God forsaken curved port lights for a 1988 hunter legend 45

[margotlevy@telus.net]

Does anyone have a line on the fixed port lights with a curvature to the top quarter for a 1988 Hunter legend 45 ? This God forsaken little window....That Hunter doesn't make and apparently never did, they out sourced it, is illusive....We did fabricate 22 of them from lexan but they have crazed and show a shatter effect in some spots, also and most importantly the adhesive has been problematic, We tried Life seal, messy, cracking and just damned ugly! what is recommended? Secoflex? Any help is most appreciated. margotlevy@telus.net

 

[Steve Dion]

Re: God forsaken curved port lights for a 1988 hunter legend

The first problem is the fact that you are using lexan, you want to use acrylic.

The next thing is the sealant. Try using Dow795.

Depending on the curvature, you can drill some holes in the acrylic (larger than the screw) This will allow the sealant to cure with the plastic in place. Once the sealant has cured, you can remove the screws and fill them with the sealant.

This is the OEM product that Hunter has used to seal the fixed portlights for years. It is a commercial sealant that is used on commerical buildings to glaze those windows.

 

[margotlevy@telus.net]

Reply to Steve

The first problem is the fact that you are using lexan, you want to use acrylic.

The next thing is the sealant. Try using Dow795.

Depending on the curvature, you can drill some holes in the acrylic (larger than the screw) This will allow the sealant to cure with the plastic in place. Once the sealant has cured, you can remove the screws and fill them with the sealant.

This is the OEM product that Hunter has used to seal the fixed portlights for years. It is a commercial sealant that is used on commerical buildings to glaze those windows.

Thanks so much Steve...it was an excruciating amount of work to make the mold and bend the dastardly windows...back to the drawing board...have you had to do this before? will follow your suggestions...did you work for Hunter? I did consult them before we began this and got virtually no input...Thanks M

 

[Ron McCoy]

Re: God forsaken curved port lights for a 1988 hunter legend

Interesting comments about Hunter regarding " I did consult them before we began this and got virtually no input." Sounds similiar to my problem with portlights. Hunter buys other manufacturers products as OEM and never has the sense to document who made the product and the appropriate specs for future reference - especially for future owners. See my other comments on the subject of "Why I own a Hunter".

 

[margotlevy@telus.net]

Hunter issues outsourced replaceables horrific wiring

Thanks Ron, yes the outsourced nonsense is so obviously problematic and then Hunter being totally uninterested in providing support over these issues is a bit much......also the wiring from the factory really is substandard nowhere close to the American yacht standard requirements......undersized cables no wiring diagrams, badly executed....a bit unfortunate really......We do however love our boat......it's not an Oyster, that's for sure but it'll do at a pinch. We are going to go back to the drawing board with the Port lights and follow the suggestions from Steve Dion

" The first problem is the fact that you are using lexan, you want to use acrylic.
The next thing is the sealant. Try using Dow795.

Depending on the curvature, you can drill some holes in the acrylic (larger than the screw) This will allow the sealant to cure with the plastic in place. Once the sealant has cured, you can remove the screws and fill them with the sealant.

This is the OEM product that Hunter has used to seal the fixed portlights for years. It is a commercial sealant that is used on commerical buildings to glaze those windows."

 

[Steve Dion]

Re: God forsaken curved port lights for a 1988 hunter legend

Margot:

No I do not work for Hunter (but have been around the HOW site for a few years).

There have been many real experts on this site over the years that have left their knowledge with us on this site.

We actually did a fix on a Beneteau a few years back. They had a sky light that had a very steep curve in it that came loose from the coach roof. We removed the skylight and cleaned everything then the skylight was rebedded.

In this case we just used sandbags to hold the plastic in place. The owner left the bags in place for a week or two. The DOW795 is still holding well.

The DOW product is not easy to find, but it is available at commercial building companies. It also comes in different colors. I think you will need charcole (not sure).

Be sure to mask both sides of everything. This stuff is VERY gooie. I used an ice cream stick to smooth it out. Leave the masking tape on for a few hours until the caulking skins over.