Boarding up ports

[Hermit Scott]

I took the aluminum framed glass port lights out of one side of the C30. The sealant was hard and fell apart like crusty putty. The wood is rotted out all along the bottom and sides as you can see in the pictures.
This is what I am thinking of doing. I can't just reseal them because the wood is gone. I was thinking of cutting out all the wood and fiberglass around the ports and putting in 3/4" plwood and then epoxy over them. So I won't have any glass ports anymore and no ports except for the small opening Lewmars in the head and above the closet. Which are leaking pretty bad also. I have something to catch the water ovet the closet, it's that bad.

I was going to use a router to cut the fiberglass away and cut out the old plywood. I was going to leave a lip on the backside so I can install the new plwood up against it. Could I use 5200 to fix those to the old fiberglass or should I try to use thickened epoxy.

After I get the wood in, I am going roll on epoxy and layers of fiberglass until it's even with the surface.

Also I bought plywood that has 7 layers. It is AC exterior plywood, pine. It appears that it has all the voids filled, I am not sure if it's marine or not. I can take it back if it's no good for this job.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Do I understand that you are going to fill in the openings? And darken the interior? Most of us who have replaced portlights have dealt with the rotten core. I had some and simply glassed in some new plywood. Why can't you just epoxy the opening and replace the deadlight. Mine are all openers but those with deadlights always mention Mark Plastics for replacement: http://www.socalsail.com/bg/co/mark-plastics/ .

 

[Maine Sail]

I took the aluminum framed glass port lights out of one side of the C30. The sealant was hard and fell apart like crusty putty. The wood is rotted out all along the bottom and sides as you can see in the pictures.
This is what I am thinking of doing. I can't just reseal them because the wood is gone. I was thinking of cutting out all the wood and fiberglass around the ports and putting in 3/4" plwood and then epoxy over them. So I won't have any glass ports anymore and no ports except for the small opening Lewmars in the head and above the closet. Which are leaking pretty bad also. I have something to catch the water ovet the closet, it's that bad.

I was going to use a router to cut the fiberglass away and cut out the old plywood. I was going to leave a lip on the backside so I can install the new plwood up against it. Could I use 5200 to fix those to the old fiberglass or should I try to use thickened epoxy.

After I get the wood in, I am going roll on epoxy and layers of fiberglass until it's even with the surface.

Also I bought plywood that has 7 layers. It is AC exterior plywood, pine. It appears that it has all the voids filled, I am not sure if it's marine or not. I can take it back if it's no good for this job.

Scott,

Seems like over kill. Take a Dremel and a shop vac or laminate trimmer and the right router bit and carve out about 1/2 inch of the rotted ply, from between the liner and the deck skins, around the windows. Then simply mix up some peanut butter consistency epoxy or polyester and fill the gap. Then re-bed the port lights. I think you'll be kicking your self for removing those windows. You can rebuild those ole ones to like new condition and Catalina Direct has the gaskets available..

 

[Ross]

You could make your own filler with pressure treated wood cut like balsa blocks and mounted on a glass scrim. You only need a few square feet cut from the end of a 2x4.

 

[Maine Sail]

You could make your own filler with pressure treated wood cut like balsa blocks and mounted on a glass scrim. You only need a few square feet cut from the end of a 2x4.

I've had bad luck with PT and fiberglass adhesion.. Maybe on the end grain it would be different..

 

[Ross]

I will try it tomorrow.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Ed, yes I was going to board them up glass them in and make it darker in the cabin.
But I intend to install opening ports later one at a time. Which looks pretty easy to do if you start with a solid laminate.
I have been working my way across the deck potting holes and cutting out the wet spots. When I get it all done I will gel coat it or paint it. So it doesn't hurt my feelings to cut a large section out and replace the plywood.
I thought the way the ports are is the single greatest factor that makes my boat look dated. I think it looks too 70's. I don't like that much light in the cabin either. I would like smaller ports with dark tint.
My apartment I built upstairs in my shop doesn't have a single window either. I like to be able to make it very dark.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Also I was going to do this job from the outside. Since I intend to glass in the port's holes. it's no big deal to glass in a little larger area. Plus I don't want to have to clean up fiberglass dust inside again.
One way or another, when I leave my boat Sunday or Monday there will be no water leaking in those ports.

 

[Stu Jackson]

A man wanted to stop the window leaks in his house

So he boarded up all the windows.

 

[Maine Sail]

But I intend to install opening ports later one at a time. Which looks pretty easy to do if you start with a solid laminate.

Now it makes sense..

 

[Stu Jackson]

But I intend to install opening ports later one at a time. Which looks pretty easy to do if you start with a solid laminate.

It would seem easier to install new ports in an already existing hole than covering in the existing holes and then making new ones.

It makes less sense to me this way. 'Cuz the size of the existing holes shouldn't be too much different than the size of the future new ports.

But heck it's his boat, but he did ask, right?

 

[Ross]

Stu, The ports on my boat were either picture windows or tiny fixed ports. I kept the holes for the vee berth and the head but closed the picture windows completly and cut new openings later. All of my ports open but are reasonably small for good sea keeping. I think if I were in Hermit's shoes I would just lay a patch on the outside that could be removed later. Water tight doesn't take much thickness

 

[sailingdog]

If the opening ports are smaller, then glassing over the old holes is actually going to be far easier and give you far more flexibility in mounting/positioning the new ports.

It would seem easier to install new ports in an already existing hole than covering in the existing holes and then making new ones.

It makes less sense to me this way. 'Cuz the size of the existing holes shouldn't be too much different than the size of the future new ports.

But heck it's his boat, but he did ask, right?

 

[Ross]

I have made up the treated pine/chopped strand mat sandwich with polyester resin. Tomorrow I will distroy it. Pictures tomorrow.

 

[Maine Sail]

I have made up the treated pine/chopped strand mat sandwich with polyester resin. Tomorrow I will distroy it. Pictures tomorrow.

Nice. Did you do the end grain for comparison? My problem was not immediate. I think the trapped moisture of the PT is what eventually caused the delam. It was only a dingy that I used to drag over rocks though so no big deal..

 

[higgs]

Someday you will want to sell that C30. If it is noticeably different looking that the norm, your selling price will suffer.

 

[Ross]

Nice. Did you do the end grain for comparison? My problem was not immediate. I think the trapped moisture of the PT is what eventually caused the delam. It was only a dingy that I used to drag over rocks though so no big deal..

This is only end grain. The contrast between spring wood and summer wood is great. Moisture will separate almost everything sooner or later. Yellow pine is notorious for being hard to keep painted.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Someday you will want to sell that C30. If it is noticeably different looking that the norm, your selling price will suffer.

Higgs I like the way your boats ports are. I want the 6 ports I am replacing to look similar to yours. Though I may only put 4 if I can make it look right.
The ports in it now are huge and made of glass. The aluminum frames are so corroded they feel like a rasp. I could blast them and powder coat them like I did my boom. That turned out really nice. It would be alot to restore them, which would be ok, but I just don't like the way they look.
BTW, does any one know if 3/4" plywood is the thickness I needed???
Ross, I could have bought birch plywood for about the same price, but the outter skins on that were very thin. And I have had it peel up in the past.
The tag on this pine ply says it's moisture is controlled so the plywood will always lay flat. I hope that means that it's dry.

 

[Ross]

The tag on this pine ply says it's moisture is controlled so the plywood will always lay flat. I hope that means that it's dry.

That just means that the moisture content is uniforn through the sheet for now. If you lay it out on the lawn in the sun that would change.

 

[sand sailor]

i'm with main sail i'd route out the old openings and seal them with whats called loose strand filler and refit the old ones