Maybe we are over thinking this whole thing...I have owned a boat basically since 1975 most of them had a 4 or 5 panel windshield and I never had to replace a pane. :rolleyes:

My problems lay in not the construction as much as how do I handle the curving of the dash (were I plan on placing the frame). Plus the center panel is rectangular and the port and stbd. panes are trapezoid. :confused:

Right now I wish I was in Maine hunting down some of those Master Craftsmen, that have been doing this for the last hundred or so years...:D

Guilty as charged. I over think EVERYTHING! :D

Uncle Boo what happened to your post?

I didn't read Blue Heron's post well. I was going to suggest an applied stop, then realized he already mentioned that. I would have been wasting space.

Wind Shield...on going saga
 

After doing my cardboard mock up and deciding that a wood windshield would be the way to go here is my update!

The next step after card board was to see if I could tame down some of the sharp angles of the design and incorporate into the rounding of the old base.

Unlike the Seafari models that are flat my set up is all round.

First step was to cut a small wood mock up and then do the modeling clay fairing to see if it would work.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0043.jpg

After being satisfied then it was on to flatten part of the dash so the side frame would fit tighter.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0072.jpg

After that was done then it was on to a full frame mock up in wood. The hard part of this whole deal is that there are compound angles on every piece. For example the out side of the windshield sits on a 5 degree inward leaning deck. So the bottom out side panels had to be cut 5 in the opposite direction to get them to sit vertical. All together there 6 different angle compound joints. Except for the middle panel the are no 90 degree joints.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0156.jpg

The next part was to get all the gaps right and to soften up the hard angle look. The way I did that was to cut filler pieces with a 2 inch radius for the inside corners.

Without

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0181.jpg

With

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0176.jpg

The next thing was to clean up the inside joints and to add strength.

Before

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...2_edited-1.jpg

After

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...3_edited-1.jpg

Inside view

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...4_edited-1.jpg

Now I think the Windshield is looking softer and fits the boat well.

Notice that the starboard side was not rounded for comparison view.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0175.jpg

What is left to do now is to make attaching points and to thin down the center panel so it matches the width of the other two. Fair in the corners and
then break down this mockup (which is done in pine) and make a paper pattern with all my notes for angles sizes and so on. Then go off shopping for White Oak.

The final windshield will be constructed when the boat is in the paint shop, so I know I will forget something if not written down.:eek:

Parting view...I forgot to mention that the center section will open to Port.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...r/IMG_0179.jpg

Very, very nice!!! Outstanding detail!

I got a kick out of the last picture...."the knife"!!

"the knife"....yea that parting shot is SICK. This is going to be one incredible boat. :)

I like it! Gives the boat an appropriate vintage look. Did you figure out how you're going to do the groove for the glass?
Dave

NICE work Terry! I'm sure those compound angles were a challenge! That frontal view is classic Moesly 21! It's the best riding small boat I've ever been on and it's no wonder he dominated the offshore powerboat outboard racing class and made a lot of the bigger inboards look real bad! Denny

Yum Yum.
Cheers,
GFS