Marine & Boat
Reviews
Expert reviews of marine & boat acrylic window products.
ACRYLITE AR2 (Optical Mar-Resistant) Acrylic for Boat Windows
Distributors sell hard-coated ACRYLITE AR2 as marine glazing at two to four times the price of plain sheet. The maker's own data sheet says it is an indoor product with outdoor life typically limited to three years, it cannot be heat-formed or flame-polished, there is no warranty, and Polyvantis's boat-window advice is to use cast sheet instead. Excellent behind a store counter; the wrong sheet for a hatch.
Lewmar and Bomar Acrylic Portlights and Hatch Lenses
The two portlight and hatch brands on most production sailboats and cruisers, reviewed as a glazing product. Lewmar (Havant, England, owned by Lippert since 2019) publishes lens thickness, CE area ratings, and a code-based spares program; Bomar (Pompanette, Charlestown, New Hampshire) is a US foundry-to-finish builder whose lens material varies by series. Both craze in the sun eventually; the difference is how easy the fix is.
UPD Plastics Acrylic Boat Windshields
The Davie, Florida shop that holds the molds for most production boat windshields, fabricating since 1975. Marine-grade acrylic in 3/16, 1/4, or 3/8 inch and ten tints, priced by pattern from about $113 for a pontoon shield to $726 for a 32-foot console, with a drill bit and grommets in the box. The product earns consistent praise for fit; the wait, the fine print, and the customer service do not.
Boat Outfitters Marine Acrylic and Custom Parts
A Florida marine fabricator with 40 years of supplying boat builders, now selling cut-to-size acrylic in clear, tints, black, and gelcoat-matched whites direct to owners, with free shipping over $150 and same-day dispatch on stock parts.