My 2007 Hunter 41AC has four operable windows of the same size as shown in the first photo. Two of them are in the galley and two are in the aft head. Late last season, the one above the microwave oven developed a crack so I set about replacing it. The hinge tabs are affixed to the acrylic panel using solvent. I contacted the folks at SailboatOwners about replacement hinges and found that new hinges are available but they attached to the acrylic panels using a screw (and possibly solvent, too) rather than relying on solvent weld.
I was able to carefully undercut the hinge tab and separate it from the panel and then I took the panel to TAP Plastics and had a replacement panel cut. After carefully sanding the mating surface of the tabs, I drilled a hole in each one and counter sunk it for a 10-24 socket flat head machine screw. I then built a fixture to hold the panel so I could accurately drill and tap holes in the acrylic panel for the screws. Finally, I used the fixture to hold the hinge tabs in position while I applied solvent to the tabs and secured each of them to the panel with a screw.
A few weeks ago, one of the hinge tabs broke away from the panel on both of the windows in the aft head and there were several other cracks developing in each so it was time to replace them, too. I removed the hinge tabs from the panel as I had done on the galley panel and had TAP Plastics cut two more replacement panels. Since these are for the head, I sand blasted the inner surface to make them opaque after the drilling and tapping operation. The next photo below shows one of the panels in the jig with the holes drilled and tapped and the subsequent photo shows the hinge tabs secured with solvent and the screws.
I was able to carefully undercut the hinge tab and separate it from the panel and then I took the panel to TAP Plastics and had a replacement panel cut. After carefully sanding the mating surface of the tabs, I drilled a hole in each one and counter sunk it for a 10-24 socket flat head machine screw. I then built a fixture to hold the panel so I could accurately drill and tap holes in the acrylic panel for the screws. Finally, I used the fixture to hold the hinge tabs in position while I applied solvent to the tabs and secured each of them to the panel with a screw.
A few weeks ago, one of the hinge tabs broke away from the panel on both of the windows in the aft head and there were several other cracks developing in each so it was time to replace them, too. I removed the hinge tabs from the panel as I had done on the galley panel and had TAP Plastics cut two more replacement panels. Since these are for the head, I sand blasted the inner surface to make them opaque after the drilling and tapping operation. The next photo below shows one of the panels in the jig with the holes drilled and tapped and the subsequent photo shows the hinge tabs secured with solvent and the screws.
