Rebedding leaking windows

1985 E30+ with linking windows. Looking for "how to" help in rebedding the windows.

Either butyl tape or silicone will work. Folks have their preferences. The advantage of silicone (which is what most production boat windows were done with back in the day) is that it seals well and, if you carefully tape before you remove the window, can be cleaned up--but is wicked if you slop it around and it hardens. The advantage of butyl tape is that it never hardens and expands and contracts with the window better to maintain a seal. The problem with butyl is the stuff will expand goo out when it gets hot and needs to be cleaned up--but that is easy. If you get silicone around stuff, it is harder to remove. I always use butyl where there is predictable movement (like hatches and big windows and stanchions) and silicone when windows seem to be in places the boat is not going to flex. I like 4200 3m for windows because it has some adhesive in it, but would never ever use 5200 on anything that might need to be removed in the future. Some folks prefer no adhesive and just use plain marine silicone. You need a silicone that will stand up to UV, so some household ones will not work. FWIW.

Pete the Cat said:

You need a silicone that will stand up to UV, so some household ones will not work

Click to expand...

Yes, do NOT use the standard silicone caulk for bathrooms and kitchens. The seal fails quickly and leaves a residue that is nearly impossible to remove and worse, doesn’t let anything else stick to it. Dow 795 is the only “silicone” sealant that I am aware of that works well for boat use. I used butyl tape (Bed-It is the only one worth using https://bed-it.com/) for port lights but others prefer sealant- 3M 4200 as Pete the Cat mentioned, or Sikaflex 291 are great, and I think some here use Boat Life. You’ll likely also need to replace the rubber gasket between the window frame and the glass or use Dow 795.

Do a search for leaking port lights there are literally dozens of threads on here about this job. Good luck with it.

A search for "Leaking port lights" yielded "No results found". I could use some help in how to remove the metal frame (on the outside of the port light) such that it can be reused.

Hi Stan (?),

I'm just doing a cut-and-paste of the links which were useful for me when I did this job last year. It's a barely edited data dump with my cryptic notes, but hopefully you'll find something useful.

master-thread.9603/
p4 #61- Butyl tape x2 #69- Butyl #70- 3M 4200 #75- yellowing of 4200 #76- Dow 795 & butyl #78- 3M 4000 and new glass vinyl



2022 vinyl bead source https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/wanted-vinyl-glazing-for-fixed-ports-3-16-glass.19511/

#1 fixtures for clamping #2 soap for gasket insert lube #7 silicone grease or glycerin lube #9, #10, #13, specific gasket vendors #24, #27, #32 advocates for mechanical removal from molecular level #26 Silicone Solutions remover #29 DeBond and Remov-It worked well



#26 cleaning regimen, D795 instead of rubber gaskets, use special tool #34 No butyl, 4200 is too strong, instead 3 choices #35 4200 may damage some plastics



Bomar not rebuildable https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/bomar-opening-port-lights-circa-1985.11670/


2005 paint frames veneer etc. https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/opening-portlight-removal-and-replacement.2502/
2008-9 caulk v butyl
mostly cosmetic

#1- Smooth-On 01022 A4 Metalset


link for gasket co



Heat and Alcohol for sealant cleanup, esp when uncured

PORTLIGHT GLAZING VINYL

CUSTOM NEW PORTLIGHTS


If you're new-ish to the site, you might find @ChristianWilliams master thread list helpful. I couldn't find it just now, but someone will be able to direct you to it.

Cheers,
Jeff

stangc said:

I could use some help in how to remove the metal frame (on the outside of the port light) such that it can be reused.

Click to expand...

Time and pressure, and maybe a bit of heat or Anti-Bond will help to release the frames from the hull. This post might provide some insights, as well.

If the port lights are currently bedded with 4200 or God forbid, 5200, Marine Formula Debond is the magical elixir. I find it intolerable to breath so take a good respirator if you use it.

I have had good luck using a straight blade on an oscillating tool to cut through the sealant but be sure to protect the cabin side from scratches.

Replacing Fixed Ports (Windows): https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/replacing-fixed-windows-research-master-thread.9603/
Replacing gaskets on Fixed Ports (Windows): https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/thread...main-large-windows-ports-master-thread.13578/

The “quick hacky” option that “might work” could also be to just reseal the exterior trim. Did this over the summer with sikaflex and have had a drip free year so far.

a lot of this might depend on how much the legacy, interior frame sealant has held up. In my case it was maybe between 90-95% functional (the previous leaks weren’t gushing).

I can only recommend this if one doesn’t want to deal with the whole remove and rebed steps for fixed ports. But if it last a few years it’s pretty quick to do - in comparison. Your mileage may vary!

I justify this method by there being, what appeared to be a, “superficial” exterior caulk layer anyway. With some care and good taping it turned out neat.

use your discretion as this method is not one-size-fits-all; I chose to remove and properly recaulk the foreword hatch.