replacing windows.

[Grebo]

I have just been asked to replace the windows in a sprayhood / dodger.
Cooo it's been so long since I did any replacments I can't think how to do it  ???

[JuneC]

I sew the new glass on the inside over the old glass, using double-fold binding, flattened out, to hide the edge of the new glass.  Then cut out the old from the outside, very close to the fabric using a box cutter/razor.  Takes a steady hand and nerves of steel.  Score the old glass - don't even attempt to go all the way through.  Bend sharply then tear.

June

[Grebo]

Thanks June, you brought it all back now   ;D   lovely job  :(  Better put the quote up a bit  :P

[bobbin]

I run 1/4" double stick tape around the original stitching of the window.  I use a seam ripper to cut through the original window in a corner, that's all.  I place the replacement plastic over the tape and then stick it down.  Occasionally I'll throw in a couple of staples if I think it will be necessary for safety's sake.  Drive around the plastic stitching through the centre of the 1/4" tape.  Cut out the old plastic.  Voila!

For replacement glass I wouldn't bother hiding the edge of the plastic... I don't think it's worth the trouble, personally, and I've never met anyone who wanted replacement windows who has ever fussed about seeing the raw edge of plastic.  But if the "couture touch" is important to you, then go for it.  :)

[Grebo]

I like sticky tape  ;D

[Can-Vas]

sticky tape and then like June... 

[Lynn]

Sorry people but I have to step in here. I hate in when people leave the old window in there, especially if you are replacing for the second or third time!
The right way to do it is unpick the outer row of stitching, trim back the old window, overlay the new window, sew in the old holes, undo the inner row of stitching, now you can remove the old window completely, sew down the inner row of stitching in the old holes......voila!! new window no tatty old plastic to look at on the inside. It might take longer but it sure looks better.

Lynn

[stitcher_guy]

I agree with Lynn, but don't it that way. My customers won't pay for it. Sew to the back, cut out the old and out the door.

[scarab29]

If the clear vinyl goes to the edge  , I can't see you having a choice. I hate to see the raw edges someone else left on the inside. June has the right idea I think.  8)

[JuneC]

I also agree, Lynn... but like Stitcher my customers won't pay that much.  Maybe the environment also has something to do with it.  By the time the 2nd set of glass is gone, so is the canvas.  Time for replacement.  I've never been asked to replace glass for a 3rd time. 

June

[Grebo]

I also agree, Lynn... but like Stitcher my customers won't pay that much.  Maybe the environment also has something to do with it.  By the time the 2nd set of glass is gone, so is the canvas.  Time for replacement.  I've never been asked to replace glass for a 3rd time. 

June

If the thing has been restitched already I refuse to touch it. Company policy  ;D

[206RB]

It's like chairs. "not my chair, not my problem" Lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skCV2L0c6K0

[southerncomfort]

I am not an expert like y'all, however I have been burned by a customer or two.  Now I make sure what the customer wants and how much he/she wants to spend.,  I never replace windows that I have not taken off the boat myself so I can see how they fit ( or not ) . Do the snaps fit properly?  Is the surrounding fabric puckered ?  A lot of factors to consider.  Barb

[bobbin]

I think the important thing to consider with replacement windows is that they are, in fact, a repair.  Repairs should be neatly and thoughtfully done but it's also important to provide good value to the customer while using your own shop time wisely.  And, by the time I get a dodger that requires new glass the dodger itself is usually at least 1/3rd. of the way through its lifespan.  A layer of left behind plastic is really not a big deal in the grand scheme... and even adding a third in a few more years time is not an issue. 

In my own experience, no boater is cheaper than a blow boater and the extra time required to pick out an old window (not to mention the shards of deteriorated thread left behind firmly stuck in the first layer of double stick tape!) would not be embraced with enthusiasm by the guy paying the bill (who usually "forgot" to have it done over the winter and really needs it for the weekend).  So I don't even "go there", lol. 

[PDQ]

Interesting to read the different methods applied for this simple job. :tup:

I usually place the new window onto the old one from the outside by unpicking the inner folded edge and then tucking the new window underneath, sew it in, and then turn it over and cut out the old one from the inside. Horses for courses I guess.  :)