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My only gripe!

Old 06-07-2011, 08:44 PM
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Default My only gripe!

I absolutely love my Heat....

Having said that...there is one thing I really hate about it!

The farkin winshield is completely useless!

It is angled precisely and is of such a height... that the wind hits you squarely in the face.

This really sucks when trying to go fast.

Everyone who either drives the boat...or is a passenger comments on the poor winshield design...it looks awsome...but is totally useless.

I have to wear a full face helmet when driving hard...just to see.

I think the wind-away type flaps look gay!

They are also useless at speeds over about 75 mph.

I am seriously thinking about getting another winshield made.

I have talked to older Heat owners (they used to have taller winshields) and they say the extra height does no good....still the wrong angle.

Maybe it needs a flip at the top to direct wind over the passenger area instead of in your eyes.

Any thoughts?

Chris
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Old 06-07-2011, 09:56 PM
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i do have to totally agree with you, we were out this past weekend and a storm rolled in so we hammered back to the dock with a good 20-30mph headwind and running close to 75 with that headwind was absolutly rediculous, my eyes were shuttering in my head with sunglasses on! i agree the flip up deflectors are not appealing and figured they drop down at some speed, as far as a flip on the windshield, my hammer had a fairly flat winscreen with the flip on the top and it also did nothing to deflect the wind, though it was lower than the nordic design
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Old 06-08-2011, 06:55 AM
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Originally Posted by CB-BLR

I have to wear a full face helmet when driving hard...just to see.

They are also useless at speeds over about 75 mph.

Any thoughts?
Goggles

Personally tested to over 85 mph.
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Old 06-08-2011, 08:58 AM
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There is a design issue with the Nordic windshield. Like a lot of west coast custom builders they sacrifice some practicality for cool looks and lines. In your case Chris, it's probably gotten worse as your boat got faster. What's a minor annoyance at 65, becomes a pain in the azz @ 90+. When the former owners (Orval and Co.) designed the windsheilds, they never thought we would be running these speeds.
I have the custom Nordic version wind deflectors. It's so hot here during most of the boating season, I like the wind, unless it's buggy or raining. They are much nicer than windaways. They don't fold down at speed. The hinge has a machined groove that the deflector side slides into. I rarely use them, but I did run them during a rainy poker run and they saved the day. They do have a strange effect on cockpit noise. They calm the wind down so much the exhaust seems louder. Until sombody comes up with something better, I am happy to have them.
I think a flip up on the top of the windshield like the old Fountain plexiglass design would help. About half the height of the flip ups should work.
I have ridden with friends that have the older higher Nordic windshields. It is a little better. You can duck down behind it, but it's not very comfortable to do so for long.
Regards,
Steve
Attached Thumbnails My only gripe!-deflectors-down.jpg   My only gripe!-deflectors-up.jpg  

Last edited by Steve Zuckerman; 06-08-2011 at 09:37 AM.
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Old 06-08-2011, 09:10 AM
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The "Fever" windshield...........
Attached Thumbnails My only gripe!-fountain-27.jpg   My only gripe!-fountain-32.jpg  

Last edited by Steve Zuckerman; 06-08-2011 at 09:16 AM.
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Old 06-08-2011, 10:05 AM
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I had the Wind-Away product when I had mine. Agree completely about the wind screen being designed for form and not function. I never went that fast with my 496HO 28' so I had no issue with them folding down...didn't care about the gay thing either, couldn't stand the wind in the face. I don't think anyone ever gave a sh!t if they were on or not anyway.
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Old 06-08-2011, 01:19 PM
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IMO, one of the most appealing visual attributes of the Heat (and Flame for that matter), is the rake and sleekness of the windshield, and how that flows from the foredeck and integrates toward the stern. I get favorable comments on that specific design element from almost everyone who sees the boat for the first time. That, and the open-bow.

I doubt seriously that windshield practicality factored too much into Orville's thinking when this boat was initially designed -- or re-designed at the point the rake was increased. I think sleek looks ruled the day. Period.

That said, one of the very first accessories I purchased were the Wind-Aways. Since I wear contacts, abating the wind-in-the-eyes factor when necessary was a mandatory. I used the Wind-Aways quite a bit during my first 2-3 seasons...when I knew I'd be running long distances at a time at Havasu (Springs to Needles, etc). Personally, while they may not be perfect, I don't think they look bad at all. They get the job done well. And since I'll be perenially limited to the 64.5 MPH top-speed my blessed 496 HO propels me to -- folding down is not an issue. I still have these on-hand in my cabin - though I haven't used them for quite some time.

After the 3rd season, during a rare moment of mental clarity -- I decided I'd try a bit simpler approach -- goggles. I spent all of $15 bucks at the Nautical Inn store just before the first-ever Desert Storm...for a very nice looking tinted lense goggles. Believe it or not, I still have these, they're in great shape, and I still use them when I want to avoid the wind-in-the-eyes factor. These goggles are 100% effective, and I'm pretty certain that because they make me look like some kind of racer type -- SS I2D picks up several MPH just on my enhanced "looks like I'm going fast" fashion accessory alone (note: speed not GPS verified).

Love my Heat.

David
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Old 06-08-2011, 01:24 PM
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Could be worse. The Flame at those speeds is not very comfortable at all. Wife says it takes my skin a while to catch up
I don't get it either... The Rage is better than the Heat and the Heat is better than the Flame. Seems like it should be the other way to me.
Too bad they never offered a canopy type windshield for the Heat and Flame. Would look pretty nice if done right.

Seriously considering some googles...

Hey Steve (Indy), you never got much wind because you were always going with it to get that 63 mph out of it (hope all is well)

Dave

Last edited by Nordicflame; 06-08-2011 at 01:27 PM.
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Old 06-08-2011, 02:12 PM
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I took a set of wind aways and cut them in half so they are only a couple of inches tall. They do the job great and are not near the hassle of the full size ones. They also stay on better, but not to Chis's speeds (LOL). I think all the windshield really needs is a lip and it would deflect the wind over your head just fine. I even talked to a windshield guy about building some sort of lip attachment. He thought he could do it, but it'd be pretty expensive. Probably could get the whole windshield made just as easily.
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Old 06-08-2011, 02:21 PM
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Hey Bob...the Wind Away cut in half idea is brilliant. I think I might do that. What type of saw did you use?
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