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1983 E38 window seals?

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Hello All,
I have search the posts looking for the rubber weatherstripping for the fixed windows on my 1983 E38 but I cannot find the specific answer I need. I have one leaking window. By window I mean the aft-most fixed windows, the larger ones, two per side, in the cabin top. Not the portlights, which all open. I have found many references to replacing the weatherstripping, rebedding the entire frame, etc. What I would like to know is exactly what weatherstripping do I need? I would like to order and have it on hand before I tear it apart. Thanks, RT
 

Bob in Va

Member III
Worked for me

I don't know the size requirements for your boat, but my E-23 had some leaks and after much searching I found a great product carried by Lowe's: it is made by "md" and is described as marine weatherstripping. It fits my frames perfectly - 1/2" wide, sticky-back, 3/8" high. It is a dense cell foam that works very well around curves without bunching and when you compress it down there is very minimal bulging. It comes in a purple package - 10' for 3 bucks. Seems to be high quality - I see no evidence of leakage since using it.
 

DanranE38

New Member
We have had the same problem on our 1980 E-38 (hull #6). Have owned the boat since 1986 and have tried everything short of replacing the fixed ports. Have removed them, put in new gaskets which we obtained from an auto window glass place which worked OK for keeping rain out but still leaks whenever we are sailing in heavy weather and taking a lot of water over the decks. We have had the ports covered with a special fiberglass duct tape for the last couple of years and that has been a good "temporary fix" but is super tacky looking and not what we want. We are currently researching to see if we can find a company that manufactures exact replacement ports for these non standard openings. We are hoping that new ports might be built a bit stronger than the older ones. As a side to the original thread does anybody know of a company that makes a replacement fixed port that will fit the existing cutouts on an E-38?
 

cawinter

Member III
Projects Pages

The Lewmar replacement windows are quite expensive ($300+/window). Even though I am not replacing mine right now I was thinking about doing a job similar to the one on the project pages. Get rid of the Aluminum frame (mine looks like !@#$), clean the cut out, epoxy and paint the wood/glass edge and fit an external sheet of acrylic (or whatever makes sense). Through-bolt and maybe add a trim ring on the inside. Some of the inside teak immediately surrounding the window has seen some water and is discolored. Should be cheaper than going back to the Aluminum window setup.
 

Geoff Johnson

Fellow Ericson Owner
I know someone who went that route (external acrylic screw on windows) on a non-Ericson and everyone agrees it looks like crap. The Ericson windows may seem a little old fashioned, but do blend into the overall design. Moreover, Ericson fixed ports (at least mine) are tempered glass, not plastic and therefore less prone to crazing and scratching. Mine have leaked a little, but I have found that taping both sides of the joint (frame/fiberglass or frame/glass) and smooshing in some clear sealant takes care of the problem in a way that cannot be seen except on close inspection.
 

cawinter

Member III
Looks

Thanks, Geoff. The project site looked pretty good though. With rounded edges, beveling and maybe some tinting (?) at the overlap... One could have four identical pieces cut and flip them. The crazing would be just like everything else on board.

BTW, I just got nine new lenses with gaskets and o-rings for the Lewmar #1 ports from your neighbors in Stamford. Sweet!

Just thinking out loud here...
 

Geoff Johnson

Fellow Ericson Owner
I guess I missed the project site. My friend used darkly tinted plastic which stands out like a sore thumb.

How much were the replacement lenses as compared with the cost of a new portlight? I just replaced 4 of my 5 Bowmar's because the lenses could not be replaced, but Bowmar did give me 50% of list price so the markup was probably only 100%.
 

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
Here's what is said in the E-27 Manual about Windows on page 9 in the Specs & Docs on this site. For some reason the paragraph ends where it starts to describe what material is needed. See Pic!:confused:
 

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  • E27ManualPg9.jpg
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Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
After seeing how the windows are assembled in the manual, I would be inclined to go the route the Bob in Va (E-23) describes in his post above. I have used the weather stripping he's talking about to pad and seal my Lazarette. It looks like it would be perfect for this application. It is good material and not expensive. Another project for me. My windows leak a little as well.
 

cawinter

Member III
#1 Lewmar port lenses - For Geoff

Geoff,
Shipping included the #1 old style standard lenses were around $43; the gaskets are $3/ft. I also bought their 'recommended' adhesive for a few $.

Paul from Shadowfax had inquired about this earlier but I didn't see a better price. Very nice workmanship from Select Plastics.
 

DanranE38

New Member
Jeff thanks for the diagram of the older tempered glass ports on the
e27. I suspect that they are the same design as the ones on our 1980 E-38.We have done the gasket routine around the housing as well as replacement of the compression gasket. After watching the windows drip into my nav station above our electronics (which were protected with a jury rigged garbage bag and duct tape deflector) on a rough off shore passage to Hawaii we came to the conclusion that when a big sea crashes over the boat the tempered glass which "floats" between the black gasket and the frames compresses a bit and picks up water in the frame base then when the gasket expands the water is forced out of the frame and into the boat. Over the years we have replaced the foam tape strips, adjusted the screws and still have the leaks in heavy weather. After seeing the Lewmar ports on a newer Pacific Seacraft built E-38 I am wondering if there are any owners of more recent vintage Ericsons with the Lewmar ports that might have feedback on how well the Lewmar fixed ports work. I know that replacement will be spendy but we feel it would be worth it if the Lewmars would not leak. If the newer Ericsons with Lewmar ports have the same problem then I guess going the acryllic route will be a good next step. Most of our sailing now days is in the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest which is usually pretty mellow but we do like to sail year round and have gotten caught in our share of blows with wind in opposition to tide and the resulting steep sloppy seas that that can cause puts green water over the decks often enough to cause those old leaks at the ports to reappear. So anyone out there with a newer boat with the Lewmar ports we'd love to hear some feedback on what your experiences have been with them. Thanks Mary & Jim on Danran
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Plan B....

Jus' thinkin' out loud here... but at over 20 years age... I would seriously consider removing the old fixed ports, changing the opening profile with epoxy, cloth, and the usual 1-to-12 chamfer, and reconfiguring the opening for new framed ports from Lewmar or someone else or whoever...
(There are custom portlight builders out there, too. We have one in our area.)

Since the new shape would be slightly different, inside would need an additional teak trim to cover the modification, and the outside would need to have the cabin side refinished with gel coat or LPU.

These model boats are valuable enough that the labor and $$ should amortize out OK if you keeping it ten years or so... A patient and careful owner could do most of the labor him or herself.
Beatiful new ports, no leaks, and even some enhanced value, too.
:)

Well, it was just a thought...
:rolleyes:

Best,
Loren in rainy Portland, OR
 

DanranE38

New Member
We're pretty sure replacement is the route we want to take. We've owned this boat for 20 years already and hope to be able to keep sailing it for another ten or 20 so new non leaky ports are the goal. Who is the custom port maker in Portland? Still would like to hear from anyone with a newer boat with the Lewmar fixed ports and opening ports as to how well they have worked on their boat. Anyone in Puget sound area with experience with custom port makers around here? Am thinking that custom would be way more money than fitting in a stock size Lewmar port into the opening but installing a port with a different cutout size would require much more in the way of labor and hassell. I'm going to call Lewmar customer service on Monday and see what I can find out in the way of exact cutout dimension requirements. We measured the cutouts and the existing windows today.
 
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