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Port Light Fix

Bryissa

Member I
The port lights on our 1981, E38 hull #50 are very yellow, and the lexan has come completely out of one of them.

We are looking to keep the original frames and just replace the Lexan with either tempered safety glass, or new lexan. We have heard horror stories that it is nearly impossible to get them to reseal properly so that they do not leak....

Does anyone have any opinions or tips on this?
Is there a special sealant that we should look for?

Thanks,
Bryissa
 

ref_123

Member III
Horrors? What horrors? :)

Hi there,

there were many threads on the subject but I do not mind typing one more...

We rebedded ours last year. Have to admit - worked only on a second attempt. Keys to success are throrough cleanup of an old caulking, degreasing of all the surfaces (distilled alcohol worked for Lexan, and some people recommend laquer thinner for the glass) and using the caulking designed for Lexan (LifeCaulk or LifeSeal - cannot remember which one we used but it does say there on the tube that it is working for Lexan). Clean the surfaces, tape the working area (including the new window - you do not want any caulking getting on a viewable area), and apply caulking liberally. Whatever squeezes out over the taping can be later easily cut with a sharp knife.

First attempt failed as regular silicone caulking refused to adhere to Lexan. On the other hand, it made the next attempt much easier - there was way less of cleanup involved.

Regards,
Stan
 

treilley

Sustaining Partner
I started this project in the fall and am happy to report it is complete but with much different results. I was going to remove and rebed the frames but they were very difficult to get out without bending the frames and breaking the safety glass. I also found that there was corrosion inside the frames against where the seal sits. After considering all this and comparing the old fixed frames to my new opening frames I decided to have them custom made. BOMON in Quebec quoted me $300 for each portlight. It is a custom bent(from my drawings) annodized aluminum extrusion with 1/4" tempered glass. The best part is that they seal against the cabintop with a removable closed cell tape. I installed mine(after some slight enlarging of the holes) and they do not leak. I specced that the new portlights be slightly larger to allow me to cleanup the existing hole to make sure it had a good surface to seal against. BOMON is a wonderful company to work with. They are very thorough and work as if they are working on their own boats.

I also took the opportunity to polish the cabin top.

http://www.bomon.com/fixed.htm
 

Bryissa

Member I
Re:

Thanks Stan,

Your response definitly helps put our minds at ease. I appreciate your insight, and the mentioning of the proper caulking.

Cheers!:)

Hi there,

there were many threads on the subject but I do not mind typing one more...

We rebedded ours last year. Have to admit - worked only on a second attempt. Keys to success are throrough cleanup of an old caulking, degreasing of all the surfaces (distilled alcohol worked for Lexan, and some people recommend laquer thinner for the glass) and using the caulking designed for Lexan (LifeCaulk or LifeSeal - cannot remember which one we used but it does say there on the tube that it is working for Lexan). Clean the surfaces, tape the working area (including the new window - you do not want any caulking getting on a viewable area), and apply caulking liberally. Whatever squeezes out over the taping can be later easily cut with a sharp knife.

First attempt failed as regular silicone caulking refused to adhere to Lexan. On the other hand, it made the next attempt much easier - there was way less of cleanup involved.

Regards,
Stan
 

Bryissa

Member I
Re:

Thank you for your response, I think that option is a little out of our price range. We have a 5 year plan to set sail on an extended voyage!! :egrin: And we are trying to keep our costs down and the savings up!!

I started this project in the fall and am happy to report it is complete but with much different results. I was going to remove and rebed the frames but they were very difficult to get out without bending the frames and breaking the safety glass. I also found that there was corrosion inside the frames against where the seal sits. After considering all this and comparing the old fixed frames to my new opening frames I decided to have them custom made. BOMON in Quebec quoted me $300 for each portlight. It is a custom bent(from my drawings) annodized aluminum extrusion with 1/4" tempered glass. The best part is that they seal against the cabintop with a removable closed cell tape. I installed mine(after some slight enlarging of the holes) and they do not leak. I specced that the new portlights be slightly larger to allow me to cleanup the existing hole to make sure it had a good surface to seal against. BOMON is a wonderful company to work with. They are very thorough and work as if they are working on their own boats.

I also took the opportunity to polish the cabin top.

http://www.bomon.com/fixed.htm
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
For bedding and adhesion to Lexan, you should consider a Boat Life product called "LifeSeal" -- we replaced the original polycarbonate fixed ports in '95 and they are still leak-proof to this day.

Loren
 

bigtyme805

Member III
I had a broken window in my E30+ when I bought the boat. It was in the head. I thought that I would just replace the glass and hired a professional to do it while I watched. Let me tell you we did everything to try and save the aluminum but could not and I ended up buying a new port window. Then after seeing how nice it looked I did the other side, really had no choice wanted to keep the boat looking good. Plus these ports open up.

Good luck and let us know how it turned out.
 

footrope

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
What type of portlights?

Depending on the type of portlight you have, they might not be so hard to make watertight. I have Bomar cast aluminum "offshore" type ports on my 1980 (picture) that are not hard to seal if you have a good gasket and a good installation of the new pane. I can provide some additional info if you have this type of port. There are other threads if you try a search.

Just replacing the panes is a matter of cleaning the old sealer completely out of the inside of the frame. The opening frame that houses the Lexan can be detached at the hinges at the top. The hard part is getting the old goop out so the new sealant will stick. Picking the right sealant is important and depends on whether you replace with glass or plastic.

I used laminated glass and Life Calk. Any excess Life Calk cleans up easily from the glass and frame after it cures. It takes a week or more to cure at the thickness required.

I've finished three complete port frame re-beds and plywood replacements. I've done 4 Lexan to glass re-glazing - so still a work in progress.
 

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