A portlight in the cockpit. E29.

I'm probably going to install a port on the starboard side cockpit, trying to add a little light to the aft "sleeping quarters". It looks like such a dark, and foreboding cave back there, that is only marginally brightened up with electric lighting. Unless convinced otherwise, this strikes me as desirable, as I've seen them on Island Packets, etc, and they work well.
So has anybody actually undertaken this before? It doesn't strike me as a huge job, but I thought I'd ask before actually cutting into it, and discovering that there is something critically wrong with this idea. And I hoped that someone would have some idea as to how "thick" it is there. ??

I believe the E27 has a similar setup, so this may apply to your 29. If I remember correctly there is something of a space between the interior liner and the cockpit wall in this area (maybe 1/2 inch?). You should be able to tell by tapping or flexing roughly how much space there is. So you would probably have to stiffen this area up with filler before installing the portlight. The liner and the deck might also flex independently. So I would be worried about the portlight working loose over time. I suppose you could cut away a section of the liner around the portlight but that may look messy. The overall thickness will be dependent upon the airspace, but the liner is probably 1/8 inch and the cockpit wall is probably only about 1/4 inch. I don't remember any core in this area.


Doug

Yes, I think the liner does move independently of the cockpit sole in that area. But it seems as if you could stiffen it up by inserting some sort of core material around the port and bonding it to both sides. The job would be no different than the engine control panel on the other side, except for dealing with the liner.

To gauge the gap between the liner and the cockpit wall you could drill a 1/16" hole in the liner and be able to measure the gap. My guess is that the gap and flex would be no more than in the head liner and the deck for the fixed ports therefore the process would work well. You will need one of the windows that hinges inward like in the link below , being a full vertical install this would work well and add ventilation to the boat.



http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|296549|320595&id=45587

Hmm. Yeah, cool. That was also one of my "concerns", was the liner flexing adjacent to the cockpit. I suppose in retrospect, and also like said, that it shouldn't be much different than any other place in the boat that has the liner, which is essentially everywhere.

Thanks for the Beckson link Randy. I like Defender. I just ordered a fresh water tank sending unit from them that was truly a work of art. All stainless, no electronics under water like a sending unit on a fuel tank, and all mechanical. The add didn't say specifically all the relevant details, and this thing NEEDED TO WORK! After a failed attempt with another brand name that didn't hold up but for six weeks, it embarrassed me. This unit was gorgeous.

There is one thing that struck me as curious. On the port, Beckson recommended silicone caulk. That is not at ALL what I had in mind. Oh well.

So let the drilling commence. Or to quote an old motto from the sapper days, "There is no problem which cannot be solved with high explosives".

Bed with butyl tape but be sure it is warm when you apply the tape.

I put an opening one in on my 32, port side and love it. More light for sure, better ventilation as well. There was a gap, about 1/8'" or 3"16. I used pieces of the cut out on all four sides to shim the gap, applied plenty of sealant and socked the screws down well. No problems. Usually close it under weigh, when offshore for sure.Regards, Greg