SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Hello everyone - first post
Just re fitting a Shetland family 4 and the windows and front screen are my next job, what material is best, any window measurements out there, what material is Bert for curving ? The screw I have is in 2 parts with big curves
Thank you in advance for any advice
Adam

adamjj1982 wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 11:30 pm Hello everyone - first post
Just re fitting a Shetland family 4 and the windows and front screen are my next job, what material is best, any window measurements out there, what material is Bert for curving ? The screw I have is in 2 parts with big curves
Thank you in advance for any advice
Adam

Acrylic (perspex) is best, it's scratch resistant, and it holds rigid shapes which you need for the windscreen, especially when you are press studding the pram hood onto it.
Unfortunately it needs heating and bending to shape or it will just shatter. Usually a specialist job to a template.
I reluctantly got my replacement from Shetland, and I wasn't impressed with the results. It took more than 6 months to arrive, and the starboard side has a kink in the top edge where they overshaped it and tried to correct, instead of starting again with a new piece. That error has been annoying me for about 7 years every time I stand at the helm.
Polycarbonate bends easier, but is a lot less rigid and scratches and scuffs very easily.

Very unusually, I'm going to differ with dellquay13 !

I have a 4+2 and fitted polycarbonate to my front cabin screen. It has countersunk screws approx every 100mm and a few mm from the edge, so cracking is a big issue, especially with heat expansion and possible flexing of the boat in some conditions. If you google polycarbonate vs acrylic there is a wealth of info, and the decision is more to do with your preference as well as intended use. Polycarbonate is bullet proof, literally, it's used for police riot shields. it is massively strong and resistant to cracks but prone to scratches, but more flexible. It is also more expensive, but I believe lasts longer. I wash and wipe mine using a polyester cloth, so long as there is no gritty dust on its fine. Acrylic on the other hand is clearer (not noticed) has many more shades of tint and more resistant to scratches, but it chips and cracks more easily. I read online that some boats have front screen in polycarbonate as it is better able to withstand impact from waves (god forbid that happens to me!!) and acrylic side windows.
Here's a link that sums up differences quite well.
Good luck!
https://www.acmeplastics.com/acrylic-vs-polycarbonate

Hi, my 4+2 has a "plastic" front screen fitted into the original frame from new. It's probably there to allow for the curvature of the cabin moulding shape.

Is that cockpit or cabin?

Clive,
The 2 piece cockpit windscreen is the type with a massive bend and no outer aluminium frames for rigidity, only held on with screws along the bottom, and a small aluminium upright in the centre where the joins are. This windscreen type is common to the 536 and F4 mks 1-4. It needs moulding with heat not bending, so acrylic is best for this.

That makes sense!

Hey guys.

Hope everyone is well

Just thought I'd introduce myself my name name is Colin Jennings and I run a small boat windscreen company called Custom Boat Screen Solutions (CBSS)

we specialise mainly in the RIB sector. But we also make many types of screens for the shetland/ microplus range. We have already created / moulded 18 family four splitscreens so far this year not to mention 535 / 536 / suntrip screens, using our in house cnc and thermoplastic oven. We are very new to the forum sector and very inexperienced so please any advice/help would be much appreciated. We have just payed the membership fee on here if there is any other fees applicable please let us know. Also is they anyway we can upload some images of the work we have carried out for the past 15 years, to show you guys some family four screens ect.. Prior to that you can check us out on FB@ CUSTOMBOATSCREENS.





Kind Regards

CBSS

Hi Colin, welcome. If you have paid the membership fee it is pending. As soon as you are accepted your name will change colour and be blue, you will then be able to upload pictures and have all of the site available to you. Would be good to know where you are based and if/what you have templates for. Cheers, Clive

Hi Clive,

Thank you for the welcome. and we really appreciate the info regarding the membership process. Hopefully we get accepted and were able be of service to the shetland family.. if we get the thumbs up I will send over a list of templates and photos we have in our gallery and inventory.

Best Regards

Colin

CBSS