How terrible an idea is this

As I inch ever closer to finally pulling the trigger on recarpeting the boat another idea hit me as a potential ‘fix’ but just not sure if it is worth the effort. The way my windshield sits with my seat lowered all the way I’m looking just over the top of the frame, which is fine in good weather, but in the junk weather I usually end up hunched over to ‘hide/see’ better. It has worked for 7 years but I see most boats (my dad’s for example) the windshield is raised 4″ +/- above gunnel height, which would help greatly in bad conditions in my dad’s anyway. So I had a thought of fabricating some kind of raised block (probably some kind of epoxied wood or composite), wrapping it with new vinyl to match the vinyl on the consoles and then re-attaching the windshield on my new raised block.
One downside I’ve already caught onto is the side curtains I just made with my mother’s help 2 years ago would have the bottom snaps no longer positioned correctly (and it probably too short too after), travel cover has enough play I don’t think it would be too adversely affected. The Bimini top itself I should be able to adjust to work fine with the windshield 3-4″ higher. Would be a fair amount of work, but if I did it in conjunction with recarpeting I’ll be taking the windshield off and pulling the consoles anyway.

I haven’t taken this idea far enough yet to actually remove the screws/bolts holding the windshield on and test raise it to see just how much I have to go for any meaningful change, if it’s more than 4″ I think I’d just throw the idea right out. And it’s not that often it’s an issue, but sure would be nice to not have to hunch down when running in bad weather (like I can do running my dad’s boat). Even with the Bimini up you can’t see near as clearly thru that clear plastic as you can in the windshield so I still end up hunched down looking through the glass to see.

Any other really good reasons I’m not thinking of that would make this a really bad idea? I can’t imagine 3-4″ more height is going to catch THAT much more wind is it?

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A pair of Ski goggles and a buff in the glove box do wonders in the rain!

When you take the windshield off that trim on the bottom will be screwed and epoxied. Getting that bottom trim off will be a chore and might crack the existing plastic.

I know because I broke the windshield in my old Lund and the trim and plastic were all exposed.

Seems like a big project but it’s feasible….just be careful because you might not be able to turn back if you start pulling it all apart. Your dash plastic looks in pretty good shape for the boat year….

Is lowering your seat base an option?

Seems less expensive and less time consuming.

What kind of garage door height do you have? Do you have enough clearance to get in/out with a raised windshield?

http://savephace.com/

8′ doors so no issue there.

I should look into the pedestal, it’s getting pretty old anyway, but not sure if there come a whole lot shorter than what I have.

The tops of the consoles are vinyl wrapped wood, the instrument panel is a fiberglass I think, but the windshield never touched that, just the wood top and then the aluminum gunnels on the sides. I know any epoxy on the side windows has long given up on holding, I’ve had to pull that rubber piece off a couple times to tighten the bolts when they start getting wiggly. Not as sure about the front face of it though.

Forgot to mention it’s a 2001 pro sport 1600.

I had a 1997 pro sport before and I had this exact thought in my head but abandoned it. At 6’2″ that windshield was definitely too short and I got hammered with icy water more than a few times. I am sure it’s do-able, just take your time, build a high quality base for the console, and go for the gold. Some wiring may have to be extended for switches on the dash, and don’t forget about the logistics of relocating your steering column.

Not going to lie I’m excited to see someone else do this, if you go for it keep us all posted here!

I did find there are some pedestals that adjust down to 9″ (3″ lower than the existing), that might just to the trick also. I won’t do anything till at least this winter so plenty of time to think of all kinds of other off the wall ideas. Figured if I said it out loud that someone would be able to see another idea I was completely overlooking.

I look over the windshield all year long. I don’t know how people see safely (debris ice) looking through windshield.

There is always a pair of safety glasses (dark or rain) or sunglasses (daytime) to protect my eyes at speed.

To each their own.

Has anyone tried the Windaways deflectors? They are clear Lexan panels that are added to the top of the windshield, you can see them here https://windaways-texas.com
Adds height to the windshield without modifying the boat, can easily be removed.

14Deluxe wrote:

Has anyone tried the Windaways deflectors? They are clear Lexan panels that are added to the top of the windshield, you can see them here https://windaways-texas.com
Adds height to the windshield without modifying the boat, can easily be removed.

That’s definitely the ticket to solve this! Awesome link!