NFM stainless ports review (on H37C)

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Sep 10, 2009
194
Hunter cutter 37 1981 St-lambert
We bought and installed 10 stainless steel NFM ports in December (six 7x15 and four 5x12), so I thought I would do a little review to help other h37c owners make their mind. Here it is.

Pros:

-They look awesome !

-They look awesome, really, inside and out !

-They don’t cost as much as the boat !!! Ten ports, with screens, hardware (screws), delivered to your door for $ 3,050. (We saved a ton by buying them while we were in the US, shipping and customs costs were outrageous to have them shipped to Canada.)

-Your boat looks like it’s worth so much more !

-Wow you can actually see outside ! No more opaque, cheap, brittle, plastic lenses. The boat feels bigger inside too, since there is always a lot of light coming in.

-The cam locking mechanism feels really solid, it’s night and day compare to the thumbscrew mechanism on original Pompanettes.

-I can close the 10 of them in less than 45 seconds, with the lights out, something very useful when it starts pouring rain in the middle of the night. In other words, they are always open to let the breeze in. We used to be afraid to break the lenses on our old Pompanette, so we avoided playing with them (we actually broke two lenses this year, and replacement lenses where back order, this is why we finally ordered NFMs).

- The sizes are a perfect fit for our h37c, all you need to do is slightly oversize the drain cutaways (I should mention that you will most likely have to recore the whole cabin side area, this is something you should really think about before starting this job). We used a rotozip to enlarge the drain cutaways, but you need some practice with this tool.


Cons :

-VERY IMPORTANT, before installing any port, verify that the screws holding the hinges are tight. On the second port we installed, the screws where loose (very), so the hinges had a lot of up and down play, so much that the lens frame was resting on the two lower cams when closed (see video). We had to remove the port to tighten the screws :cussing:. Guess what, had we not checked the others, we would have had to remove 4 other ports.

-Drains are not adequate for the angle of our cabin sides. Water pools in the window, you need a towel to open them. Mildew will eventually grow (done after 2 months even if we never leave water in there) were the gasket is glued to the window (this is another area where quality could be improved) and between the port and the screen (because believe me you will not want to remove the screens to dry this area). It also means I will need to cover them during winter, ice will lodge in there and may damage them.

-There seems to be more than one model for the same size, with different bolt pattern, verify before you start drilling :cussing: (see picture). We had three 7x15 with 1 hole between the hinges and three with 2 holes. Model change maybe ? (My guess is that it must be cheaper to make them with one less screw.)

-It seems that when they run out of fasteners to assemble the hinges, they just use whatever they have on hand. One of the six 7x15 ports has some fasteners that do not belong there, the SHCS are smaller, so you need a smaller allen key to tighten them, anyway the hex nuts are too small to stay in place (see picture)... Overall, you see that they save a lot using cheap labor in china, and it shows in the assembly.

-If you order the screens, do not use the supplied tool to adjust the hinges :naughty:, your knuckles will not survive the operation and you will have to clean all that blood off those cushions :cussing:. Instead , open the window and use a wrench from underneath (see picture). This operation is a pain in the b**, plus plan on being there the first time it rains, you will need to adjust them again and again (just use your garden hose if you are not in the Bahamas and you don’t need to pay 17$/day for water).

-They are not comfortable to sleep with… :doh: (I they where in my bed when we did the crossing of the Gulf Stream).

-The spigots are welded and glued in place, rust spots appears once in a while around the welds (not too big of an issue, you need to clean them with compound).

-They could really make your life easier by offering you the drill jig, counterbore bit and butyl tape which they all have at a very decent price when you place your order (I found out about it after I placed my order, their website has a lot of areas that are hard to reach).

-Did I say that their website is a nightmare ? I found once how to adjust the hinges and cams to install the screens, and I’m still trying to find the link to this day.


Overall, once installed, you forget about the cons I mentioned (except for the water pooling because of cabin side angle), these are very nice ports. I would never go back to the old ones, in fact we should have changed them at least 5 years ago. That said, if we had not been in the Bahamas at the time of the installation, I would have sent back some of the ports, I do not like the fact that the bolt patterns do not match, and really don’t like the mismatching fasteners on one of the ports.

Please note that the ports were temporary bedded in silicone, as we will need to remove them to recore the cabin sides, job we could not (and sincerely did not want to) do in the Bahamas. Apparently water had been leaking for a long time, a previous owner had took some of the ports out (the tool marks in the gelcoat are from that previous removal) and instead of recoring the sides, he chiseled the rotten wood out and replaced that with a bunch of silicone (we took the equivalent of 4 tubes worth on one side, most of it had never got to cure !!!). So be advise that installation might not be straight forward.

For a proper installation, I highly recommend this link:
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/nfm_port_lights&page=1


video of the loose hinges:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXVYnhRBPo0

different bolt pattern:


mismatching hardware:


water pooling:



adjusting the hinges with a wrench:


overall:




 
Feb 6, 1998
11,711
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Very nice! I did not have any of the mismatched hardware or the hinge issues but I agree with all your other points. The make a good port but run a sloppy business and are quite disorganized IMHO. Still a great value when compared to many other products. Theirs are not the only ones that don't drain though..
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Concur completely! I did the bronze NFMs in 2000 before the stainless and before 7x15. But yours do not require a chain to hold open? Looks like you are adjusting some kind of friction device in the hinge. My only adjustment is to the dogs for tightness when closed. One of my first duties when going aboard is to walk around the deck with a sponge to remove the standing water. Only have to do six of them. I have a cover that keeps the four aft most portlights dry.

P.S. just noticed you have four dogs on the big ones. Only two on all of mine.
 

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Mar 21, 2004
2,175
Hunter 356 Cobb Island, MD
Robert and Phillp

Where the hell are you two? We were following you down the ICW and jumped over a week later than you guys. I still have some rum to drink but you will need to come back to the US. Boat is in St Augustine until May then we come back up to the Chesapeake.
 
Sep 10, 2009
194
Hunter cutter 37 1981 St-lambert
Hey Jim !

We are in the Turks & Caicos :). Where are you now, back home already ?
We should be back in the States around mid April with a truck load of rum :D, but we will be sailing north fast, we need to be in Montreal by June 1st, we will probably not go throught the Chesapeake.
I sent you a pm.

Ed, NFM ports are now equipped with friction hinges, a nice feature, you just need to tighten them once in a while (the one over the stove in particular). What kind of cover do you have on the 4 smaller ones ?

Ed, is that a termostat in your rear stateroom ?
 
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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Years ago I had a sunbrella cover made that reaches from the forward edge of the hatch closest to the mast back to the pedestal. It has a zipper to go around the mainsheet or the topping lift. So I can use as a tent when aboard or as a cover. On the cabin roof it extends withing eight or ten inches of the toerails. I use shock cord with hooks to the toerail. It covers the companionway, engine instruments on bridgedeck, and the four aft most portlights. Also protects most of the long handrails.

And yes, a thermostat for the Reverse A/C which lives in the cabinet just below.
 

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Mar 21, 2004
2,175
Hunter 356 Cobb Island, MD
Phil sent you a PM

Tell your Dad, I have a bottle of Zaya ready for him....

BTW. the ports look great...
 
Dec 14, 2003
75
Hunter H37C, H23 Annapolis MD
Very nice! I did not have any of the mismatched hardware or the hinge issues but I agree with all your other points. The make a good port but run a sloppy business and are quite disorganized IMHO. Still a great value when compared to many other products. Theirs are not the only ones that don't drain though..
I agree, seems that somewhere between 2008 and now they have changed the hinge asI installed mine in 2008 and they are different. I would say you got a mix of old and new with all new hinges. But I still love them and they sure do let the breeze in on those hot summer days we all have been waiting for!

Mark
 

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Sep 10, 2009
194
Hunter cutter 37 1981 St-lambert
Mark, looking at your picture I can now guess why the model changed. With the hinges on your model, you can easily access the two upper screws. With the hinges on mine, they are very hard to reach, that's probably why they changed it to a one screw design.
 
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