I just purchased a 1980 catalina 30 and find that all of the windows leak. I tried to remove the aft port one above the navigation table and found it virtually impossible to get the caulking out. I finally cleaned the top edge, pried it off and (astonishingly) broke the glass. First, are there any suggestions on how to easily remove the caulking so that I can rebed and reset the window? Secondly, I will try to have a new piece of laminated glass installed. Is this a waste of time or should I replace the unit? If the latter, where can I get one at a reasonable cost?
leaky windows
- Thread starter newboatowner
- Start date
- Status
Newboatowner -
I re-bed our 2 starboard opening ports in the spring. It was a bit of a beast. I used a releaser from boatlife. sprayed the outer edge of window, wiped excess off hull, and let it work a bit. i then gently used a putty knife to get frame area away from hull. Once I got a little opening, it was suggested that I use a piece of wire, poke it through, and use it like a saw. I found that suggestion late. Use gentle back and forth movement to cut away the remaining caulk and remove port. Once i had the port out, cleaning the remaining caulk off of the frame was tough. Try to get it all off. Use a quality sealant like Boatlife's Lifeseal. Bed with plenty of sealant. Dont over tighten bolts, as that will push all sealant out.
I re-bed our 2 starboard opening ports in the spring. It was a bit of a beast. I used a releaser from boatlife. sprayed the outer edge of window, wiped excess off hull, and let it work a bit. i then gently used a putty knife to get frame area away from hull. Once I got a little opening, it was suggested that I use a piece of wire, poke it through, and use it like a saw. I found that suggestion late. Use gentle back and forth movement to cut away the remaining caulk and remove port. Once i had the port out, cleaning the remaining caulk off of the frame was tough. Try to get it all off. Use a quality sealant like Boatlife's Lifeseal. Bed with plenty of sealant. Dont over tighten bolts, as that will push all sealant out.
I believe that there is a window upgrade kit for the MKI Catalina 30s that you can get off of CatalinaDirect.
www.catalinadirect.com
I have had to re seal my windows in my boat too and mine is MK II so it is a different setup. The windows in MKII were considered an upgrade but I am not sure how true this is.
None the less, no matter what you do, all boats leak. Good luck on your repairs!
www.catalinadirect.com
I have had to re seal my windows in my boat too and mine is MK II so it is a different setup. The windows in MKII were considered an upgrade but I am not sure how true this is.
None the less, no matter what you do, all boats leak. Good luck on your repairs!
Has anyone ever used the windows from Cruising Concepts? http://www.cruisingconcepts.com/retroftwin.htm I will be able to give you a testimonial shortly, I recently purchased them and anxiously awaiting there delivery. I have a 1982 C-30
I just re-did one of my windows this past week-end. Use a heat gun on a medium setting (or a hair dryer on hot) and use a sharpened putty knife. Once you heat up the old caulk, gently force the putty knife between the boat and the frame. Keep the heat ahead of the knife and "rock" the putty knife forward to continue to break the seal. When you get to the botom of the frame, take a small hammer (I'm not kidding) and tap the putty knife along while heating ahead of it. Once you have gone entirely around the frame, it should come out easily without breaking the glass. I used the re-bedding kit from Catalina Direct to re-seal. Use blue painters tape to protect the glass from excess caulk while you are re-assembling. (Use plenty of caulk! I re-sealed one last year and didn't use enough and it leaked the first time it rained.) To seal the frame to boat, use butyl tape. You can get it at RV supply stores or even at NAPA. It works way better than tube caulk. (Oh, remember to clean the frames out completely and finish with an Acetone wipe to get any residual caulk. It will take a couple of hours to clean one window.) Good luck.
Before you take your window frames out, make sure that the leak is between the frame and cabin, not between the frame and glass. If it's between the frame and glass you can re-seal without removing anything.
Using a utility knife, carefully cut around the window glass/frame joint, creating a v-shaped depression, angling downward from the frame to the glass.
Fill the depression with marine-grade silicone and, if the stars are aligned, you should have a new, water-proof seal.
Using a utility knife, carefully cut around the window glass/frame joint, creating a v-shaped depression, angling downward from the frame to the glass.
Fill the depression with marine-grade silicone and, if the stars are aligned, you should have a new, water-proof seal.
- Status