The acrylic (windows) deadlights on my 1997 H-26 need to be replaced due to crazing from exposure to sunlight and to chemicals I was using to preserve the gelcoat. I have removed them from one side of the boat, with the exception of the opening port. I suspected one them was leaking, but found otherwise. They are bedded in (I think)large quantities of Boat Life Lifeseal, which is a combination of polyurethane and silicone. The sealant fills about an inch of space between the outer edge of the deadlights' exterior and the interior openings. The sealant is the only thing holding the deadlights in place. I have had new deadlights made by a local plastics fabricator, and I now need to install them. My question is, how do I do this without creating a major mess? I am afraid the large quantity of sealant required will squeeze onto the recessed frames of the deadlights inside of the boat and smear onto the new deadlights. I am also concerned about the development of air spaces in the sealant material when I seat the new deadlights into the openings in the hull. Has anyone out there replaced deadlights? If so, how did you do it, and do you have any tips on how to avoid a disaster? Thanks so much in advance, Don S.V. Anodyne, H-26
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Contact Hunter Marine.
Don: Contact Hunter Marine. They probably had the Plexiglas too. They have been using Dow 795 which is a industrial grade sealant/adhesive. I think that they sell the Dow 795 for about $10/tube. You will want to use masking tape on the inside and the outside of the boat. The caulking cures in 7-14 days. They use this stuff to hold in much larger windows than yours, so I don't see much of a problem. The biggest area of concern may be how do you keep pressure on the window as the caulking is curing. If there are no stops under the existing port light, you may want to consider getting some of those clear rubber/silicone feet to keep the port light slightly raised so you do not squeeze out too much caulking. I would probably do this in two stages. The first one to "glue" the port in place. Then come back a week later and caulk around inside and outside of the port. We just got done doing something similar on a Beneteau 35 two weeks ago.
Don: Contact Hunter Marine. They probably had the Plexiglas too. They have been using Dow 795 which is a industrial grade sealant/adhesive. I think that they sell the Dow 795 for about $10/tube. You will want to use masking tape on the inside and the outside of the boat. The caulking cures in 7-14 days. They use this stuff to hold in much larger windows than yours, so I don't see much of a problem. The biggest area of concern may be how do you keep pressure on the window as the caulking is curing. If there are no stops under the existing port light, you may want to consider getting some of those clear rubber/silicone feet to keep the port light slightly raised so you do not squeeze out too much caulking. I would probably do this in two stages. The first one to "glue" the port in place. Then come back a week later and caulk around inside and outside of the port. We just got done doing something similar on a Beneteau 35 two weeks ago.
I replaced a portlight (side) on my 260
Don, I know your concern. I set my new portlight into the opening dry and put some painters tape on the inside and outside to protect against smears. Then when I squeezed in the adhesive I used a tongue depressor to smooth it around and get a fairly flat surface for better overall adhesion. I had people take turns lightly holding it in place for about an hour while it did its initial set, then didn't touch it for a week. In retrospect I think I'd put some suction cups on the inside of the window before I installed it, and then jerry rig a long rubber band between the suction cups and a point in the cabin to supply a constant, light inward pressure until the caulk cured. BTW, nothing got on the portlight and it looks beautiful now!
Don, I know your concern. I set my new portlight into the opening dry and put some painters tape on the inside and outside to protect against smears. Then when I squeezed in the adhesive I used a tongue depressor to smooth it around and get a fairly flat surface for better overall adhesion. I had people take turns lightly holding it in place for about an hour while it did its initial set, then didn't touch it for a week. In retrospect I think I'd put some suction cups on the inside of the window before I installed it, and then jerry rig a long rubber band between the suction cups and a point in the cabin to supply a constant, light inward pressure until the caulk cured. BTW, nothing got on the portlight and it looks beautiful now!
Hold on a minute
I bought an 84 H31 the windows were so bad I could not see out of them they looked frosted. I used some Yacht Bright polish and now they look new crystal clear it only took about a half hour a rag and some elbow grease. Give it a try you may same a lot of time money and trouble.
I bought an 84 H31 the windows were so bad I could not see out of them they looked frosted. I used some Yacht Bright polish and now they look new crystal clear it only took about a half hour a rag and some elbow grease. Give it a try you may same a lot of time money and trouble.
beyond redemption
Keith, Thank you for your response! The material I used on my hull to preserve the gelcoat caused very deep crazing. That, in combination with damage from sunlight, left my deadlights a mess. After I get the new ones installed, I will take your advice and polish them periodically to keep them looking good. Don S.V. Anodyne, H-26
Keith, Thank you for your response! The material I used on my hull to preserve the gelcoat caused very deep crazing. That, in combination with damage from sunlight, left my deadlights a mess. After I get the new ones installed, I will take your advice and polish them periodically to keep them looking good. Don S.V. Anodyne, H-26
Mike and Steve, thanks for your great advice!
Mike and Steve, thanks so much for your very valuable suggestions. I think I will first put painter's tape around the exterior and interior openings, both on the deadlights and on the hull to control excess sealant squeezout. I will then use a thin strip of sealant to glue the deadlights in place. I like the idea of using those suction cups to apply steady inward pressure while positioning/curing. The use of the clear silicone feet is also a great idea to preserve a uniform gap around each deadlight. This is something I will do. I noticed that on each of the the forward facing deadlights on the cabin, Hunter put a small brass screw in each corner of the plexiglass, apparently to hold the deadlights in position during the curing process. I wonder if this would work for the the 3' long deadlights on the cabin sides. After the deadlights are initally glued into position and cured, I will then squeeze sealant into the gap from the inside, making sure I don't leave any air spaces. This sounds like a tedious process, but very do-able. Again, Mike and Steve, thank you for your help! Don S.V. Anodyne, H-26
Mike and Steve, thanks so much for your very valuable suggestions. I think I will first put painter's tape around the exterior and interior openings, both on the deadlights and on the hull to control excess sealant squeezout. I will then use a thin strip of sealant to glue the deadlights in place. I like the idea of using those suction cups to apply steady inward pressure while positioning/curing. The use of the clear silicone feet is also a great idea to preserve a uniform gap around each deadlight. This is something I will do. I noticed that on each of the the forward facing deadlights on the cabin, Hunter put a small brass screw in each corner of the plexiglass, apparently to hold the deadlights in position during the curing process. I wonder if this would work for the the 3' long deadlights on the cabin sides. After the deadlights are initally glued into position and cured, I will then squeeze sealant into the gap from the inside, making sure I don't leave any air spaces. This sounds like a tedious process, but very do-able. Again, Mike and Steve, thank you for your help! Don S.V. Anodyne, H-26
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