1978 H27 Portlights

[fawcettandrew]

Guys - i have the worst luck with the search on this site, i am looking to see what others have done with their portlights on early H27s and i get hundreds of results back from all forums even though i specify the cherubini forum,:confused

So that's a long way of saying - excuse this question, i'm sure it's been asked a dozen times:

What to do with the old portlights - two either side at the front - where the gaskets are worn and leaking and the outside combining has been smashed and left leg-gauging jagged parts? see attached photo please.

A. shall i replace the whole thing - if so with what?
B. if not - shall i just take a grinder and make the old exterior combing go away
C. or - shall i try and repair the combing with resin and micro-balloons, or some such filler?

what to do ?

thanks in advance,

Andrew (respite)

 

[Randy Burns]

Andrew,
You can take the screws out and replace the lens - I did this on my H25, you have to reuse a pretty old gasket, but it seemed to work OK. With the right router bit you can clamp the old one to a new piece of plexiglass and use it as a templet - makes the new ones real fast. If you have a cash, NewFound Metals makes the best for your money.
Dont give up on this site, because under H27 info there was someone who sized them out for your boat.

 

[rardiH36]

Andrew:

Below is a cut-and-paste of a post that I made some time ago with my "remedy" for the leaky gasket problem. No leaks at all since .. and it was relatively easy with not many $'s invested. As for the outside, if the port frames are in otherwise ok condition and aren't leaking, then I would cut the protruding area down so even all around. A couple of the ports on my boat had just a few small pieces missing, so I did build up with epoxy and repainted. But they damage wasn't nearly as bad as yours. Cutting back would expose the plexiglass to more direct smacks of large waves that might come over the bow. Depending on the type/location of sailing you do, that may or not be an issue.

If you do decide to replace the entire port and frame, the ones on my 1980 Hunter 36 were manufactured by Gray. Replacements are sold on the Store section of this website at: http://shop.hunterowners.com/detail.htm?fno=0&group=645&cat=2005. Double check with the folks that they will be the replacement for your model boat. Good luck.

Here's the previous post:

Maybe Apply New Gasket Material Over Old?

The port gaskets on my 1980 Hunter were leaking when I bought the boat 1.5 years ago. An inexpensive fix stopped the leaking and the fix looks like it will last. The plexiglass window ports on my boat are the type that swing open to the inside, hinging at the top. The original gaskets on the frame had become hard and compressed. What I did was:

- The original gaskets were glued into a channel all around the perimeter of the port frame against the which the plexiglass is dogged tight against. I left the old gaskets in the channel, but with a razor-sharp box cutter knife, I shaved the original gaskets flush with the outside of the channel.
- I then wiped the shaved original gaskets with lacquer thinner to clean off any dirt/grim/soap/wax and to "reactivate" the hard foam.
- Finally I applied high quality stick-on gasket tape made by MD directly over the old shaved/cleaned gasket. (Available at all hardware stores. This was the smooth surface foam type --not the porous foam stuff. It comes in a double band, and is hollow in the inside. The two sides neatly split when the two sides are pulled apart. Comes in brown and white colors.) Make sure that the two ends of the new gasket tape around the perimeter meet on the top side. Make sure not to stretch the stick-on gasket as it is applied.

This solution might be worth a look-see for your situation. However suggest that you do only one port first to check if it works .... before doing the others.

regards,
rardi

 

[garyc]

you can buy new gasket material from pomenette.

 

[jcherubini]

You can repair the bashed-up plastic spigots on these using high-density filler (the stuff with the strands in it) and then fair with (light application of) fairing compound. The plastic and repair can be painted with Brightside. Use milk-jug plastic duct-taped in place as a rough inside mold to keep your sculpting work to a minimum. This is a potentially tedious chore and might be best done with the ports removed from the boat over the winter. (Remove the lenses first too!) I think it's not THAt big of a deal and guarantees you windows that actually fit the boat.

Be sure to bed them back in with 4200. Silicone sealant has to be kept in very tight compression to hold out water and it commonly fails anyway.

BTW-- electrical tape and a piece of Formica works GREAT as a temporary (season-long) patch to keep snow out of a boat out of the water.

 

[fawcettandrew]

So all good feedback, as usual, you're very knowledgable group.
(my initial comment about the site was concerning trouble driving the search functionality. I always get results from all groups)

I think i will repair the existing ones.

My plan is to buy new gasket material and glass work on the outside coming.
Will upload photos when done.

 

[tomgrigsby]

I'll be very interested in how the repairs go. My boat needs the same work and I hate to pull out non-leaking ports just for the cosmetic repair needed.

 

[Jim Boernge]

I had to replace three grey portlights that had dogs broken off of the 25+ year old ports. I dreaded the job, but is was very straight forward and easy. It was much preferrable to the difficulty of building up filler, fairing, etc. and had the added benefit of ports that are not brittle. I also changed the port lenses on several other ports and replaced gaskets on a couple more. Have fun.

 

[fawcettandrew]

Jim - that's good to hear. I still haven't gotten out there to glass them up and my appetite to do so is waning. Did you get the ones suggested in the previous post:

http://shop.hunterowners.com/detail.htm?fno=0&group=645&cat=2005

what model ?

or did you get them someplace else?

thanks!

a.

 

[Jim Boernge]

sorry for long delay. Lots on my plate.
Yes, I got the ones in that link but at a different store. It's been several years and I'd have to go searching to find out where I got them. Hurricane Katrina and 3 years on the hard since then.
I am pleased with the product though. The fact that some deteriorated after 20+ years is not suprising.

 

[jcherubini]

I am encouraged to see so many people attempting to repair what can be repaired instead of just replacing it. Now that Boaters' World is defunct, West Marine has no more competition, and we can expect their prices to inch back towards the stratosphere again, especially on the stuff they want you to buy (as with Home Depot) rather than what you really need. WM's selection of portlights is dire (Lewmar, the world's best, is priced like it) and WM is a major reason why so many sailors have always gone online or to Craig's/eBay for stuff.

The beauty part of this is like, when I worked at WM, one well-respected district manager said, 'Sailboat stuff doesn't sell.' WM's attitude about stuff like REPLACEMENT portlights, as opposed to BRAND-NEW/DON'T FIT YOUR EXISTING HOLE/BUT IT'S WHAT WE GOT THE BEST DEAL ON SO WE'LL PUSH YOU TO THIS PRODUCT WHICH NOW YOU WON'T EVEN BUY FOR FEAR OF CHANGING YOUR WHOLE BOAT OVER JUST TO ACCOMMODATE IT portlights, is part of the reason his rude assumption appears true to him.

Keep us all posted (with pics) of how your repairs come out!

 

[jotruk]

I replace the front port lights with new ones from New Found Metals. They are self sealing and look very nice.

 

[fawcettandrew]

Do you have any pictures?

I still have not done any work on mine. I have a two year old who takes a little time. The idea of replacing the old with new ones is becomming appealing. My strong backup plan is to repare the old ones in-situ. not taking them out. I plan to lay glass over the old ones and then fill in to make a smooth fix. However, i am keen to know if there are new ones which fit and are straight drop-ins.

I replace the front port lights with new ones from New Found Metals. They are self sealing and look very nice.

 

[ggrizzard]

This thread mentions SBO as a source for direct replacement portlights.
Have you called Dave @ SBO store?
Have you called Pompanette?
I replaced my old Gray Ent's. with the drop-in Pompanette units.
The dogs and hinges broke in three years! That's why I didn't weigh-in on direct replacements earlier.
Like you, I now am trying to decide whether to replace (again, but with a different brand)
or live with leaks.