"Crystal Clear" vs off brand "Marine Vinyl"?

[SKMT]

Need to replace my fly bridge enclosure. I see the brand name "Crystal Clear" (made by makers of strataglass) is apparently just a "regular" vinyl, although supposed to be the clearest of the regulars. Meanwhile I can find "marine vinyl" for 1/3 the price elsewhere.

I'm specifically looking on marinevinylfabric.com. They call their's "Flexa Clear".

Can anybody attest to if Crystal Clear is significantly better than off brand "marine vinyls"?

[CarlF]

Yea. I believe Crystal Clear is about the same as the other uncoated clear vinyls. It will look good for about 12 months down south. Strataglass with its extra coating looks good for about 24 months assuming you spend a lot of time polishing it with the IMAR cleaners. Up north they last much longer.

The best thing to do is to replace some of your vinyl with polycarbonate (seveal brand names but one is Makrolon). This stuff looks great for many years and is more like looking through a car windshield than a clear shower curtain - ( which is what Strataglass feels like to me).

The problem is that polycarbonate bends but doesn't roll like Strataglass. Some people hinge it up and attach it to the flybridge ceiling. Or make the "windshield" stay in place and have Strataglass foll up for ventilation on the side windows.