Glassware vs Polycarbonate

[ericson_adam]

I'm looking at having a bit of a bar on my boat.

And, I'm strongly leaning toward the idea of using indestructable polycarbonate glasses.

But I wouldn't mind a 2nd opinion on that.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for places to buy nice, good quality, polycarbonate high ball glasses, martini glasses, etc.

Cheers,
-A

[David M]

Broken glass on a boat is a real bummer. West Marine sells all kinds of plastic dishware. Find out who manufacturers it on the West Marine site and then buy it for less cost elsewhere by doing a Google search. I would check Amazon first.

[Blue Stocking]

Find a commercial kitchen and resta--however you spell that da*n word-wholesale place for best prices.

[noelex 77]

Glass is much nicer to drink from than polycarbonate. Last 3 years full time cruising, with lots of friends and parties, total one glass broken.
My wife would jump ship if I suggested plastic.

.

[cfarrar]

You'll find a huge selection of polycarb online (ex., Amazon), really cheap, whatever size and style you want. The only downside is that it tends to get grazed and scratched after a few years, losing that "new" look, but at $2 a glass you can afford to replace it.

[SVRocinante]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Glass is much nicer to drink from than polycarbonate... My wife would jump ship if I suggested plastic.

I have to agree with noelex 77 on this one!
We've tried polycarbonate and the melamine plates and while OK, they simply don't compare. We carry real china and real crystal with us and quite frankly, we've broken more glasses at home than on the boat!

Yes, part of our ritual for getting underway is packing up all the glassware, but we feel the little bit of extra effort is worth it.

Her's a picture of our "wine cellar"... OK, so it's the V-berth. Still, not a single bottle lost over a 10 month period on the go.



BTW, in case I run into any of you out there using plastic; I will not turn up my nose at wine offered to me in a plastic cup ;-)


Carlos

[flysci]

I found a good price on PC highballs here:

AlwaysBrilliant.Com - Quality Household Cleaning Products, Kitchen Gadgets, Bathroom Accessories and More. All Affordably Priced.

-Margo

[sarafina]

If you go with poly check cost plus world imports, if you have one in the area. Their wine glasses are 3 bucks and look really nice. They have other shapes, but thats the only one I get.

As far as the debate?

Broken glass is a hassle no matter where it is and I don't use plastic at home or by the pool either. I don't do melamine either

I always find that the plastic ware is MUCH harder to clean and washing dishes on board is one of my least favorite chores...

Glass and china just comes clean so much more easily. And as noted it's nicer to eat and drink off of.

We have mexican soda glasses for drinking, they are heavy and stable and not prone to breaking. The wine glasses have a rack that holds them securely.

China is cool inexpensive from ikea, so if one breaks I can just pick up an new one. Open stock is good so you can relpace as needed. Sets can be problematic that way. Might not mind 3 extra places settings at home, but on the boat I ONLY want what I have room for...

[svtrio]

We have been so pleased with our Tervis insulated polycarb glasses. They have a variety of sizes for every use. The insulated feature is great! Hot drinks remain hot longer, and cold drinks remain cold longer too. My wife and I have played the "when will the ice cubes melt": polycarb insulated vs glass vs polycarb noninsulated. Seeing still-large cubes in the insulated polycarbs after they have disappeared in the other glasses is very convincing.

While landbound, we wash the Tervis stuff in the dishwasher. We've had them for years, use them everyday, dropped them on every kind of surface, take them to the beach and road trips. Top covers for most of them turn them into "travel mug-like" glasses, and enhance the insulation features. Finally, on occasion, a glued section has released or the air between the insulated section has fogged. We mail them to Tervis and they send us new ones at no charge.

Other brands with similar features are likely to be just as satisfactory.

Roger

[capt_douglas]

I'd suggest looking for polycarbonate/Strahl glasses as opposed to cheaper, and softer, dollar store plastic one. They don't break, look like glass, don't seem to fog or scratch, and clean quite well. They are a bit more expensive but, imo, are a better buy.

[ActiveCaptain]

I admit that we use the Tervis tumblers - love them. But that's where my love with plastic glassware ends. For wine glasses, use glass. We have both glass and plastic - and we hate the plastic. We've yet to break a glass and they are much less expensive to replace.

I'm looking for nice cocktail glassware now - small and larger - to get rid of the last plasticware we thought we'd want.

[Unicorn Dreams]

We are the same way and don't use plastic, that's for tent camping, not in our home.

[cabo_sailor]

We use the Tervis tumblers and love their insulating capability. Over the years they do get a bit grungy and scratched and then a new set comes on board. For wine, we use strictly glass. They hang upside down from a rack in the liquour cabinet. There are three in each rack and the middle glass wears a sock when not in use. We've never broken one. Dishes we are still looking at but have usually used stoneware of some sort. Our problem is the dish storage rack has a max size of 10 in and most that we see are a bit too large.

Rich

[sarafina]

I would not have corelle at the house but I like it on the boat. Lightweight, oven and nuke proof, stacks tightly and doesn't take up much space. They should fit in your rack.

[s/v Sunsets]

Just found this yesterday in another sailing forum's ad space:

Complete Fusion Classic Wine Glass Collection (Set of 20) - Wine Enthusiast

Supposedly Fusion wineglasses are nearly unbreakable GLASS glasses.

Go figure.