water leaks from portlights

[Rolf Kruse]

Hallo,
for some time my Lewmar portlights -old Standard size 4- have been leaking
and the lenses are totally scratched; same for the other 2 portlights (right and left)somewhat larger and aft of size 4 which I understand are custommade by Lewmar especially for Ericson.I replaced all four lenses and used the old gaskets, and they are still leaking. I found the english supplier for Lewmar gaskets whose e-mail address is: sales@sealsplusdirect.co.uk , however they only carry the standard sizes and not any custommade.
The other source of the leaking are the portlight cutouts which are too big for the portlight frames, such that the gaps between frame and cutout
can barely be closed and covered with butal tape and silicon which I tried
but it still leaks.
What is the answer, find someone who makes customized portlights
fitting the cutouts or make an additional aluminum frame larger than the
portlight frame to cover the cutouts.
Anybody there who succesfully solved that kind of a problem ?
Your answer is very much appreciated.
Rolf

[Mike Thomas]

Rolf
I know that there is a portlight replacement project on the owners projects page and then there is the Uber Project Page of Stella Blue. That site has all the details that you would ever want on a port light replacement project.
Here's the link.
http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/Pr...dows/index.htm

I hope this gives you a direction.

Mike T

[Loren Beach]

Regarding the new combo metal/plastic ports on Stella Blue, I spoke to Wally when I found him and his boat by accident while I was visiting a friend at the same marina in Alameda. He is a great guy and actually very low key -- he does appreciate our interest, though. This was in April, and he said that the color of the plastic had changed a bit (UV?) and the maker was going to replace them...

It appears that buried in every solution is a new problem, if one is of a philosophical frame of mind...

As to Lewmar, I thought that they had built the large fixed ports in a special-order size just for Ericson, but that the opening ports were a stock Lewmar size. At least the five opening ports on my '88 Olson are stock Lewmars.
My four large fixed port lenses, OTOH, are external unframed lexan...
[It's an "Olson thing"].

You might want to do a search on this site for anything having to do with Lewmar port gaskets. I know that others have replaced them -- it's on our to-do list one of these years, also.
Best,
Loren in PDX
Olson 34 #8

[Chris Miller]

This is a project that we are determined to embark on this summer as well. Our holes are too big for the frames, which makes them torque a little bit when the screws are tight. As our sealant has aged, this twist has started them leaking. I'm hoping a re-bedding will fix it- otherwise it's going to involve glassing over the holes and recutting!
Chris

[ted_reshetiloff]

So the replacements from Lewmar 4L and 4R are not the correct size? They looked pretty close to me. I think this link gets you close:

http://www.lewmar.com/webcat/index.asp

[Rolf Kruse]

Mike,
thanks for your info, the StellaBoat link looks very interesting and I need to study
it more in detail and hope it gets me on the right track.
I'll report on my progress.
Rolf

[Rolf Kruse]

Loren,
it is the larger fixed portlights for which Lewmar does not supply spare gaskets as opposed to the gaskets for opening portlights. I just need to contact the supplier
in England whos address I mentioned in my opening thread.
My bigger problem seems to be the framing, one option a.o. could be external unframed
lenses like you have it on your Olson.
Rolf

[Rolf Kruse]

Chris,
we did the re-bedding of the portlights before and it is leaking again.
This time around we need to do a more thorough and lasting job.
Rolf

[Rolf Kruse]

Ted,
Lewmar does not supply spare gaskets for fixed portlights.
The holes are too big for the standard size 4R and 4L
Rolf

[Art Mullinax]

I'm not sure which gaskets you folks are talking about but several years ago I replaced the glass in my fixed portlights on my 71 E29. The old glass had started to get frosty looking around the edges. I had a local glass shop use the old glass as a pattern to cut new ones out of 1/4" safety glass. In looking for the new gaskets, I went to a local plumbing supply house and bought gasket material used in shower doors. I wrapped the new material around the glass, cut the seam on a 45 degree angle, put a little silicone on it just to stick it in place, then reassembled the frame using aluminum pop rivits. The holes in the cabin side were also cut too big. I made several marks (pencil) around the opening 1/2" from the edge. When I reinstalled the ports I used the marks to try to center it in the opening. I learned a valuble lesson. 1, Do not use duck tape to cover the openings while working on the ports. The glue on the tape sticks like crazy and is almost impossible to remove. 2, Don't use the port frame to squeeze the inner liner and cabin sides together. The glass doesn't bend to fit the radius of the cabin. It breaks and has to be replaced all over again.
Art M.

[Loren Beach]

Hi Art,
The gaskets in question are the compressable rubber-like material that is adherred to a groove in the edge of the lens on a Lewmar opening port. When dogged down, it compresses and, for XX number of years, stops the water from seeping in around the edge.
After the passage of time (XX years) and maybe exposure to UV, and probably the hardening of the spongy material itself, it no longer seals properly.... And you have to pry out the old and glue in some new.

I used to have an Atkins and Hoyle hatch on our previous boat, and the thick hatch lens sealed the same way. It had to be regasketed by gluing in another long round section of gasket around the whole flange of the lens every 10 or 15 years. [Historical footnote: the early Ericson 38 has Atkins Hoyle hatches, including an alloy-framed sliding hatch!]

Loren in PDX

[ted_reshetiloff]

Steve Christensen can provide some detail here as I believe he replaced his fixed ports with the lewmar 4R and 4Ls on his E 38. IIRC he spent 300 a piece on them. Replaced the whole port. From an old post in this forum:



"Are you asking about the large slanted fixed portlights? If so, you can still buy replacements from Lewmar. You can see them at www.lewmar.com, and the size is 4L and 4R. I just replaced one on my boat last year when the plastic became dangerously crazed. The new Lewmar portlight has a slightly different frame extrusion, but you really can't tell the difference from more than a few feet away. They are pricy though, as I think the total from West Marine for the special order was close to $300 for just ONE portlight. (ouch!)"
__________________
Steve Christensen
Midland, MI
Former Owner of Rag Doll
Ericson 38

[diamondjim]

FYI Guys & Gals,
I just spent the last two days fixing 5 of the 6 portlights on my 81 E-28. Not an easy task but very doable. The origional gaskets were totally worthless and not obtainable so I made them as part of the fix. In my opinion, these OEM portlights are about as functional as the shower door in my house and the workmanship with which they were origionally installed was poor at best. This boat cost over $81,000 when new in 1981 but you would not have known it looking at these origiional installs.
I have less than $20 in materials in the job and about 11 hrs of time - minus the learning curve.
I will gladly share the proceedure with the site as a posted project. I photographed along the way as a picture is worth 10,000 words. The explanation is wordy but I would also be glad to answer any questions for those who want to fix the leaks.
I have received very good and helpful info from this web site and would like to return the favor.
<> Jim

[William Ford]

FYI Guys & Gals,
I just spent the last two days fixing 5 of the 6 portlights on my 81 E-28. Not an easy task but very doable. The origional gaskets were totally worthless and not obtainable so I made them as part of the fix. In my opinion, these OEM portlights are about as functional as the shower door in my house and the workmanship with which they were origionally installed was poor at best. This boat cost over $81,000 when new in 1981 but you would not have known it looking at these origiional installs.
I have less than $20 in materials in the job and about 11 hrs of time - minus the learning curve.
I will gladly share the proceedure with the site as a posted project. I photographed along the way as a picture is worth 10,000 words. The explanation is wordy but I would also be glad to answer any questions for those who want to fix the leaks.
I have received very good and helpful info from this web site and would like to return the favor.
<> Jim

Jim- I am an owner of a 1990 E28 with similar portlight leakage problems. Would love to see a copy of your article and photos. Please direct me to it.

Thanks- Bill Ford( Fordwriteslaw@aol.com)

[Erich]

A good source for replacement Lewmar portlight gasket material is:
http://www.selectplastics.com/
You can buy it by the foot.
They also have the small o-rings that seal the latches.
I replaced mine over 1 year ago and no more leaks.
I can't recall the exact price but it seemed quite reasonable, and they even threw in the o-rings for free.
Regards,