Window / Portlight repair or replace
- Thread starter LeifThor
- Start date
markvone
Sustaining Member
Garry,
The link doesn't work for me now either. It's the Lewmar Port Fitting Guide under support but I have a copy attached. I made templates of the exterior dimension and the cutout size to make sure the size 1 port would fit. There is also a smaller Size 0 that should certainly fit but might require filling in some of the existing cutout.
FWIW, after taking the time to replace the cabinside teak veneer inside I decided to replace my four opening ports because I didn't like the design and the cutouts were way oversized and sloppy so they would be difficult to seal. I found the Lewmar Size 1 in stainless at Fisheries Supply so I should never have to deal with them again. Fisheries has the gaskets.
Mark
The link doesn't work for me now either. It's the Lewmar Port Fitting Guide under support but I have a copy attached. I made templates of the exterior dimension and the cutout size to make sure the size 1 port would fit. There is also a smaller Size 0 that should certainly fit but might require filling in some of the existing cutout.
FWIW, after taking the time to replace the cabinside teak veneer inside I decided to replace my four opening ports because I didn't like the design and the cutouts were way oversized and sloppy so they would be difficult to seal. I found the Lewmar Size 1 in stainless at Fisheries Supply so I should never have to deal with them again. Fisheries has the gaskets.
Mark
got it Mark... thanks.
I have a lot of rot in the 1/2" teak plywood laminated to the trunk walls (I do not have the gap that many talk about... it is f/g then the plywood with no space). Rather than fight with removing or matching the teak veneeer, I am going to gouge out the rotted areas and glue in a new piece, fair it and paint the entire insides an off white to match the yet-to-be-installed overhead. I think this was Christian's suggestion way back and I like it. Way less work me and it will brighten up the interior.
I will check Fisheries for the gaskets... tks
I have a lot of rot in the 1/2" teak plywood laminated to the trunk walls (I do not have the gap that many talk about... it is f/g then the plywood with no space). Rather than fight with removing or matching the teak veneeer, I am going to gouge out the rotted areas and glue in a new piece, fair it and paint the entire insides an off white to match the yet-to-be-installed overhead. I think this was Christian's suggestion way back and I like it. Way less work me and it will brighten up the interior.
I will check Fisheries for the gaskets... tks
Blue Streak
E25
I am about to rebuild the portlights on my E25, using the Catalinadirect.com gasket kit. The original glass is in good shape, but I have been thinking about going with acrylic.
What would be the benefits - other than the obvious of breakage?
Can't beat glass, can you?
As I recall, others have said that gasket kits require specific thickness, which might be something to confirm early in the planning.
As I recall, others have said that gasket kits require specific thickness, which might be something to confirm early in the planning.
Frank Langer
1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Is the gasket kit essential or can one simply bed the glass or acrylic in a bead of something like Dow795 Silicone?
Frank
Parrothead
Member III
Yeah, what Christian said. My experience is the Catalina kit glazing vinyl is for 3/16" panes and the Ericson 26-2 ports I refurbished had 1/8" panes. Of course, if you (Blue Streak) are making new acrylic panes they can be any thickness you want within reason. Maybe get the sealing kit before you buy acrylic so you're sure to have compatible sizes.
Blue Streak
E25
I think the gaskets work with the original glass, but we'll soon find out!
Well, maybe not so soon, as the snow is still pretty deep in these parts
FWIW I recently went through this process and paid HatchMasters of Norwalk Connecticut to replace the lenses in my 4 Ericson trapezoid lights.
The guy at Hatchmasters is kind of a Pain in the Aft to work with, but the finished product seems to be good. $300 per window labor and materials, not cheap.
Here is their discussion:
hatchmasters.com
The guy at Hatchmasters is kind of a Pain in the Aft to work with, but the finished product seems to be good. $300 per window labor and materials, not cheap.
Here is their discussion:
Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate - HatchMasters
I spend inordinate amounts of time discussing the pros and cons of acrylic and polycarbonate. In so much as I would like to bring some clarity to this issue. Please consider the following: All major hatch, portlight, and window manufacturers use Acrylic in offshore / bluewater marine products...
hatchmasters.com
Thanks for that link. I cannot fault most of the reasoning. That said, I believe that EY used polycarbonate for our fixed ports for good reason, altho one could certainly argue that acrylic might be equal in most respects in real world conditions.
Like an Ericson, our boat was designed and constructed for "continuous offshore duty".
As for the coefficient of expansion, that's a real thing. whether considering a long lens in a frame or externally fastened as they are on our boat, the lens *has* to be able to expand and contract without breaking the seal. That's why our lens' are "floated" on an eighth inch of flexible sealant. The screws that also hold them are in slightly oversized holes, too. I would guess that the sealant that Lewmar put around the perimeter of the big lens in our forward (size 70) hatch seems pretty flexible, that's probably to allow for thermal expansion.
Hatches and ports seem simple and basic, but there's a lot of technology in their design and installation.
Like an Ericson, our boat was designed and constructed for "continuous offshore duty".
As for the coefficient of expansion, that's a real thing. whether considering a long lens in a frame or externally fastened as they are on our boat, the lens *has* to be able to expand and contract without breaking the seal. That's why our lens' are "floated" on an eighth inch of flexible sealant. The screws that also hold them are in slightly oversized holes, too. I would guess that the sealant that Lewmar put around the perimeter of the big lens in our forward (size 70) hatch seems pretty flexible, that's probably to allow for thermal expansion.
Hatches and ports seem simple and basic, but there's a lot of technology in their design and installation.
Frank I had glass in my 27 which did not fit into either of the gaskets I ordered, so I gave up and bedded them in 795. That was in 2011 and no leaks so far that I know of (sold it to a friend and it’s moored nearby so I keep track of it). Same with my 30+. Nary a leak in 6 years. Here is my experience:
Tips for removing original portlights
Screwing in the inner frames provides enough compression for butyl. (I found some weird problem with getting them to screw back in evenly that I never fully figured out.) I still have one port that's still "temporarily" sealed with butyl (I forgot that one.) Still doing good. One of the...
I too contacted Hatchmasters and a couple other "full service" $$$ window places in the area. In the end I went to The Plastic Factory in Bridgeport. I gave them the old acrylic pane (I did the removal and install myself) and they cut perfect replacements for ~$40/pane. 2 yrs later I have no complaints. It goes without saying, start with one porthole and make sure it's do-able rather than replace all 8 in one goFWIW I recently went through this process and paid HatchMasters of Norwalk Connecticut to replace the lenses in my 4 Ericson trapezoid lights.
The guy at Hatchmasters is kind of a Pain in the Aft to work with, but the finished product seems to be good. $300 per window labor and materials, not cheap.
Here is their discussion:
Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate - HatchMasters
I spend inordinate amounts of time discussing the pros and cons of acrylic and polycarbonate. In so much as I would like to bring some clarity to this issue. Please consider the following: All major hatch, portlight, and window manufacturers use Acrylic in offshore / bluewater marine products...
markvone
Sustaining Member
When I replaced my four original crazed acrylic fixed portlights in 2016, I had the chance to select cast acrylic or tempered glass lenses in the new versions from the original vendor, Mark Plastics of Corona, CA. The lenses in these vinyl frame portlights are not replaceable. See the thread:
Help me Identify these Fixed Portlights
The frame and trim ring are white plastic. 18 screws clamp the inside trim ring to the frame. There is a foam weather-strip like gasket for (theoretical) sealing to the cabin side. The glazing is crazed so it's not glass. The max outside length is 28 1/8" and width is 8 3/8". The minimum...
I chose tinted tempered glass. Each complete portlight was $240 for tempered glass vs. $180 for the cheapest acrylic. The tempered glass lens is also slightly heavier. I just cleaned all my hatches and ports/portlights last weekend after pulling my winter cover. They are all the same age (7 years old) and all are still like new. The acrylic hatch lenses and Lewmar acrylic opening port lenses all live under insulated covers all the time. They are softer than the glass portlights and don't cleanup as easily. The tempered glass portlights are crystal clear, clean super easy (like glass!) and will never craze. My portlight sun shades are on the INSIDE and the glass is exposed to the sun all the time.
I'd select tempered glass over cast acrylic every time, if you have the choice. You will never have to replace crazed or scratched acrylic lenses or have to protect them from UV and thermal stress.
Mark
FWIW: While the clarity of tempered glass sounds great, the curvature of my hull requires a bit of flexibility to bed the outermost ends of my lights. I don’t think glass would be a good option for my 32-200 but I appreciate the rationale listed above.
To determine if this is an issue, one could remove the frame, clean out the old bedding material and then dry-fit the frame (simply set it in the hole) to see if the ends are different from the middle. In my case the ends had about .25” of proud gap from the hull.
To determine if this is an issue, one could remove the frame, clean out the old bedding material and then dry-fit the frame (simply set it in the hole) to see if the ends are different from the middle. In my case the ends had about .25” of proud gap from the hull.
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Interesting. Not so on the 32-3 (as I remember). Must be an effect of the -200 house redesign.