Windshield Protection While Towing

[wabislander]

1. Has anyone had issues with windshield being damaged/pitted during towing?
2. Has anyone come up with protection solutions?

In looking at the Rangers, the newer models have that wonderful curved windshield. I just picture it looking like my vehicles windshield after several long tows. Thanks for feedback in advance.

 

[Capt’nKarl]

I hope this is not going to jinx me. We’ve towed our R-23 thousands of miles without any issues. I’m sure it can happen just like it does very occasionally on our tow vehicles but so far so good.

 

[Thorolson]

We ALWAYS tow with our windshield canvas cover snapped on. I assume it tends to wear the cover much quicker and we’ve had to have one (we have two) repaired because one of the snaps tore. Much cheaper than windshield replacement and piece of mind as we tow.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

In 10 years of trailering our R-27 n then R29 we never had an issue with windshield problems, other then bug cleanup. We chose to trailer without any canvas windshield covering.

Jim

 

[Brian B]

The problem with towing with the canvas in place is that it can tear. Depending on how it tears you could have a snap beating against the glass or fiberglass.

 

[Crazy Heart]

We tow with the windshield cover on and for added protection we put one of the silver sun shades under the canvas. The type you put inside your car windshield when parked to keep the sun out. We found a large roll at a RV store that we cut to fit the windshield of our Cutwater 28. Good piece of mind and it keeps the canvas tight. Never had a problem with the cover tearing or snaps coming loose.

 

[S. Todd]

We have friends that experienced a broken windshield on a R25SC from a rock. Their solution was to make a padded cover for towing which worked well for them. I hated to deal with all the bugs after an 8 hour tow to the lake and also feared the flying rock (we have a full width rock guard on the tow vehicle to save the gel coat) so I took the factory canvas to a local canvas shop and had them make a padded cover that fit the same snap pattern as the factory phifertex. We get to the lake take it off and have no bugs or rock dings on the windshield to deal with. After six seasons it held up well. We are having a similar one made for our new R29.

 

[j&lgray]

I guess I am the outlier on this one.

We trailered our R-25 for 6 years all over the west including Seattle to the Mississippi River and from Florida back to Seattle. We towed our current Ranger 27 all over the East Coast for three years and from Florida to the Great Lakes and back and from Georgia to Seattle.

We NEVER put up the windshield canvas while towing because we learned the hard way that hours of 60 MPH wind will shred the canvas and the flapping material will damage the gelcoat. In all the thousands of miles, the glass has never been damaged. Bugs? Yes. Nicks to the and scratches to the hull's gelcoat? Yes. Did I fix all of those? Yes.

I use the windshield canvas for shade and privacy at the dock or at anchor. For that, the design and materials used works great.

 

[dpiano]

We also always tow with canvas on. We should even back it with fiberboard....
We have a friend with a 29 who took a rock while towing and broke a windshield panel. Ranger had no replacement and it was no fun getting new glass made.

 

[scross]

96,000 miles on the truck with no windshield damage and 12,000 miles of towing with no windshield damage to the boat. No canvas while towing.

 

[wabislander]

I think I am leaning to making (or having a marine upholstery shop) put something together with durable front and soft back. We get a lot of bugs on cars near our cottage in Canada and it will be one less window to clean. Side benefit will be protection from pitting and rocks. I have never towed with cover or canvas as I have seen others that experience more damage on abrasion of the materials rubbing on what they were designed to protect.

Along the same topic, do any of you have guards on your towing vehicle to protect the gel coat?

 

[scross]

Have had some very small rock dings to gel coat from towing. Easy to repair with some touch-up gel coat, small piece of fine peel ply and a little sanding every couple of years. I tend to get more dings in the cockpit gel coat than I do on the hull!

 

[S. Todd]

I have mud flaps on the fender wells of my truck and then a full width mud flap at the back bumper. Rock Solid makes a decent full width rock guard that I used before I purchased a dually. Now with the dually we use a Rockstar hitch mounted mud flap. My experience is we got more gel coat chips on the hulls in 5 years without the full width mud flap than in 35 years with the full width flaps.

 

[YukonRon]

For our R25 classic we use the interlocking foam mats that you fit together for kids to play on on the floor. We fit four together across the windshield and then snap the canvas cover overtop to hold them in place. They fit pretty well with no mods. We towed the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse, Yukon to Vancouver Island with no issues, no tears, no loose snaps.

 

[Crazy Heart]

For Mud Flaps I use Rock Tamers. They hook to the the hitch receiver so they come off when I pull out the receiver out. They offer good protection. I bought them when I got the boat so I can’t respond to the difference to having them or not. But I like the concept and the piece of mind. I like that they remove with the receiver so they are there only when towing. They are very easy to use.

 

[YukonRon]

For hull protection we use the RockGARD screens mounted on the trailer ( http://www.rockGARD.com ) . A clip and bungee on the one corner lets me drop it down to access the winch crank, so they stay on the trailer full time. They do a good job of minimizing stone chips on the hull.
Here is a picture of our setup going down the Alaska Highway...