Tint or no tint

[produceguy]

What do you guys think. Should we tint the windshield of our boat. Have you and wish you hadnt? I think it looks great but what is the downfall?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Tint or no tint

I think it looks great but whats the downfall?

Ayuh,... You'll be Blind, at dusk, at dawn, 'n All night long....

 

[Bondo]

Re: Tint or no tint

Ayuh,... Duplicate cross posting causes Confusion,.... Please don't...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Tint or no tint

Threads merged.

 

[shrew]

Re: Tint or no tint

If you have Isinglass curtains, then unless you tint those there isn't much point. Bond-o has it right. The only boat's I've ever seen with a tinted windscreen are performance boats. But they don't actually look through the 4 inch tall windscreen, it's more for diverting air up and over the heads of the occupants.

I like to take a look around when considering such modifications. I've never seen a cruiser or day boat of any kind with a tinted windshield. (Of course, I'm sure we'll get a post shortly with a rare 'one-off' example of it). All in all this doesn't sound like a great idea.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Tint or no tint

really depends on you and your boat.

Do you look through it all the time?

YOu know if you only cruise at night then will it bother you to look over it?

 

[ziggy]

Re: Tint or no tint

I've never seen a cruiser or day boat of any kind with a tinted windshield. (Of course, I'm sure we'll get a post shortly with a rare 'one-off' example of it)

yep....

note the difference between looking through the plexiglas and not looking though it in the above two pics..

this is how dark my tint is... cracked in transit by the ups man, the center panal of my windshield (all other glass is the same on my boat) from the oem. plexiglas, coke bottle green..

if ya do tint your windshield, just don't go to dark...

the pics above are of the oem windshield of my AristoCraft. it's coke bottle green plexiglas.

i do boat quite a bit at night and with the minor tint that i have, i don't find it horribly distracting. but some distracting yes. if i really wanna see i gotta open my center windshield for the clearest view i can have.

i wouldn't go much darker though. the coke bottle green tint, while a minor tint, is notable when your looking through it...

 

[txmetalhed]

Re: Tint or no tint

Tprevious owner of ours tinted the windows. Looks pretty good from the outside but I wish it wasnt there. Hard to pick up objects in the water and impossible to see in low light conditions. I spend a majority of the time looking over the windshield. One of my winter projects it to try and get the tint off.

 

[produceguy]

Re: Tint or no tint

Sorry about the duplicate post.Ziggy your boat looks great.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Tint or no tint

A buddy of mine has a boat with a tinted windshield, its not tinted very dark but it's enough to make navigating in low light or on cloudy days a real pain. When I run that boat I often have to kneel to the side of the seat a bit and look out the open center panel to see where we're going. When you live around saltwater and have to navigate the back bays and many unlit marinas, plus the dozens of crab pots and buoys all over, a tinted windshield is nothing but a hindrance. Even a slight bit of salt spray on my boat's clear glass is an issue. In warmer weather, I lower the top and raise the seat and look over my windshield in most cases, it lets me make better time and see any obstructions easier.

 

[shrew]

Re: Tint or no tint

Out of curiosity.........what would a tinted windshield offer that a pair of sunglasses doesn't?

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Tint or no tint

+1^
My cabin glass is tinted, no way on my windshield. That's what polarized sunglasses are for!

 

[seaboo]

Re: Tint or no tint

Out of curiosity.........what would a tinted windshield offer that a pair of sunglasses doesn't?

+1 I love the look of a tinted window, but for my boat I decided to wear sunglasses during the day------ during thunderstorms, clouds, night-- I take them off and am able to see without the distraction (darkness) of a tinted window.

I do like the looks and "cool" factor a tinted window gives, but not on my boat.

 

[JBF 1962]

Re: Tint or no tint

Having spent the last 10 years in the auto glass/tint industry, I can tell you this much, with cars, most state/provincial laws prohibit the complete tinting of windsheilds for obvious safety reasons. Going back to the sunglass comment, would you like wear those for night driving? Alot of states don't allow even the front door windows tinted which is why SUV's and minivans come from the factory with only the rear windows done. The advantages to modern aftermarket window films is reduction of UV's and, of course, it looks cool. Most boats now use automotive type safety glass, but if you happen to have any kind of plastic windsheild, you shouldn't tint it as it won't last. I personally prefer the comfort of having tint and both my cars have it, but I would NEVER tint my boats windsheild.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Tint or no tint

I have to stand and look over the top of my clear( but often dirty) windshield at night- buy yourself some nice polarized sunglasses

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Tint or no tint

Out of curiosity.........what would a tinted windshield offer that a pair of sunglasses doesn't?

Regrets.

 

[Fregata]

Tint or no tint

really depends on you and your boat.

Do you look through it all the time?

YOu know if you only cruise at night then will it bother you to look over it?

Hey produceguy, this make sence. If your windshield is similar to mine (4" tinted), then it really doesn`t matter if it`s tinted or not. I`m looking over the plexi anyway...but it looks cool!

But if your`e windshield is higher so you have to look trough the glass when your`e sitting in your driverseat, then you should go for a clear glass window/windshield.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Tint or no tint

Having spent the last 10 years in the auto glass/tint industry, I can tell you this much, with cars, most state/provincial laws prohibit the complete tinting of windsheilds for obvious safety reasons. Going back to the sunglass comment, would you like wear those for night driving? Alot of states don't allow even the front door windows tinted which is why SUV's and minivans come from the factory with only the rear windows done. The advantages to modern aftermarket window films is reduction of UV's and, of course, it looks cool. Most boats now use automotive type safety glass, but if you happen to have any kind of plastic windsheild, you shouldn't tint it as it won't last. I personally prefer the comfort of having tint and both my cars have it, but I would NEVER tint my boats windsheild.

One of the main reasons that tinted windows are banned in cars is so that law enforcement can see into the car during a road stop. Its a safety issue for the officers.
That dark tint is mainly used to black out the windows and prevent people from seeing inside. This also keeps the interior cooler in the sun, but it's about impossible to see out of at night.

 

[JBF 1962]

Re: Tint or no tint

That's true, an officer who walks up to a car needs to know that there's not a gun pointing at him. The tint that I worked with had a UV inhibitor, it's the UV's that mostly contribute to the heat inside, the amount of UV's blocked does not change with the darkness of the film, so a light tint (eg.35%) is effective and you can still easily see through even at night.

 

[Gromulin]

Re: Tint or no tint

Ziggy, that boat has Style. Very nice.