Gray Enterprises port holes

Fred

.
Sep 27, 2008
493
Catalina 28 mkii 745 Ottawa, Ontario, CA
this started with the simple task of replacing the gaskets on theGray 715 style opening ports on my H26.

I ordered gasket from SBO

When I received it I noticed that it had a T cross section and the old gasket, though flattened didn’t quite seem the same. After some further research and questions SBO insisted that it was the correct part.

In cleaning out and replacing the gaskets I noticed that the hinges were cracked on the port lenses and the fiddling caused some of them to break.

I confirmed the required part number for replacement lenses with SBO but alas they were back ordered. ( we are planning on a 3 week cruise next week). I was excited to find that WM had stock and ordered some up for pickup at nearest store ( two hour drive away). Yesterday I picked them up and now am trying to fit them.

First attempt at installing the lense felt like it was binding somewhere and I was afraid of breaking the plastic hinge tabs. I removed the gasket and the binding is still present. It appears that the holes in the hinge tabs are not precisely aligned with holes on the frame tabs. If I replace the actual hinge pins with some three inch finishing nails the lense closes fine without the gasket. Adding the gasket the stress on the hinge tabs is still very noticeable and disconcerting. I’m still not entirely convinced that I have the correct gasket cross section. The edge of the lense is supposed to fall between two ribs on the frame. The T gasket covers the top of these ribs. So I have several problems...

1) Do I enlarge the hinge holes in the lense? (Should I be concerned about drilling in acrylic and compromising these pricey new parts?)
2) Do I install undersized pins ( perhaps a bolt with lock nut)
3) Do I need a different gasket cross section? (Perhaps the 1/4 “ O type?

Am looking for some advice. Anyone out there had the same issues?
 

Attachments

Fred

.
Sep 27, 2008
493
Catalina 28 mkii 745 Ottawa, Ontario, CA
After further inspection the hinge tab holes are visibly aligned differently from the original part by 1/16 inch or more. This will cause the edge of the lense to interfere with the “ribs” on the port body. I will contact WM and the manufacturer to determine next steps.
 

Fred

.
Sep 27, 2008
493
Catalina 28 mkii 745 Ottawa, Ontario, CA
After discussing with Bomar and WM they will send replacements (after my cruise). In the mean time I installed the one port using a three inch cotter pin (rather than original 3/16 pin) which provides enough leeway in the fit to allow the two parts to align and provide space for the gasket to compress. I’ll hold off replacing the second port till I’m satisfied with the first.
 

Fred

.
Sep 27, 2008
493
Catalina 28 mkii 745 Ottawa, Ontario, CA
A follow-up post.... After my cruise I removed the new porthole lenses. As I was visiting our son in Seattle area I returned the lenses to WM and went to the SBO offices where they stock their replacement lenses. With Dave's help, I selected two lenses that appeared to have the holes drilled more correctly. We had to discard quite a few which I understand Dave will return to the manufacturer. As I was not convinced with the "T" section gasket that I had purchased previously, I also obtained some of the "O" section gasket (SBO stocks both types). Upon my return home I installed one of the new lenses and it fit much better even using the original pins. On one of the ports I removed the "T" section gasket and replaced with the "O" section for comparison purposes. So far my observation is that the "O" section seals well on the lower half of the port where the compression can be adjusted using the dogs(?) but not as well on the upper half where the compression is a function of the hinge pin placement which is fixed. The "T" section gasket seemed to take too much force to compress on the upper half and I was concerned about the force on the hinge tabs. So the jury is still out on the best gasket type for my portlights. I'll leave one with T and other with O to better evaluate over time. Thanks Dave for your support!