Window Glass - Tints

Finished Business

Finished Business

Well-Known Member
Hey all...could likely be finding me boat at the glass shop in the next couple of weeks. I have some choices of glass, clear. light grey, and bronze. The color is embedded into the middle of the glass layers I believe.

Was curious if anyone has a boat with tinted glass, or has an exterior tint they've used and what you've thought.

I'd be keenly interested if the bronze or grey reduces glare, or maybe the green color I've seen in some high end boats?? I for sure do not want to limit visibility with a tint.

I came across this company in Nova Scotia that had a few tints that had an interesting affect. Although its hard to tell through a computer screen it got me thinking.

http://marinelitewindows.com/eng/products-2/glass-tints/

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
I like the tint all the way around ,especially the front ,so you dont get cooked on a long day on the water, mine is the blue/green tint I think ,I like it .Shade is good
With the size of windows you are putting in yours you can put some dirt in your cup holder and grow tomatoes
 
Sculpin said:
I like the tinted side windows in my gal. The fronts should be clear imo.
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X2 I think with an enclosed cabin tinted front windows would make it difficult to see in low light
 
that is my concern, limiting visibility. But the blue/green glass that Stayin Alive mentioned I thnk is not so much a tint, but a color that is used to reduce glare and UV light through the glass. I enjoyed the tint in the Sculpin for sure....

PM sent SA
 
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If yer a grey daze fisher, then do not tint.. IMHO
 
my 2 bits...
I like the slight gray tint in the side windows, first thing on a sunny morning when the sun is making alot of glare off the water - but not so much on a gray foggy day - I find myself sliding the sides open for better vis. AND especially bad around the docks when is gotten dark or still dark early am...So a little tint goes a long ways.
 
what you say all makes sense....visibility is king! Maybe 'tint' is the wrong word to use...the colored laminated glass is an embedded color in between the layers of glass. From what I can tell this technology can be used to improve visibility in foggy/cloudy conditions, for example. Up here in the great north west, that seems to be more the norm than not.

Similar to a pair of ski goggles, they use an amber lens to help cut through those foggy days, and I've spent my time on the slopes to know without a doubt your lens choice can make the difference in seeing, and not.

If that is the similar case to laminated glass, I would lean towards the bronze 'tint', pictured here (note, same glass and tint, different day, sunny to foggy):

10mm_laminated-bronze-52-LT-smrs.jpg

10mm_laminated-bronze-52-LT-smr.jpg


As it would seem to improve visibility on those low light days, and reduces glare on the sunnier days.

Another actual tint I was thinking about was something similar to a mirrored automotive tint. Where the level of tint is actually quite low (45%) but it was a mirrored finish to reflect the suns glare (similar to mirrored sunglasses)

Ultimately I think clear is the best choice, but if other colors, such as bronze could actually increase visibility on low light days, wouldn't it be worth considering??

tx! FB
 
If a guy was smart he would figure out how to put a polarizing film in between the laminated glass. A tiny bit of tint goes a long way in that case. I still wouldn't do the front ones though.
 
polarized windows crossed my mind but given the cost of polarized sunglasses I can only imagine what a windshield would cost lol

I'll have to do a little more research on the technical properties of this coloured laminated glass...
 
Finished Business said:
polarized windows crossed my mind but given the cost of polarized sunglasses I can only imagine what a windshield would cost lol

I'll have to do a little more research on the technical properties of this coloured laminated glass...
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You are doing more research than most have ever done IMO. Good thread FB. Let us know what you end up with. Cool stuff!!!
 
Sculpin said:
You are doing more research than most have ever done IMO. Good thread FB. Let us know what you end up with. Cool stuff!!!
Click to expand...

There must be a reason for coloured glass on high end boats (other than looks)

I came across a glass manufacturer in Canada I'm going to give a call too and see exactly what the coloured lam glass is all about. Will post my findings.
 
Learned something new and pretty important...after a couple calls, ending up at Diamond Seaglaze, my questions were answered. First off, super helpful people, spoke with Paul (604-607-0091) and although I wasn't buying windows through them, he was more than ready to help with the questions I had. I'd recommend giving him a buzz if you are going the Diamond route...

To the answers. First, the only color approved by US and Canada for forward windows is the green tint. It does reduce glare from incoming, and cabin light, and is safe at night. It has 73% Light Transmission, in contrast to clear glass which is 89% LT (unless you get into the higher end 'white' glass ((90+%), which is low in iron and high in price lol).

Given the description by Paul at Diamond, I think I will go with the green tint. Apparently most cars and trucks have that tinted glass for the windshield, but it is that hardly noticeable coloring. He said it is only really visbile if you hold up a white piece of paper behind the glass.

Should be booking an appointment @ Abstract Glass in Mission, BC, once I get my interior and transom panels back from Nu Dimensions watercutting....Abstract does all the STS Guide Boats so I am confident they will do an excellent job, not only that, they are a group of serious fisherman so I look forward to working with them on this cabin.
 
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The boat has yet to head to Abstract....likely in the next week or two, no later! I am probably going to go with the green glass, I checked it out, its hardly noticeable and it reduces cabin glare at night somewhat which is nice. I've been told by the pros that I likely wont be able to notice the slight green tinge to the glass as it is a very light coloring.

Can't wait to post the pics once its done...I still need to nudge the aluminum sheet straight as it suffered a little warping during welding. I don't think it will cause a problem but until the glass is installed, I'm not 100% sure of my work lol...
 
FB, the new boat has diamond seaglaze windows with that greenish kinda blue "tint", very limited experiance with only the one seatrial, but an absolute miserable day in sooke, heavy cloud, poor light, wind, chop, spray, varying rain, and hail...excelent visability at all times, no issues with lack of light...cant confirm if it helps glare as we did not see a single ray of sunshine lol...and yes that "tint" is used regularly in automotive
 

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didn't even notice your new Chubby had the blue/green tint. Very cool! :P

Another alloy joins the party...Next year is shaping up to be a good one!....damn I'm getting excited. Gotta get power in Bad Habits asap!!
 
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ya buddy it will be good!...Im itching to get her over to the main land...at the rate your going, I have no dout you will have bad habbits ready for next season!
 
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