Can I repair this portlight?

[Hilary]

Hi all. Finally started the project of rebedding the portlights - all of which leak. Started with the one in the head and found the leak at the seam where the metal frame meets (pictures below). Is this something I can fix and, if so, how? Is there a compound I can seal it with or get a welder to drop a bead on it? I really can’t start buying all new portlights. Thanks!

 

[reginaldobaker]

Wish I had more intimate firsthand experience on this but there are a few others threads on this topic you may find helpful, one of which is included below. My hunch is this gap would be "taken care of" if you pulled apart the whole frame and re-sealed. If you caulk over the split it may work but doubtful it'd be a satisfactory long term fix - but could be wrong.

In regards to adhesives/sealants for ports I like butyl tape and sikaflex 295-uv products. Welding the split seems impractical as it'd permanently alter the frame and render it non-serviceable (welding the aluminum would likely require spool gun mig/tig capabilities) - this doesn't seem as though it'd do much to hinder water penetration to boot.

best of luck with your water proofing!

Replacing rubber seals on main (large) windows/ports [Master Thread]

Still working on our "Never Ending Project" of refurbishing our E-32 Mk II ("CaryOn"). We're currently replacing all of the rubber seals on ALL of the ports. The smaller ones went fairly easy (not really) but the larger ports/windows are a REAL problem on the small hard radius corners. The...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[Pete the Cat]

Wish I had more intimate firsthand experience on this but there are a few others threads on this topic you may find helpful, one of which is included below. My hunch is this gap would be "taken care of" if you pulled apart the whole frame and re-sealed. If you caulk over the split it may work but doubtful it'd be a satisfactory long term fix - but could be wrong.

In regards to adhesives/sealants for ports I like butyl tape and sikaflex 295-uv products. Welding the split seems impractical as it'd permanently alter the frame and render it non-serviceable (welding the aluminum would likely require spool gun mig/tig capabilities) - this doesn't seem as though it'd do much to hinder water penetration to boot.

best of luck with your water proofing!

Replacing rubber seals on main (large) windows/ports [Master Thread]

Still working on our "Never Ending Project" of refurbishing our E-32 Mk II ("CaryOn"). We're currently replacing all of the rubber seals on ALL of the ports. The smaller ones went fairly easy (not really) but the larger ports/windows are a REAL problem on the small hard radius corners. The...

ericsonyachts.org

Yes, my experience is that the leak shows up here, but is likely starting somewhere else. They are not a big chore to remove and rebed.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

We rebedded our opening portlights without rebuilding them. (I did rebuild the fixed portlights) One of the opening PLs didn't pass the leak test, but I put it back in. This is discussed at greater length in the thread @reginaldobaker linked. In fact, Bomars are not rebuildable. The result is that there has been a dramatic reduction in water intrusion after this, even with the old opening ports. I used butyl tape for the openers because we'll likely have to revisit them and they should be easier to remove. You might try rebedding first. If that doesn't work, you can always go back at 'em. FWIW
Jeff