Replacement ports for 37-C

[FredV]

I’m getting ready to replace all the ports on my 37-C with New Found Metals Tri-Matrix SS ports, but have a few questions. I submitted a Contact Us form on their website, but never received a response, so am hoping this forum can help.

I’d like to order one port to install and review as a test. If all goes well, I’ll order the remaining ports after that. Questions:

1. Am I correct in assuming that the 8mm glass is stronger than the 8mm acrylic? And is 8mm more than sufficient for extensive bluewater cruising?
2. Based on some comments in earlier postings here about receiving different versions of the same port, any thoughts on how high this risk may be?
3. Does anyone recommend a better solution than NFM’s Tri-Matrix series?

Thanks to all for your responses!

 

[Johnb]

We replaced the 10 ports in the vee berth, head and main cabin with Tri Max glass and are very pleased. It is however not s simple job
1 They are slightly smaller, especially in width, than the original and this gap must be filled in. We used epoxy sheet and epoxy thickened with micro balloons for that
2 Expect to have to deal with moisture damage and be digging rotted plywood out. This needs time to dry.
3 I made blanks to fill in the spaces because we could not replace to completion in one day, in fact some of them were in progress for 3 weekends
4 The walls are not consistent in thickness and the two foreward most in the main cabin had the plywood go from 3/4 to 1/2 in mid window
5 Recommend you rent their drilling template. You will really battle without.

One final comment. The first time round I replaced some of the original portlights with new identical and they were absolute junk - to the point where they were in worse condition after 10 years than the originals that were 35 years old.

Now we are done we are very pleased. They are much quicker to use, seal perfectly and the glass is great to see through.

 

[FredV]

Thanks, John, just what I was looking for. Much appreciated!

 

[tgentsch]

Absolutely recommended! Installed four of the NFM Tri-Matrix last summer on my 1979 Hunter 27 and absolutely love them. Like Johnb, recommend; rent the template, it assures a quality installation. You'll need a few clamps to secure the template. My cabin thickness was also variable, NFM sent plenty of screws in different lengths, I sent back the unused screws which they credited to my card. A bit of router experience is helpful. Here's a few before and after photos. So easy to open and close in a moment. No sealant, leaks are in the past.

 

[FredV]

Thanks, all. New ports all around - Woohoo!

 

[Jim Legere]

So Rainer...tell me you're happy with them after the first torrential downpour. I redid my ports with Beckson Raindrains about a dozen years ago. I still get occasional drips from 3 or 4 of them. Might be time to look at the NFMs...

 

[FredV]

Hi Jim,
I'll gladly share my experience, but you'll need to be patient - I've decided to delay this project until next spring when it's a bit warmer.

 

[Dalliance]

Hi Jim,
I'll gladly share my experience, but you'll need to be patient - I've decided to delay this project until next spring when it's a bit warmer.

FredV,

It may be wise to get started now and use the cold dry winter months to your advantage.

If your old portlites have been leaking, you probably have some damp, saturated or possibly even decayed plywood cabintop core around the portlite cutouts. I don't know how you store your boat for the winter, but whether it's indoors, outdoors & shrink-wrapped or otherwise securely protected by a canvas cover, removing the portlites now and having four or five months of low humidity winter dry out time before you install the new portlites may help ensure that this project doesn't shorten your sailing season next year.

I did this project three years ago. Pulled the old portlites out after the boat was shrink-wrapped in November, let the damp core areas dry out through the winter, then sealed the exposed plywood core edges with epoxy and installed the new portlites in April-May.

 

[FredV]

Good idea, but since I live aboard Fred V fulltime, the idea of having 14 open holes during the cold winter months is not quite what I had in mind! Did you also use the NFM Tri-Matrix ports?

 

[Dalliance]

Good idea, but since I live aboard Fred V fulltime, the idea of having 14 open holes during the cold winter months is not quite what I had in mind! Did you also use the NFM Tri-Matrix ports?

Oh yeh...that would be a little drafty if you are living aboard through the winter.

I used the Gray Enterprises portlites available on this site for 8 of the 9 openings. They were an exact match for the original portlites. For the one in the cockpit I used the Beckson RainDrain because it has no projecting flange.

The NFM Tri-Max portlites are a good product. You can't go wrong with them, but you will have to cut the openings larger to fit.

 

[Johnb]

The NFM Tri-Max portlites are a good product. You can't go wrong with them, but you will have to cut the openings larger to fit.

No sir - the existing are bigger so you have to cut the opening smaller.

No actually you need to fill in a little.

Since you are almost certain to not finish some (or all) in one day I suggest that you make up some blanks to go on the outside and be clamped in place as in the picture. This gives you time to dig out rotted core, dry out, fill in etc.