Windshield Reverse Rake

[robrohdeszudy]

I see a lot of hype about the rake direction of pilothouse window glass. But it seems mostly to center around aesthetics. I only have open boats at the moment, so can someone help me out with the ACTUAL functional advantages, particularly of reverse rake?
Thanks,
--Rob

[stevel]

Water will run off of a windshield that is raked forward quickly so that you can see where you are going.

[RThompson]

Fwd rake in the screen's also avoids reflection of instruments at night and cuts glare during the day (especially for salt covered glass).
Rob

[robrohdeszudy]

Thanks. Figured it was something simple like that. And I would also assume the gaskets tend to leak less because no water pools on them. Conversely, raked glass sheds wind better and vertical glass is a compromise.
--Rob

[MarkC]

Allows you to mount radios etc. above your head, without endangering your noggin.

Looks nautical!

Streamlining is really only a fashion - no real effect...?

[robrohdeszudy]

>Allows you to mount radios etc. above your head, without endangering your noggin.

Makes sense

>Looks nautical!

Didn't before they started doing it. That's only been since the 1940s or so, I think. Until rather recently it was seen as looking "industrial". The popularity of trawler yachts has increased interest in the reverse raked glass aesthetic.

But they started doing it for REAL reasons. Glare and drainage, I'm told. Another one that hasn't been mentioned is much less solar gain in hot weather.

>Streamlining is really only a fashion - no real effect...?

Not true. On a deep-keeled trawler with lots of power it probably makes little difference. But on a smaller, lighter boat with less power, the ability to shed wind might let you get home. Not because you're going to go that fast. Because the wind might be BLOWING that fast! Even in heavy boats the wind pressure in a real storm can blow your glass in. This is why pilothouses with vertical and reverse raked glass are generally rounded - to help shed some wind pressure.

[ClarkT]

In addition to the additional outfitting space, I'd say the best reason for reverse rake is to minimize solar heating in the tropics.

Conversely, if you are in northern lattitudes (there goes my Northern Hemisphere bigotry), the swept rake will help you capture some solar heat.

[yipster]

i can still imagine another reason: on bigger ships its easyer looking down? sounds ok?
but all together i'm not convinced, dont like the windage nor look, on a high tug, maybe...

[kmorin]

When the Alaskan King Crab road race and rodeo started paying millions per season per boat there weren't enough new metal crabbers to go around but there were lots of older halibut long liners in Seattle. Most of those pressed into this service had plumb or aft leaning cabin windsreens and the cabins were well aft -schooner style. But that reduced the crew's ability to "turn pots".

In the Alaskan fishery of the 60 and 70's some of these boats had their cabins' glass stove in by boarding seas. Other's had their cabins moved forward to accomodate the deck crew's desire for a shelter deck and to give better view of the next bouy in the string. Turning pots with 5 to 10k$ in them tends to focus the skipper on the bouy not the seas. But many of these boats had the cabins crushed and the windscreens pushed in by breaking seas.

More and more the boats came in (early in the season at a loss of $) with stove-in houses, so the when the new Marco boats with forward houses came out they used the leaned forward glass to keep the breaking sea's impact off the glass. In Alaska this fashion is still referred to as a 'crabber cabin' design in many ports, when discussing any boat.

Small, boats and skiffs with free standing dog-house type sheltered helms now use the line for all the reasons mentioned here, volume in the cabin is increased, radios above, glare reduced and dry windscreen. But the real influence as far as I'm concerned was the Marco (Seattle yard) crabbers need to work into head seas that broke over 80 and 90' boats in the gulf of AK. The sea comes down almost parallel to the cabin's windscreen and breaks on the overhanging house top and the deck, without damaging the "windows".

It took a while to catch on elsewhere as it is homely as can be in regards boat lines.

Cheers,
kmorin

[yipster]

thanks, interesting history and that makes a lot of sence.
on the other hand ive also been hearing story's about real rough stuff taking off reverse raked deckhouses

[kmorin]

One fall, years ago, I was in Seward, Alaska and saw an ocean going barge that was moored there. The barge was about 150' x 400' x 40' or 50' deck to water. The tug was around 150', one of the Foss Fleet tugs and the reason for stopping in Seward wasn't to discharge cargo.

The forward port 'corner' of the barge was torn off. I don't mean stove-in, I'm not implying some 'water damage' or that a wrinkle had been hammered into the hull. There was a corner of the barge gone.

The tear was about 60' along the deck, as a diagonal bow to port side, and the 'teeth' of the ragged edge made the entire show look like the barge had a mean-mouthed grin.

A friend worked on the temporary patch- bulkheaded off that corner of the bow and filled it with cement until they could get to a shipyard that could haul something that large.

Yep, that "rough stuff" in the Gulf of Alaska can get a might "lumpy" to use one of the terms of the local fishermen. I doubt anything but a submarine can avoid it all, even if the windows leaned forward.

Cheers,
kmorin

[yipster]

on tv i've seen a documentairy about that alaska fishing, crew had to jump for shelter between huge waves coming over houling crab boxes in. rough stuff!