best yacht windows

Choice Of Pane Material

Maritech windows can be made with panes of plexiglass, Lucite S.A.R. (super abrasion resistant), tempered glass, or upon special request, Lexan Margard.  All are avail-able in various tint colors as well as clear.  One of our design engineers can assist in the pane and thickness choice best for your particular needs.

Many Standard Configurations

Since Maritech windows have been the choice of various manufacturers as standard equipment, we have many production patterns in stock.  When requesting a quotation, please give us the boat type and length as well as the “block” dimensions so that we can check your windows against our patterns. Because Maritech Industries makes windows as they are ordered, changing the size of your existing windows can be done at little to no extra cost.

Very friendly and informative , estimate and turn around time were exactly as they said, after sending a template , the two windows i ordered installed effortlessly and fit perfectly, I should also mention pricing was more reasonable than 4 other manufactures i spoke with for same product

Cannot believe anyone has not yelped this business yet.  I have an old US Yachts boat.  The original window maker went out of business but somehow that business found its way to Mark Plastics. I dealt directly with Mark  I had just a small single window but you would have thought I was placing a huge order.  Mark spent a ton of time with me on the phone, walked me through what he needed and built me a replacement boat window within a week. Absolutely fabulous and a big shoutout to San Francisco Boat Works for steering me to Mark Plastics.

Mark at Mark Plastics is great! I'm about to place my third order with him, which will be the final batch needed to replace all ports in my old 1976 Islander 36. The new ports were a perfect fit, which was a big relief as I had to lug them on an international flight. Mark's office is low-tech - best to call and leave a message. He always calls back.

Love the new windows and nice to be able to see through the windows now! (old plastic window were crazed and with the sun on them it was like having shades pulled down)! The color tint is perfect! The windows went in easy with just a bit of trimming! The opening galley window sure helps remove the moisture while cooking. Many Thanks for a job well done!! Duane Sheehan

December 2023

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How To: Replace Frameless Acrylic Windows on a Boat with the VHB Tape Method

Now nearing five years into owning our 1984 C&C , we’re finally getting around to replacing the badly weathered acrylic cabin windows. Our windows weren’t leaking (much) – a common reason to replace fixed ports, but were old enough that they were badly crazed and more translucent than transparent. We have frameless windows, also known as surface mounted portlights.

Acrylic plastic doesn’t last forever, and some say as little as 6-10 years is all it takes before you start getting UV damage in the form of spiderwebbing lines (crazing). Since we live aboard, having windows we can see clearly out of is a big livability improvement. How many people can honestly say they live in a home without transparent windows? Most houses have glass, which doesn’t craze like plastic does.

We try to avoid working on cosmetic projects (although this is more than cosmetic, since it allows us to see better), but now that we’ve finished 3 years worth of higher priority refit items (like the rig, rudder , etc), we have the luxury of spending some time on lower priority things. And this is a good one for our current cruising phase because it’s relatively low cost but high in time requirements. And we had lots of time available this past November / December.

New window to right, old one to left (note: the streaking on the old one is because I washed it with a dirty sponge)

Many C&C owners have done this project already, and my methods were for the most part simply copying what others have already done. There’s nothing incredibly hard here, but the details matter. If you rush this job, it’s likely to have a poor result in the end.

Our existing windows were thru-bolted and sealed with some kind of black flexible sealant. For the new windows we switched to a more modern method: the acrylic is adhered to the hull using adhesive 3M VHB tape (VHB stands for Very High Bond) and sealed using Dow Corning 795 industrial silicone.

There are good explanations of this method here:

• The YouTube show Boatworks Today
• CnC List (C&C owners list)
• Sail Magazine: Replacing Fixed Portlights

From what I understand this method is used on many newer production boats such as Beneteau’s. Still, I took me a while to feel comfortable with whether it would be offshore worthy. A window failure at sea can be catastrophic – if you lose a cabin window while waves are breaking over the boat, you might have no easy way to prevent taking on water.

There are some people who will still disagree, but once I understood the VHB properties I was confident it could hold up to offshore stress. VHB tape is used to bond skyscraper windows to buildings. As long as it’s applied correctly, it has very high bonding strength. And the fact that it’s a flexible tape creating a soft mounting surface is actually an important feature.

Thru-bolting acrylic windows makes them weaker – our old windows had cracks around the thru-bolts in several places. Acrylic expands/contracts with temperature changes, and the boat itself flexes slightly when at sea. So a window is more likely to fail due to flexing and cracking than it is to pop out.

Old window with thru-bolting, cracked in bottom corner

This project takes a lot of time, and is not the kind of project to rush or take shortcuts. For us it took at least 40 hours, plus about 10 hours in prep research and communicating with the plastics shop. About 1/4 of the 40 hrs was in filling the 100+ thrubolt holes and chipping off Plexus, which not all boats will have to deal with.

Per Window, approx 8-10 hours:

• 1-2 hrs: Remove ~30 thru-bolts and pry off old acrylic
• 1 hr: Test fit new window and mask around hull frame with painter’s tape
• 1 hr: Apply VHB tape, test fit again and cut off inner acrylic masking paper where the VHB tape will adhere. Scuff that edge with sandpaper and clean with 50/50 IPA/water. Apply silicone around corner of hull inset, then press in new acrylic.
• 1 hr: Inject and tool silicone into the gap around the new window. Clean-up. Remove acrylic masking paper and marvel at your new view.

Total: 8 hrs/window * 4 windows = 32 hours

Filling and painting ~100 thru-bolt holes: approx 8 hours:

• 45 minutes per epoxy round * 2 iterations/window * 4 windows = 6 hrs
• ~2 hrs for painting over epoxy on interior

The epoxying required many iterations because we were doing one window at a time, and because when you inject thickened epoxy into a horizontal hole (a hole in a near-vertical surface), it’s difficult to get the hole completely filled on the first attempt. In some holes it settled and I had to refill on the next round. There may have been better choices for fill material, but epoxy thickened with sandable filler was popular on a few forums I read.

We used the 5952 VHB tape because it’s a high bond strength designed for these applications and it comes in black (some of the other model #’s are red or gray, which wouldn’t look good under the windows). Some caution is advised picking a supplier. Ebay has cheap VHB tape but is not an official 3M distributor. McMaster Carr, Grainger and others are. 3M informed me Amazon is a 3M distributor. I found a number of complaints on Amazon product reviews, but I believe this may have been for Amazon affiliate stores (if it says “Sold by X” or “Sold by X and fulfilled by Amazon”, that’s *not* an Amazon supplied product).

• Plastic sheeting – we used 3 mil “clear” plastic sheeting to cover the windows while they were out. It literally said clear on the packaging, but the sheeting was not clear at all – more like opaque. It let light in, but we could not see out through it. If you’re living aboard it might be worth finding actually clear plastic sheeting.

• Paint scrapper – rigid style
• Paint scrapper – flexible style
• Painter’s tape
• Fein MultiTool with 80-180 grit sand paper
• Dremel with sanding drum

Getting the old windows off wasn’t terribly hard, but cleaning the surface is. First we had to scrape off all the black sealant, and then found a hard, brown epoxy-like material underneath –  Plexus, aka methacrylate adhesive (Plexus is the brand name of this structural adhesive). Plexus is evil stuff. It’s quite possibly worse than 5200 in regards to removal. It bonds permanently to the underlying gelcoat or fiberglass. It’s what C&C used originally to bed the windows, and nowadays is no longer a recommended method.

Removing remaining Plexus involved hitting a scraper with a hammer to chip it off, which also pulled off gelcoat at times. You can try sanding it, but it will take a very long time to sand if it has any thickness to it. Luckily, not all of our windows had much Plexus – it appears a former owner already replaced the windows and removed some Plexus.

After removing as much Plexus as possible, I sanded using a Fein Multitool with medium grit sanding triangles, and occasionally used my Dremel sanding drum. The Fein is better for getting a flat, smooth surface along the beveled edge. The Dremel can sometimes create diveted / uneven surfaces, since it uses a round sanding drum, so I only used that in small spots where I had stubborn protruding bits of Plexus.

All Windows At Once or One at a Time?

Since we live on our boat, and would be doing this during the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest winter, a big question was whether to do all 4 windows at once or one at a time (or 2 at a time). Most people do them all at once, to make the project go quicker, but most people aren’t doing this while living aboard in the winter.

We were glad we decided to do them in stages (#1, #2, and #3+4 at the same time). It made the project take 4 weeks instead of two, but we realized having all four windows out at once would make life really difficult and unpleasant. After covering the holes with the “clear” 3-mil plastic sheeting, I found the clear sheeting was more opaque than clear. Especially after doubling it up (for better insulation), it was not possible to see through the sheeting. This means less visibility, and having no windows in your cabin in the winter would be really difficult. Seasonal affective disorder is a real risk here in the winter, when daylight hours are short, sun sometimes non-existent, and opportunities to get outside are reduced.

There are two other downsides to having windows out in the winter that we worried about: cold, and rain. These turned out to be not as bad as expected. Covering the window (with the plastic sheeting plus draping a heavy plastic panel from our old full enclosure) reduced heat loss pretty well, and we kept our two electric heaters running to compensate.

And rain never got in through the sheeting – I monitored to make sure the painter’s tape at the top edge and sides was well adhered, and reinforced with duck tape at the corners when adhesion got reduced. Having a Strataglass panel (full enclosure panel) above the window also greatly reduced rain getting on the plastic sheeting.

To Paint the Back Edge of the Acrylic or Not?

One aspect we did differently from some others online is we didn’t apply black paint to the back edge of the new acrylic, where it overlaps the hull inset. Others recommend this, often with Krylon paint, to ensure that the white hull surface doesn’t show through the tinted acrylic. We figured the black VHB tape would take care of this (and a couple others online did it this way as well).

On the 1st window where we used 1/2” width VHB tape, it didn’t completely cover the white hull. We attempted to fill in the rest with the black 795 sealant, but that was a bit messy and so it doesn’t look perfect. But it’s not too bad. On the next 3 windows we switched to 3/4” VHB tape, which completely covered the visible hull surface and looks great.

1st window inset, with the 1/2″ tape

What’s the Worst Vegetable on a Boat? A Leak!

Stuff going wrong is pretty normal in boating, but usually it’s something going wrong with old equipment, not something brand new we’re putting in. It’s really disheartening to finish a project and find you did something wrong (as with the autopilot mount last year ).

So when I found out our brand new window was leaking, I was pretty upset! As a heavy Seattle mist fell in late November (the kind of drippy, foggy rain that isn’t heavy rain but creeps into the tiniest apertures on a boat), a steady drip appeared inside one corner of our 1st new window.

It was very hard to trace the leak, but as far as I can tell it came from one of two possible sources:

• Miniature gaps where the silicone bead had pulled away from the hull or acrylic. These were only a hair’s width thick, but that was probably enough for water to wick in.
• Gel coat cracks along the edge of the hull frame. Our 35 year old boat has plenty of small gel coat cracks around the window ports, caused by hull flexing / normal hull stress. In some cases these hair-width spider lines extend under the silicone sealant and may have been wicking water in.

The 1st window, done with 1/2″ VHB tape

One trick I discovered was using compressed air (the kind you get for cleaning computer keyboards) to push air at the exterior of the sealant joint. When I got to imperfect sealant, even though there might be no visible issue, the air would push through and create bubbles in the water sitting behind the gap. I did this with a headlamp, which facilitates seeing through the tinted acrylic.

I eventually fixed the leak with some reapplications of the Dow Corning 795, but for the next 3 windows we followed more stringent processes.

Tooling the Silicone

From that mistake on the first window, we learned that tooling the silicone requires much greater attention to detail than expected. The sealant around the acrylic needs to be perfect to avoid water seeping through. If the silicone pulls away from the edge – either hull or acrylic – water can wick in through the crack.

So on subsequent windows we did additional prep (filling gel coat cracks with epoxy) and made sure to perfectly tool the silicone into the gap. Dow Corning 795 is pretty forgiving, and we were able to work on it just with a bare finger – no soap or liquid – but you can only run over it once or twice. Repeated attempts to make it neat will likely make it worse. However, if an area wasn’t tooled cleanly in the first pass or two, I found I could apply additional silicone on top of the messy area and then re-tool that.

When we pulled the cover paper off our first new window, a stunned look passed over our faces. Natalie and I couldn’t believe the night-and-day difference it made. For years we had been looking through crazed, foggy windows, and the new one was crystal clear.

For comparison, holding the old acrylic in front of the new one

It was almost like the window wasn’t there at all. We could see our neighboring boat in sharp detail, and can only imagine how much better the views are going to be in the beautiful anchorages we visit once we’re back out to full-time cruising (April).

This project took a lot of time, but relatively little money in boat terms, and turned out to be well worth the effort.

[Note: This page contains Amazon links which give us a small referral fee if you make a purchase within 24 hours of clicking the link. We only recommend things we like, and you’re always free to purchase it elsewhere or without the referral link if you wish.]

22 thoughts on “ How To: Replace Frameless Acrylic Windows on a Boat with the VHB Tape Method ”

nice project, where did you get your replacement acrylic windows?

Most plastics shops can cut the acrylic, we used Clear Cut Plastics in Ballard, Seattle.

Thanks for sharing your project, i picked up some great information. Question – what thickness were the acrylic windows – ie” 3/8 or 1/4 inch?

They are 3/8″. Thanks, glad this post has been helping other boaters!

Did you use asolvent for the black sealant that was above the Plexus? What solvent is recommended? Some people recommend a 1/8 inch gap betwwen the new acrylic and the window frame. Do you also recommend this gap? The 795 fills this gap and allows for expansion. When placing the window into the VHB tape,what did you use for spacers to ensure the acrylic window was properly spaced into the window frame? I am considering a number of double stacked washers appropriatley spaced along the bottom of the frame. Your blog has been very helpful. Thank you.

We tried some 3M Adhesive Remover I believe and Goo-B-Gone as well as I think alcohol/soapy water mixture and none of them helped a great deal, they just make the sealant softer/wetter which may make it easier to scrape off. But mostly it was a manual scraping job and then finishing touches with a sander (oscillating Fein or Dremel). I would definitely try for a 1/8 inch gap between acrylic and hull frame dimensions. A couple of our windows didn’t quite have that (maybe only 1/16″) and expansion / flexing caused them to leak a bit after 1 yr. We redid them with a slightly bigger gap (by sanding down the acrylic edges that were tight). To place onto the VHB tape we test fit and then ran duck tape strips along the bottom edge. Then folded down the window, injected sealant into corners not covered by tape, removed the tape cover and carefully placed the window keeping the duck tape taut (2 person job). The stacked washers idea sounds good.

Thank you very much for your quick reply. Xylene did soften the black material to help in removal but did run and discolor the gelcoat.

In one of the articles you linked to, it recommends 3M 4991 which is 2.3mm thick, not 3M 5952 which is only 1.1mm thick. I just used the 5952 that you recommended and there is almost no gap unfortunately. I’m going to do the other set with the 4991 and hopefully it gets closer to that 1/8 in. We’ll see what happens in a year I guess!

Yes, that’s a good point – I think the tape thickness depends on the boat and how your window insets are designed. On our C&C, the thinner tape was best because otherwise the windows would’ve protruded out from the coach roof.

The gap that was filled with sealant was a gap around the circumference of the acrylic window – so that gap was mostly determined by the width/height the acrylic is cut to, rather than the tape thickness. But I agree some custom tweaking is needed depending on the particular boat.

How’s it holding up? Do you still recommend this window conversion?

Yes, they held up well and I know other people that have used the same technique.

I have a C&C 115 (2006) that requires window replacement as well. The originals were bronze colored Lexan polycarbonate (I think). We do some offshore racing. Question: acrylic or polycarbonate for replacement? I’ve heard pros and cons of both.

I recall reading some debates on acrylic vs polycarbonate/Lexan… each has pros/cons but acrylic is easier to source from local shops I think. Here’s an article I found which discusses it: http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourself/portlight_replace/page02.htm

Polycarbonate/Lexan is stronger, but strength isn’t really the issue with windows our size. The author saying polycarb/Lexan scratches easier is a big downside for us since it’s already hard avoiding scratches to acrylic.

What color / tint were your new windows? Looks like you used a dark grey?

It was medium gray, “Acyrlite 2064”.

I’ve seen a few videos now, including two from professional shops, showing two variances from your method: Firstly, they said they weren’t just painting the acrylic for visuals but also to protect the 795 from UV exposure (which seems odd as it’s absurdly hardy), and secondly, they applied the tape and sealant to the window rather than the boat itself… seems more like a technique choice.

Thoughts on the UV thing? Have you noted any cracking or shrinkage with the 795?

UV protection might be a good idea (I’ve seen black tape used on other boats, however I don’t know if they used Dow Corning 795 behind that tape). We didn’t have any issues at all with the sealant deteriorating. Dow Corning 795 claims to be “highly resistant to UV” and “virtually unaffected by sunlight, rain, weather.”

I like what you have done. I am planning on replacing the windows on my boat if I break the windows due to removal. My acrylic is in good shape but they used Sikaflex and it has failed in some areas so it could be difficult to get windows out. If you use the VHB tape to leave a 1/8″ gap around the outside of acrylic, can you just fill that gap in after placing windows in place to create seal. Would 1/8 gap be enough to seal window or should I make it 1/4 inch as I have the room.

I think it might be difficult to inject enough sealant into a 1/8″ gap after placing the window on the VHB tape. It can be difficult to position the window precisely and the gap may end up tighter on one side. 1/4″ would make it easier and also give more expansion room (in some cases it’s the sun heating causing expansion which cracks the acrylic and/or breaks sealant seal). It’s a judgment call though, depends on the situation.

3/16 would be better. Fill around with DowSil 795 using a spoon to carefully contour it.

The windows on my yacht are large 40” x 80” and they can grow by as much as 1/2” depending on the temperature range. From my understanding the VHB tape attaches to acrylic and fiberglass. Will the tape have enough give not to detach from either the acrylic or fiberglass due to expansion or contraction of acrylic compared to fiberglass.

Those are very large windows (looks like you have a catamaran) – over 3’x6′ is about twice the size of what I did. So that’s beyond my expertise, you may need to find someone else with similar sized windows that has done this project. The VHB tape is pliable/stretchy and 3M has a technical specs sheet which may say how much expansion it can tolerate. I suspect it would work out but can’t say for sure.

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Whats the Best Way to Restore Clear Plastic Windows?

Practical sailor tests 27 products that clean, restore, and polish soft vinyl boat windows..

Preserving a clear view through clear plastic on dodgers or enclosures is one of the most challenging tasks in boat maintenance. Restoring a vinyl window is almost impossible, but that doesn’t stop the tide of products that claim to make this job easy. Practical Sailors  eisenglass cleaners test looks at 27 products touted primarily as cleaners or treatments for vinyl windows. The test products were divided into type: cleaners, scratch repairers, polish protectants, and UV protectants. After a week of testing, we found Imar Strataglass Protective Cleaner and Imar Strataglass Protective Polish, distributed by Defender Industries, to be the Best Choice. Collinite No. 845 Insulator Wax and Mer-Maids Plexiglass Plastic Cleaner and Polish were the Budget Buys. The test also included products from the following manufacturers: 303, 3M, Aquatech, Armada, Davies, Marykate, Meguiars. Mothers, Novus, Plexus, Sailors Solutions, Star brite, Turtle Wax, West Marine, and Yacht Brite.

                                                 ****

Preserving a clear view through soft plastic glass on dodgers or enclosures is one of the most challenging tasks in boat maintenance. Attempting to restore an old or sorely neglected soft plastic window is almost impossible, but that doesn’t stem the tide of products that claim to make this job easy.

Practical Sailor

last delved into the world of clear-plastic maintenance products back in February 2003. Since then, a number of new products have hit the market, each making its own specific claims.

Maintaining clear-plastic windows requires special care, and the article on the facing page, “In Search of Clarity,” covers the basic precautions. For a more detailed discussion of maintaining marine plastics, see “Caring for Clear Plastics on Your Boat,” at www.practical-sailor.com, in the Tools and Techniques section.

Although many of the products in this article can be used on hard acrylic or polycarbonate hatch glazing, this article examines their performance only on the soft, flexible clear-vinyl windows, such as those that youll find in a dodger or cockpit enclosure.

Canvas shops use a variety of clear vinyl (PVC) products to make these windows. Ultraclear, Crystal Clear, Seaflex, Achilles, and Strataglass are some common brand names. Practical Sailor will be comparing these and other types of clear plastics (such as Stamoid) in a future article.

All of these materials are very susceptible to scratching, smudging, and wear. Over time, they become brittle as they lose the chemicals that keep them soft and pliable. In addition, ultraviolet rays can quickly damage the vinyl, causing hazing, cracking, and yellowing. The products reviewed here help delay that process.

What We Tested

evaluated 27 products (three were two-step applications) from 18 manufacturers that were advertised, labeled, or recommended primarily as cleaners or treatments for clear-vinyl windows. All are available through marine dealers, chandlers, or the Internet.

For comparison, we broke them down into the following categories: cleaners; scratch repairers; polish/protectants; UV protectants.

Eight claimed to have UV protection, 10 included a formula or fine abrasives to remove light scratches and smudges. and all but two products promised a polished finish.

Products that stood out (for good or for bad) in the field are discussed below. Test results and ratings for all of the products appear in the Value Guide on page 25.

Armadas 210 Plastic Cleaner/Polish, a 14-ounce aerosol, excelled in cleaning and polishing our test vinyl. It provides a clear, lustrous finish with a protective coating that is anti-static and anti-fog. For older or scratched windows, use the Armada 210 Plus, which includes a very mild abrasive compound that does a reasonably good job of removing dirty residues, smudges, and fine scratches.

Bottom line: The 210 Plus is an excellent cleaner with anti-fog and anti-static properties. The 210 polishes well, but aerosol cans don’t keep well aboard saltwater boats.

Step-one in a two-step process, 3Ms Marine Vinyl Cleaner and Restorer removes haze, dirt, and stains with a thick creamy liquid. It is an above-average cleaner. The second step involves applying the 3M Marine Plastic Polish, a thick white cream that cleans and when buffed, yields a protective, high-gloss finish. The formula includes restorative mineral oils, glycerin, and carnauba wax.

Bottom line: The 3M cleaner worked fine, but the polish produced only Fair results.

303 Aerospace Protectant

Often recommended to preserve inflatable dinghies, 303s Aerospace Protectant spray cleans, shines, and leaves a UV protection of SPF 40. Directions call for renewing the finish monthly.

Bottom line: The 303 spray has multiple uses, offers good protection, and is modestly priced.

The Aquatech Clear Enclosure Cleaner and Protectant (No. 750) sprays a light, clear liquid that is designed to clean, without any alcohol, ammonia, or harsh chemicals. The Premier Polish and UV Protectant (No. 201) is a general-purpose polish for gelcoat, paint, and metal. It is a thick, white cream that slowly dries to a haze.

Bottom line: The 750 cleaner and protectant cleans quickly and leaves a slight shine. The 201 adds an excellent polished sheen with UV protection.

The Collinite 845 Insulator Wax is a thick cream designed for marine and industrial applications where a heavy-duty, high-gloss UV protective coating is required. It keeps dirt, dust, and salt from sticking and assures full protection against sun, rain, bugs, and salt spray.

Bottom line: Collinite polishes well and has multiple uses and a good track record at an affordable price. Its our Budget Buy.

Imars Strataglass Protective Cleaner (No. 301) and Strataglass Protective Polish (No. 302) are the only products recommended by Strataglass. The Imar 301 produces a fine, clear mist from a 16-ounce spray bottle. Imar recommends using the product regularly when you wash and rinse the boat. The 302 provides the same UV protection as 301, but the creamy liquid adds a thicker protective coating and brighter shine. Imar recommends reapplying 302 about every three to four months.

Bottom line: Imars 301 ranked high as a very good cleaner. The 302 was one of the better polishers that we tested, beading up best in the water test.

Marykates Glassplex Glass Cleaner (No. 3918) multipurpose glass, acrylic, and vinyl cleaner-a fine, clear liquid delivered through a trigger spray nozzle-does an acceptable job of cleaning oil and dirt. Marykate also makes Clear Vinyl Cleaner and Polish (No. 6414), which we did not test. Neither contains alcohol or ammonia.

Bottom line: Though not a standout, the Marykate 3918 was the most economical of the cleaning products tested.

A Best Buy in 2003, Mer-maids Plexiglass/Plastic Cleaner and Polish is a clear spray that goes on fast and is easy to wipe off. It is reasonably priced, and does a fairly good job cleaning and shining.

Bottom line: Mer-maids product cleaned well, provides anti-static and anti-fog protection, and does not contain alcohol or ammonia. A good bet for routine cleaning.

Testers looked at three products from Meguiars. The Clear Plastic Detailer (No. 18) is a handy one-step cleaner and polish in an 8-ounce spray bottle. It sprays a clear liquid that you wipe and polish immediately. If allowed to dry, it can leave streaks.The Clear Plastic Cleaner (No. 17) helps remove ground-in dirt and small scratches with a non-abrasive cleaning formula. TheClear Plastic Polish (No. 10) is a thick, creamy liquid that can follow the No. 17 cleaner, and provides a static-free coating that repels dust and shines up nicely.

Bottom line: Of the three Meguiars products, the No. 10 polish stood out best in its category.

Mothers Marine Power Plastic is a one-step cleaner, restorer, polish, and UV protectant. It is a creamy liquid in a bright red, 8-ounce plastic bottle that claims to remove light scratches, oxidation, stains, and yellowing. Once dried to a haze, it buffs out to a nice bright finish.

Bottom line: A good do-it-all product for reviving and protecting old windows. When polishing soft, clear vinyl, PS doesn’t recommend using it with a drill-mounted polisher, as Mothers suggests.

The Novus No. 1 Clean and Shine Plastic Polish did an excellent job of leaving a lustrous shine that resists fogging and static, and provides a good protective coating.Despite its name, the Novus No. 2 Fine Scratch Remover is meant as the first step in cleaning, and it does a good job of it. (There is also a more abrasive No. 3.)

Bottom line: These Novus products offer an excellent two-step program, particularly for scratched windows.

Originally developed for airplane windshields, Plexus Plastic Cleaner and Polish is well known for cleaning and polishing a multitude of plastic surfaces. The can sprays out a fine mist of clear liquid that cleans as it polishes and leaves a shiny anti-static protective residue.

Bottom line: This is a good product for well-maintained vinyl, but the metal can will rust.

Sailors Solutions

Sailors Solutions X-16 Plastic Window Polish is a combination cleaner (with extra-fine abrasive), polish, and UV protectant that works well but can separate over time. Follow directions and don’t let it dry too much, or it will be difficult to remove and will leave streaks.

Bottom line: The packaging is cheap (the label and directions smeared after a few uses), but the creamy liquid formula quickly removed some light scratches and left a nice shine.

Star brite has a two-step process for restoring and reviving clear plastic. Star brite Step 1 Plastic Scratch Remover is an ultra-fine abrasive for cleaning and restoring older plastic windows. The Step 2 Plastic Polish/Restorer is a light, clear liquid in an 8-ounce bottle that leaves a thin, polished coating.

Bottom line: This is an inexpensive and effective one-two punch for older vinyl.

West Marine

Packaged in an easy-to-stow 8-ounce spray bottle, West Marines One-step Plastic Cleaner Polish is a light, cream-colored liquid. It does a nice job of both cleaning and removing fine scratches, and it leaves a protective coating.

Bottom line: This cleaner-polish is held back by its higher price.

Yacht Brite

Yacht Brite Serious Shine, a 3-in-1 cleaner, polish and protectant in a 14-ounce aerosol, buffs to a nice shine and leaves a fine film that repels water with UV inhibitors and anti-static properties. It contains alcohol and solvents that are not recommended for some plastics.

Bottom line: This spray is easy to use and performs well, but the rust-prone aerosol can belongs ashore.

Conclusions

Dont put too much stock in claims that hazing, yellowing, or scratches will be eliminated. We found no miracle cure.

Products that included fine abrasives to remove light scratches took several applications and a considerable amount of hand rubbing to slowly eliminate scratches. Since abrasives can do more harm than good, we recommend them only as a last resort. Dont use electric buffers and always test on an inconspicuous area.

When testers had done a good job of cleaning the vinyl with any of the cleaners, a second step of applying and buffing with a good polish obviously improved clarity. Applying a second coat of polish the next day produced a thicker, longer-lasting protective coating that shined and beaded better.

Many products were very effective at improving visibility and preventing staining and dirt buildup. Some were easier to use than others. The clear liquids have a tendency to run, so they should be applied to a cloth first. Creams show where you have been. Sprays are handiest and probably best for a quick retouch. Heres what we found:

Of the products that claimed to only clean, the Imar 301 was the clear winner, and it also is safe for treated vinyl.

For owners of older dodgers with small scratches, the Novus No. 2 Fine Scratch Remover proved to be the most effective, followed closely by the Armada 210 Plus Plastic Cleaner/Polish and Mothers Marine Power Plastic.

Among the polishes, the Imar 302 Protective Polish, Novus No. 1, Collinite No. 845, Mothers Marine Power, and Aquatechs Premier Polish produced the best shine and beading, rating Excellent.

The best one-bottle cleaner, scratch remover, and polish with UV protection was Mothers Marine Power Plastic. Sailors Solutions X-16 also does it all and was rated Good-to-Excellent.

If you prefer a two-step process, then the Imar #301/#302 combo is the way to go. They produced the cleanest and shiniest windows and beaded water the best, earning the Best Choice honors. The Novus and Star brite two-part products were close behind.

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Best Fourth of July Laptop Deals: Discounts on MacBooks, Windows PCs and Chromebooks

We're rounding up the best laptop deals across Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and more.

A new laptop can make a huge difference in your day-to-day life. Whether you use a portable computer for business, streaming the latest shows, or playing games, an upgrade can go a long way.  Fourth of July sales  provide the perfect time to get a new device without having to shell out quite as much cash. Deals abound on  Windows laptops , Apple MacBooks  and  Chromebooks , but which deals are the best?

That's where we come in. Instead of you searching endlessly around the web, we're take our years of deals experience and putting them to good use here. That means checking all the big retailers like Amazon and Best Buy for all the latest laptop discounts, separating the good from the bad. We'll be regularly updating this roundup throughout Fourth of July sales and in the days afterward. We do this because many offers are limited-time and in some cases will expire or sell out suddenly. Be sure to check back often for the latest options.

Best Fourth of July laptop sales

Apple MacBook Air M3: $949

Apple's latest MacBook Air, the M3-powered 2024 model, is down to just $949 in the 13-inch size. That's $150 off its usual price. Discounts are also available on different specs as well as the 15-inch version. 

HP 14-inch Spectre 2-in-1 OLED: $1,130

Best Buy has kicked off its Fourth of July deals early with HP models receiving plenty of price cuts. This HP Spectre two-in-one model has a big $500 discount. Available in nightfall black, it has an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, Intel Arc graphics card, 16GB RAM and an OLED 14-inch touchscreen with a 2,880 by 1,800 resolution. 

Asus TUF 15.6-inch gaming laptop with RTX 4070: $1,050

A great gaming laptop with a decent discount applied. Access the best games on the market in full HD resolution (1,920x1,080) with Asus TUF gaming laptops. For just over a grand, you get a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM and a 15.6-inch display to enjoy it all. Available in a slick mecha gray color scheme. 

HP 14-inch Chromebook X360: $279

A cheap way to get both a touchscreen and laptop with this great two-in-one from HP. It has up to 10 hours and 15 minutes of mixed battery usage, Wi-Fi 6, an Intel N100 processor and 64GB of storage. On top of this, it has 4GB RAM, a full 14-inch HD touchscreen and a sky blue finish. It's a solid option for under $300.

More Fourth of July laptop sales

• Asus Vivobook Pro 15: $1,000 (save $300)
• Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook: $349 (save $150)
• HP Elitebook 650 G10: $926 (save $103)
• Jumper Ezbook S7: $300 (save $460 with on-page coupon)
• SGIN M17S: $289 (save $173)
• Apple MacBook Air M1: $699 (Save $300)
• HP Pavillion: $550 (save $450)
• Omen Transcend gaming laptop: $1,100 (save $500)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook: $199 (save $120)

Should I buy a laptop on Fourth of July? 

If you've been holding off on picking up a new laptop or tempted to make an upgrade, Fourth of July is a great time with deals shaving off hundreds of dollars off typical asking prices. Amazon Prime Day isn't far away either, so if you don't see anything you like, you know that sales event is only around the corner too. Black Friday is usually the absolute best time of year to score the steepest savings, so if you can wait until late November then you may get a better deal. But that's many months away and if you need a laptop for heading back to school , then now's the time to buy. 

What are the best Fourth of July laptop sales?

Sales come and go throughout the year but the biggest retailers are always pretty dependable when it comes to laptop deals. That's no different for Fourth of July with Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Costco all taking part, among others. On top of this, expect manufacturers like LG, HP, Dell and the like to get in on the action with deals available directly at their own sites. We'll be monitoring all of these throughout the event. 

What else is on sale during Fourth of July? 

The week leading up to and surrounding the Fourth of July is known for ushering in tons of sales and offering cut-price products from lots of the biggest brands out there. Whether you're after tech, mattresses, garden furniture, kitchen appliances or all of the above, there's a good chance retailers will be providing plenty of discounts. 

How we choose the best Fourth of July laptop deals

Many of us here at CNET have covered shopping events for over five years, including  Black Friday ,  Prime Day ,  Memorial Day  and countless other shopping events. In that time, we've learned how to spot the best deals among a sea of thousands of superficial offers and scams, and we only surface the best offers from trusted retailers.

We look for real discounts, quality reviews and remaining sale time when choosing laptop deals to show you. We have a team of devoted experts who have tested hundreds of smart home devices to make sure we're only bringing you the best of the best.

• Real discounts mean genuine savings. We check pricing history for products listed as on sale so we know when it's a case of an inflated list price rather than an actual discount. 
• Quality reviews and testing are super important for any product, and especially so when it comes to the laptop you're going to use every day. A discount isn't worthwhile if it results in a subpar product experience, no matter how much you saved. 
• Remaining sale time is important, too. Some deals are only around for a short time or may be limited in supply. If that's the case, we'll let you know upfront so you don't come back to the deal later only to be disappointed. 

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5 Ways Using Linux Improved My Windows Experience

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Key Takeaways

• Linux taught me to leave Windows Registry alone to avoid potential issues
• Linux teaches you effective machine administration, offering transparency - different from Windows, but valuable skills overlap.
• Another Linux lesson: tweak prudently - focus on reliability over perfection. Regular updates and package managers like those in Linux offer powerful utility.

While Windows and Linux are considered rivals, the former is far more popular than the latter. Even though I’m a Linux fan, I still use Windows quite often. However, I’ve learned things from Linux that have made my use of Windows much better.

Linux Taught Me to Leave the Registry Alone

In most posts on Reddit or other forums by people having problems with Windows, one of the first things many suggest is tweaking the Windows Registry . There’s nothing wrong with that, but most times, you don’t have to.

Linux is mainly configured through plain-text files, unlike the Registry on Windows. They’re mostly easy to understand as long as you read the documentation. The Registry is mainly intended for developers to store settings, and if you’re going to modify any settings, be very careful about doing so.

I Learned How to Administer A Machine

Many people think that Linux is difficult to use, and there may be some truth to this claim. One thing that is true is that Linux takes a different approach to administration than Windows. As mentioned earlier, Linux is mainly configured through plain text files. This method has the advantage of transparency. To make system-wide changes, you only need a text editor and a root password.

This is a design trait that Linux inherited from Unix. Unix was intended to be a research project for programmers who knew what they were doing. While there’s more hand-holding on mainstream Linux distros if you want, you tend to get up close and personal with the OS if you use it seriously at all.

This is why if you’re passionate about computers, you should try using Linux, even if it’s just inside a virtual machine. It’s good hands-on training on how to set up and maintain a computer. I’ve been able to apply these skills to Windows, even if the software is different.

Just Because I Can Tweak, Doesn’t Mean I Should

One of the things that excited me the most about Linux over Windows was that I could configure and compile a kernel. This was something I couldn’t do on Windows with its proprietary source code. So I would load the kernel configuration menu, compile the kernel, tell the bootloader where it is on the hard drive, reboot and...get a kernel panic.

This was mainly due to my forgetting to build an initial ramdisk, which allows the kernel to load modules to handle the hard drives. Without getting too technical, this solves a chicken-and-egg problem with booting.

The point is that I didn’t really need to do this. Modern kernels shipped with major distros, despite being relatively large, work pretty well on their own.

Windows culture, particularly around gaming, seems to encourage mindless tweaks. In the real world, having reliable systems is far more important than absolutely perfect systems. Linux taught me not to let perfection be the enemy of the good and to leave things alone unless absolutely necessary.

Linux Lesson: Update, Update, Update

Nothing seems to inspire more dread among Windows users than automatic updates. There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest is the fear of new bugs an update might introduce. Updates aren't particularly smooth either, requiring quite some time to download and install.

A lot of Windows users delay updates for as long as they possibly can, but it's something you shouldn't do. You get a lot of fixes this way, and the longer you wait, the more updates you have to download. If you are worried about interruptions, you can minimize that with Active Hours, for example, by setting them up so updates happen while you’re asleep.

I learned not to fear updates because of using Linux. While there are hiccups, updates are more important. The recent XZ Utils backdoor is a good example. Many Linux distros shipped updates almost as soon as the vulnerability was discovered.

Package Managers Are Awesome!

One neat thing that’s only starting to take hold on Windows is the idea of installing software from a central repository, a feature pioneered on Linux. It's one reason that Windows 11 and desktop Linux seem more alike than different these days.

Package managers are essential on Linux because Linux programs are built out of shared modules of code, and programs tend to require several of these, called “dependencies,” to run. Before package managers, you had to keep track of these and compile them from source yourself! Package managers save a lot of tedium by managing software and keeping it updated.

Would you prefer downloading individual programs or installing software from one place? The Microsoft Store, Win-get, and Ninite are all good options for installing programs on your Windows PC.

Windows + Linux: A Powerful Combination

As much as I love Linux, there are reasons that I need to run Windows (cough, cough, games), but I don’t have to give up Linux for Windows. One thing Linux culture got right is realizing that it doesn’t have to be either-or. Traditionally, the way to run Linux and Windows was dual-booting, but virtual machines and Windows Subsystem for Linux let you have the best of both worlds: mainstream software on Windows plus the advanced utilities on Linux.

More From Forbes

Emerging best practices to hit pay dirt with the ai gold rush.

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Tiago Azevedo is CIO at OutSystems , a global leader in enterprise low-code application development.

Having witnessed previous "megatrends," I have seen the enormous impact of the arrival of the web in the 1990s and, later, the mobile and cloud computing revolutions. To date, I have never seen a technology that can have as dramatic a business impact as generative AI (GenAI).

As just one example of how new GenAI applications can scale quickly, my team at OutSystems saw remarkable results when we launched a new GenAI-based customer support application. GenAI's ability to increase the share of support concerns (both questions and incidents) managed without requiring a representative was so significant that our goal is now seven times higher moving forward.

I have seen others call this moment in time the "AI gold rush" since with GenAI applications, businesses can tap into value they may not have seen before. At the same time, there's an understandable need to derive real returns from GenAI-based applications and intense interest from the C-suite to implement these applications as soon as possible.

Throughout our building experience, my team learned that effective GenAI approaches require careful consideration. We had to build our infrastructure so the applications could scale and infrastructure could be provided to the organization as services or interfaces. In addition, we learned that the solutions we build are only as good as the data we use to fuel our AI models.

WWE SmackDown Results, Winners And Grades As The Bloodline Destroys Paul Heyman

Microsoft windows deadline—you must update your pc by july 4, paige vanzant power slap results: winner and knockdown highlights, effective ai implementation requires a new infrastructure foundation..

Organizations are almost always up against legacy, monolithic architecture when implementing new technologies. While this infrastructure provides management advantages, it slows down experimentation and innovation. What could take hours or days to implement in a more decentralized environment will take weeks or months when saddled with too many bulky systems.

While we've incorporated forms of AI within our products for years, we recognized we needed more technical flexibility to implement GenAI. Over the last few years, our team shifted to a services framework for our operations. It's difficult and time-consuming to do but necessary for the speed and scale that GenAI adoption requires.

Once we shifted to a composable framework, we then took our experimentation further. To achieve our goal of implementing GenAI for customer service, we knew we needed to build technology foundations that could scale quickly. We thus assembled an "AI foundations" team that built several plug-and-play modules leveraging our applications and private GPTs and exposed them as APIs to test new ideas. We then made them immediately available within an "AI playground" for people within the company to experiment.

Thanks to our new technological flexibility, we tried new use cases, failed quickly and rapidly learned from our mistakes.

GenAI solutions are only as good as the data (or intelligence) they rely upon.

Much has been written about how data directly relates to the accuracy of GenAI solutions. The key is to focus on what data is being used to augment the system.

Too many of us have rushed to try out a GenAI application like ChatGPT without understanding the data that's informing the model. As a result, many are then disappointed by the results they receive without understanding the result actually makes sense if one considers the data informing the model.

Consider the analogy of an avid reader. Once the reader has finished a book, they become knowledgeable of the book's contents. However, if the book is wrong or conflicts with another book the reader has read, it becomes a challenge for the reader to know what the truth is.

Similarly, when a user asks for a fact in ChatGPT, the GenAI model is likely considering numerous data points providing conflicting answers and prefers to give an imprecise answer over no answer at all. That's why the answer can be wrong. The prompt also plays a very important role. The better the context, the better the answer.

To be effective, the data a given AI system relies upon must be specifically relevant to the task that the system aims to complete or address. For example, an AI application that is trained against a television manual and then gets asked how-to questions about the TV would generate much more accurate responses. Meanwhile, if one is building a GenAI application for an internal HR function, that application should rely on accurate and specific HR information—the most current HR policies, for example.

Organizations also need to realize that an AI system won't be 100% accurate all the time. We have a much lower tolerance for machine error versus people error. It's important to involve humans in the vetting process, for example, by testing the AI application against common questions.

It's time to create an AI-first mindset.

We learned over time how to put in place a strong foundation for further AI application development. We took great care to eliminate legacy infrastructure holding us back, consider new opportunities for innovation and ensure the quality of our solutions. We implemented efforts to identify the accurate datasets that are most applicable to the AI applications we are building.

It takes three things to capitalize on this GenAI gold rush—a clear business strategy, strong data and easy-to-use foundations for scale. With the right focus, many organizations can benefit from an AI-first approach to drive transformational business outcomes.

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Bhad bhabie livin' best new mama life, twerking on yacht, partying, bhad bhabie watch me twerk ... baby mama's still got it.

Bhad Bhabie 's motherhood version of living her best life looks a lot like it did before she had a kid ... twerking like there's no tomorrow and making the most of L.A.'s scorching summer on a yacht.

The rapper, who gave birth in March, rocked a sizzling black bikini, flaunting her inked figure in a carousel of IG vids and pics ranging from boat parties to wild nights out.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Naturally, she snapped a cheeky close-up of a girls backside with bills flying everywhere -- but she also had some cute shots of her baby girl, Kali , to keep things a touch family-friendly.

In other shots, BB was living it up, hitting the town with her crew and her boo, Le Vaughn . But, when the party vibes became too intense, she shifted gears ... opting for some quality downtime with the baby.

No doubt about it, BB -- AKA Danielle Bregoli -- looked incredible just 3 months after she and Le welcomed their first child.

Seems like Danielle's already mastered the art of balancing motherhood and downtime, even though a bit of drama followed her recently when she was detained by cops -- all just a case of mistaken identity.

Just another day in the whirlwind life of Bhad Bhabie!

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