Sail Lifevideo
⛵️ Overengineering at work and adventures in acrylic bonding. Ep 681
June 7, 2026 · 22 min · 69K views
What this video covers
Mads installs a test acrylic window on a 44-foot Antares Yachts catamaran to validate a custom thermoforming and bonding process.0:21 To accommodate the 5–6mm of daily thermal expansion and contraction inherent in large acrylic windows, he deviates from the standard full-surface adhesive method.13:13 Following consultation with a Sika technical representative, he applies a single bead of Sikaflex 295UV around the window perimeter rather than coating the entire contact area.14:15 He uses Sika 207 primer, which provides a black finish that mimics a window frit to hide the adhesive bead.15:35 The installation utilizes 3D-printed spacers for alignment and an electric caulking gun for consistent application.12:28 While the current window is a temporary test piece to verify the thermoforming mold size and bonding integrity, the method significantly reduces adhesive consumption compared to traditional full-adhesion techniques.18:56 The project also includes building a custom plywood and EMT conduit storage rack for vinyl decals.1:24
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