Is this the new style retainer/flange that you're talking about?
In Sharkeys Gallery of the Skater tour, you can see all the work that is being done to Talkin Trash's canopy. I "think" these were taken during the upgrades, but I may be wrong.. Just some food for thought so everyone who isn't familiar with canopies can get an idea of what exactly everyone is talking about..





For some reason, its not letting me link the photos, so here are the direct links.
http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/sk...tour/e2a333374
http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/sk...tour/e3abd1b27

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/sk...3374#h2ab334c2

great pics. never seen these pics before but know the boat pretty well.

added this one to point out what i was trying to relate earlier.

Lots of good thoughts guys .
Here are cross section photos of the two styles of canopies I had described .
I would presume the laminated one is better and I believe the canopy that failed in the FIA tests was not a laminated one .

What is the thickness ?

According to the video the windscreen was triple layered, 30 mm thick.

All failures that I know of have been Polycarbonate . John at Mystic has had three roll overs with the new Acrilic windshield and no failures. DW boats have rolled as well with no failures. This has more to do with the installation and window as a system with retainers then just the new windows on their own. Old installation procedures on some boats are just wrong. See you guys next week! I'm heading to Vegas

We build .750 laminated poly windows for this boat but theres no outer retainers!!! Installation still could be improved!! Bob and his Son #77 needs to do what Vinny and Jimmy did to their boat . I used to stay silent about this stuff. But if it rolls over and the windows pop out at least I said it. I would also make the forward windshield landing as wide as the side window landing so it will have less of a chance blowing inward during a stuff! I love Skaters! Heck I have two! But outer retainers and reduced exposed windshield area need to be available to owners of Skater race boats. Older MTIs as well. This is only a recommendation and you can still die racing. Good Day

I'll measure tomorrow .

Acrylic, would have to be thick, not forgetting another name for it is Plexiglas, I prefer a “Thick”( you can buy up to 4” thick without much problem) polycarbonate,now if it failed the cross-section was very questionable and those calculations were in need of evaluation,along with the perch area also as we know, Acrylics can be scribe broken ,which means Keep the cut edges to a very smooth free of cut marks in their finial finish.

The story on PC is true ,I spoke to Dr Fox’s Intern and chatted with her a while on this material.

Also glassed pieces of it in my work for backing plates as it’s affinity for ester systems is enormous.

I don't think an enclosure with thick well fastened windows is the answer . It is still attached to a weak structure . Shouldn't the roll bar at least extend right to the bottom ? Are these pilots just sitting in between the hull's bulkheads or does a separate cockpit exist ?
I'm no expert but in my opening post I eluded to building an elliptical survival cell and am more convinced now that this would be the safest most logical solution .