Glass Bottomed Stripper

[erbinsky]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been playing with the idea of putting 2 small...12" x 14" or so...plexyglass "windows" in the football area of my next stripper,one in front of the rear seat and one behind the front seat that I would cover with some sort of hatch on the inside to prevent scratching.Has anyone ever tried something like this? Does epoxy stick to plexyglass. It would have to be strong enough to support a paddlers weight if he happened to stand on it with the hatch open. It would also have to be slightly lower in the water than the hull...maybe 1/16"... to ensure no air pockets that would distort the veiw. Have I been sniffing too much cedar dust? Any comments would be great....Jeff

[Noah's]

This is fairly common on dinghy’s (look bucket) for cruising sailboats. Just build a frame in the bottom out glass and epoxy and bed in a piece of 3/16 or ¼” Acrylic, or better Polycarbonate. Sikaflex 295 UV and 209 Primer will bond it in or use an epoxy/glass flange on the inside. You can build a mold to match the bottom shape, heat the plastic and drape to match the hull curvature. Polycarbonate is tougher than Acrylic but both are susceptible to scratching so careful when hauling it up the beach.