a non-issue.

Feedback?
Don't tint it. That's my only advice. The commander windshield has a light tint and it really kills yours visibility at night
 
I had an AJR blow up in my face thanks to an unfortunate run in with a whale. The laminate was nice in that one side partially held together and reduced water coming in on the run home. AJR was also great to deal with after the fact trying to rush a custom order.
 

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@Corey_lax should chime in, but my past years as a Glazier would say no tempered in the windshield as there is no fallout protection due to no plastic film in between. Side windows and back can be either, but laminated in the side sliders might have exposed edges which can start to crack or run if they get hit or something gets jammed in the tracks. The plastic film does give some UV protection if that is a concern.
 
I’d go laminate. They will both break, but laminated will at least keep it functional. It would also break much more easily but you can get a new piece cut in a day rather than making a template and sending it in for tempered glass and waiting a few weeks.

The little glass shops near me cut 6mm Lami same day if you want it.

And I’ll go against rain city recommendations and say I like the tint. Looks great on a boat and most of the time it’s nice outside while using a boat
 
I’d go laminate. They will both break, but laminated will at least keep it functional. It would also break much more easily but you can get a new piece cut in a day rather than making a template and sending it in for tempered glass and waiting a few weeks.

The little glass shops near me cut 6mm Lami same day if you want it.

And I’ll go against rain city recommendations and say I like the tint. Looks great on a boat and most of the time it’s nice outside while using a boat
I got some tint that's in the laminate on the venture and the windows are how do you say it? ******* dope
 
You car windshield is Laminated glass with a .030 vinyl inter layer holding the 2 layers of glass together , the side windows and rear are tempered glass
You can get a cracked windshield and replace when you feel like it, I would never have tempered glass on the front if I can avoid it, that being said I’m sure most boat manufacturers use tempered to save cost and weight, if tempered does break be prepared for a face full of broken glass
that’s why carjacking and break ins are easy because you can break tempered easy if you know how, laminated stays intact
if your towing on a gravel road you might want to invent covers for the front so you have a windshield when you get there
 
And also keeps the cabin cooler on hot days. Just a light tint makes the world of difference!
A buddy of mine with a 3488 Bayliner motor yacht had a fishbowl cabin that was a cooker until he had the windows tinted with the aftermarket film. Night and day difference, no pun intended. He swears by it.
 
A buddy of mine with a 3488 Bayliner motor yacht had a fishbowl cabin that was a cooker until he had the windows tinted with the aftermarket film. Night and day difference, no pun intended. He swears by it.
I agree for every window other than your windshield. It's a night and day difference in very low light scenarios, which any fisherman would be in regularly.
 
Well I need to get my window order in pretty quick and need to figure out the best option. (23ft aluminum boat)

I received two quotes; one from AJR and from Marinetec.... AJR uses laminate and Marinetec is tempered.

Costs are basically the same so that piece of the puzzle is a non-issue.

Feedback?
Glass manufacturers specify tempered glass as being four to five times stronger than regular glass. It is highly resistant to blunt and distributed forces and is more scratch resistant. The high strength of tempered glass is one of the properties that makes it suitable for the most demanding uses: in wind-loaded, high rise glazing, in overhead glass *, in stair and deck guard panels, in vehicle windows, in shower enclosures and even for table tops. However, very concentrated forces, such as hard impacts from pointed objects, will cause breakage into small, harmless particles.

Laminated glass has one advantage: the vinyl film between the two, untreated glass layers will hold glass shards together. In a vehicle windshield, it may even retain an unrestrained occupant, after a head-on collision. It might only chip with a hard rock hit on the highway, whereas tempered glass could break.

Boat glass is unlikely to suffer a rock hit or a head on collision so the 4 times higher strength of tempered glass makes it a much better choice.

*(The BS 6206 Architectural Standard involves a series of tests where a lead-filled leather bag weighing 45kg is dropped from varied heights onto a standard test safety glass panel. Class 1 (tempered) failed with over a 122 cm drop. Class 2 (laminated) failed with over a 45 cm. drop. Class 3 (wired) failed at 33 cm.)
 
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Glass manufacturers specify tempered glass as being four to five times stronger than regular glass. It is highly resistant to blunt and distributed forces and is more scratch resistant. The high strength of tempered glass is one of the properties that makes it suitable for the most demanding uses: in wind-loaded, high rise glazing, in overhead glass *, in stair and deck guard panels, in vehicle windows, in shower enclosures and even for table tops. However, very concentrated forces, such as hard impacts from pointed objects, will cause breakage into small, harmless particles.

Laminated glass has one advantage: the vinyl film between the two, untreated glass layers will hold glass shards together. In a vehicle windshield, it may even retain an unrestrained occupant, after a head-on collision. It might only chip with a hard rock hit on the highway, whereas tempered glass could break.

Boat glass is unlikely to suffer a rock hit or a head on collision so the 4 times higher strength of tempered glass makes it a much better choice.

*(The BS 6206 Architectural Standard involves a series of tests where a lead-filled leather bag weighing 45kg is dropped from varied heights onto a standard test safety glass panel. Class 1 (tempered) failed with over a 122 cm drop. Class 2 (laminated) failed with over a 45 cm. drop. Class 3 (wired) failed at 33 cm.)
If the boat windshield is flat glass, it will break easier than the curved glass we see on cars and some boat types. Also, just because it’s a boat, doesn’t mean it’s not subject to flying rocks off your truck or a semi beside you so I’d say your most likely to break it while driving/towing or when a whale decides that it doesn’t like your boat like previously mentioned lol.

You can get 6mm tempered and laminated glass as long as the pieces aren’t too big. If the pieces are square and not rounded corners, you should be able to get it tempered and laminated. It’ll cost you an arm and a dick but you get the strength of tempered and the safety of laminated.
 
If the boat windshield is flat glass, it will break easier than the curved glass we see on cars and some boat types. Also, just because it’s a boat, doesn’t mean it’s not subject to flying rocks off your truck or a semi beside you so I’d say your most likely to break it while driving/towing or when a whale decides that it doesn’t like your boat like previously mentioned lol.

You can get 6mm tempered and laminated glass as long as the pieces aren’t too big. If the pieces are square and not rounded corners, you should be able to get it tempered and laminated. It’ll cost you an arm and a dick but you get the strength of tempered and the safety of laminated.
Everyone has one. ;)
 
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