I was going to wait and update this thread once this whole issue was resolved...

My boat is in the water without a side glass still. Originally, the marina I stored the boat at was going to have Ocean Dynamics fabricate a piece of glass. Turned out, their lead time was too long (which probably would have already been here by now), or they were too expensive. So the marina had a local glass company make one. That turned out too thick for the frame because it wasn't true marine glass. Then they had another local guy make it that was "very familiar with boat glass". When they mounted it, the glass cracked. They finally found that the glass is supposed to be somewhat "flexible". I guess Taylor uses this specific type of flexible glass, but it's not commonly known.

The marina eventually found http://www.marineglassspecialties.com and says they are authorized fabricator/supplier for Taylor Made and Water Bonnett. They stated the exact type of glass Taylor uses and will "flex" somewhat to fit the side frame as intended from the factory.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it sounds like my marina was trying to find the easier and cheaper way out. They finally discovered there's no way around this and found the correct manufacturer and type of glass. I'll keep you posted.

I'm also going to be fighting them about the gelcoat chipping they created when removing and re-installing the frame 4 times now. The last piece of glass they put in didn't flex (or wasn't the right curve) so they basically forced it by screwing the frame in. Gee, why would the glass crack?@!? This caused the gelcoat to chip where the screws go in. What a mess!

Ouch!
 

This may sound foolish, and probaly already researched, but I was in the Mariah boat dealer showroom today and was looking at a new 21ft Mariah. It looks very similar , if not identical in hull demensions as my Z212. The windshield from one of these beauties should be able to be easily be put on an earlier model with much less hassle...even if some gelcoat and emron needed to be applied to cover old install. I had some damage repaired on my boat by a great fiberglass car body shop and you cannot see it at all...just a thought. Hope all works out for you.
GW

GW - Yes, the "new" Mariah SX21 is the same mold as the "old" Mariah 212. It does look like an easier fix... but I'm not willing to give up the vent windows the new Mariah doesn't have. Especially since this is the marina's problem to fix, not mine. No, I hardly use the vents, but I like the look of yet another feature Mariah included that no one else did - 'til later.

However, if I were the one to break it, I would definitely give this idea a second look. It would depend on what Marine Glass Specialties could do and the price differences.