17 Hourston windshield

[mayday]

New to me 17' Hourston (as the title says) - it's got the 2 piece windshield and climbing over to get on/off the trailer is a bit of a pain - I'm pretty sure I've seen Sewells rentals with the 3 piece walkthrough version - anyone happen to know if (and if so where to get) a retrofit is possible?
Called/emailed Hourston directly, but surprisingly (?!) nobody has returned any messages yet.

 

[Wwunder]

I have a three piece windshield off my malibu 185 for sale if you think it would fit.

 

[SteelyDan]

Ajr marine windows can build you what your after

 

[mayday]

I have a three piece windshield off my malibu 185 for sale if you think it would fit.

ah, there's the rub - this is my retirement "give me something else to play with" toy - which is roughly six months away, and the boat is currently parked up in Comox waiting - i.e i only get over there every couple of months until i make the move permanently - long winded response to say i wont know the exact size for a while :-(

 

[mayday]

Ajr marine windows can build you what your after

perfect, thanks ill check them out

 

[stephennicholls531]

I also HIGHLY recommend AJR windows - they built me a new windshield for my Double Eagle Project, and it fit perfectly.

 

[mayday]

while i'm quite used to sailboat costs, new to this game - can anyone give me a rough estimate of what these things typically cost?

 

[stephennicholls531]

My two-piece DE windshield - with the side wings - was around $1000 a few years ago, so I would think that a three-piece walk-thru with the side wings would be a couple hundred more than that. You may - or may not - have to find some way to reinforce the dash panel to support your weight when you're stepping on and off of it...

 

[SteelyDan]

My custom 20" windshield on my last boat was 1300 last year. It really made the boat pop. I've had people come over and ask who did the windshield before.

 

[mayday]

Hmmm, $1500 - for some reason I was thinking/hoping the number would be a bit less - especially since the one that is on there now is not broken, and basically functional - the cheap $#%@ in me thinks the "brace up the old one" might just be the plan - at least for a while until I finally slip/fall, put my foot through it, and do what I should have done in the first place and just buy a new one!

 

[tubber]

Is there a way for you to adjust your loading/offloading routine? The guys with hard tops and big boats don't climb over the windshield. Use a line or two to float it on/off rather than drive it?

 

[mayday]

Good question - I'm going to be 95% single handing it - launching seems to be no issue - it's a light enough boat to just push off the trailer, float over to the shore, climb on the side - it's the getting back on - drive on the trailer, then to get to the bow to clip/winch/get to the truck it's either clamber over the windshield, or over the into the ocean
Either that or as someone mentioned brace the existing - maybe somehow add a grab rail to the side to go around instead of over.

 

[windsurfer]

Good question - I'm going to be 95% single handing it - launching seems to be no issue - it's a light enough boat to just push off the trailer, float over to the shore, climb on the side - it's the getting back on - drive on the trailer, then to get to the bow to clip/winch/get to the truck it's either clamber over the windshield, or over the into the ocean
Either that or as someone mentioned brace the existing - maybe somehow add a grab rail to the side to go around instead of over.

How I used to load my 17' DE. Tie it to the dock. Back the trailer in deep. Untie it. Pull it on to the trailer standing on the end of the trailer with a 20' rope. Winch it tight. I could keep my feet dry and get it on straight if it wasn't too windy.