I just posted a few photos of my portlight project on the Photo Forum. What I have learned from this will apply equally if fixing leaks or replacing with new plastic portlights. The main issue with removing to fix leaks is that the outside frames are so fragile. But the frames can be purchased separately so it is still worth a complete removal to fix a leak. By completely removing you get the chance to fix any problems with the coring. If it has rotted away then glass in some new. If it is till intact then glass over it so no water will ever penetrate it again. Then when you reinstall make certain you completely fill ALL the voids between the frame and the cabin. There should be caulking out beyond the level of the cabin that squeezes out when you put on the outside frame. Let it set up before cleaning up with a putty knife and razor blade. Now the only leak you have to worry about is at the rubber seal where the lense seats. Those seals are also available. Thanx to Mike Alge and Tom Hadoulias for guiding me through all of this.
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Terry Arnold
Port caulking
Thanks for posting the port replacement photos. I have this job to do on my 79 H33 which has the same Gray portlights. What caulk did you use in sealing the new ones in?
Thanks for posting the port replacement photos. I have this job to do on my 79 H33 which has the same Gray portlights. What caulk did you use in sealing the new ones in?
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Butch
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Ed Schenck
Gentlemen, forgot. . .
to list the caulk even though I knew I would get the question. I am using the white "Life-calk" from BoatLife as recommended by people who have done this. The NFM instruction #11 reads like: "Many caulks and bedding compounds have been used. Our customers have been having great success with 3M strip caulk (available at auto glaziers) There are several companies that mfg. the same type of stuff (butyl rubber). This stuff never hardens, has an excellent temp range (-20~175 working). If you use silicon you will have to remove ALL silicon before ever re-caulking. Boat life now has a remover for silicon. Also, the stronger the adhesive the less the joint is able to work with the expansion and contractions going on with the port and the boat itself. The strip caulk on the other hand always remains flexible." For Gray portlight parts see the link below. And good luck!
to list the caulk even though I knew I would get the question. I am using the white "Life-calk" from BoatLife as recommended by people who have done this. The NFM instruction #11 reads like: "Many caulks and bedding compounds have been used. Our customers have been having great success with 3M strip caulk (available at auto glaziers) There are several companies that mfg. the same type of stuff (butyl rubber). This stuff never hardens, has an excellent temp range (-20~175 working). If you use silicon you will have to remove ALL silicon before ever re-caulking. Boat life now has a remover for silicon. Also, the stronger the adhesive the less the joint is able to work with the expansion and contractions going on with the port and the boat itself. The strip caulk on the other hand always remains flexible." For Gray portlight parts see the link below. And good luck!
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CaptJeff
Try the Thrifty Mariner...
Check out the Thrifty Mariner at www.thriftymariner.com for Surplus Bomar Hatches and Portlights. They also carry the discontinued parts and older parts for the Gray Portlights,They can be reached at 813-243-1378
Check out the Thrifty Mariner at www.thriftymariner.com for Surplus Bomar Hatches and Portlights. They also carry the discontinued parts and older parts for the Gray Portlights,They can be reached at 813-243-1378
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Howard Sherman
Portlight Replacement
The Gray/Bomar replacement portlights are also available at sailnet.com, as well as knobs, gaskets and replacement lenses. For those of you interested in a quality replacement portlight go to newfoundmetals.com and check out their products. Their portlights are bronze frames with thick tempered safety glass for lenses. I installed these in my H27 and are very pleased with them. Ed mentioned in his post how fragile the plastic is when removing the portlight to re-seal. There are also two other ways that you may damage these portlights that will cause you to have to replace the whole thing. When changing the lens you run a good chance of breaking the tab that the hinge pin drives through. Another example would be changing out the threaded stud for the dog clamp knob. Again the tab that the drive pin goes through to hold the dog stud in place is easily broken. Yes the plastic gray/bomar portlights are less expensive. But how many do you replace before you equal the cost of a quality bronze frame portlight. I myself broke 3 when I said enough. Just another opinion to add to the mix.
The Gray/Bomar replacement portlights are also available at sailnet.com, as well as knobs, gaskets and replacement lenses. For those of you interested in a quality replacement portlight go to newfoundmetals.com and check out their products. Their portlights are bronze frames with thick tempered safety glass for lenses. I installed these in my H27 and are very pleased with them. Ed mentioned in his post how fragile the plastic is when removing the portlight to re-seal. There are also two other ways that you may damage these portlights that will cause you to have to replace the whole thing. When changing the lens you run a good chance of breaking the tab that the hinge pin drives through. Another example would be changing out the threaded stud for the dog clamp knob. Again the tab that the drive pin goes through to hold the dog stud in place is easily broken. Yes the plastic gray/bomar portlights are less expensive. But how many do you replace before you equal the cost of a quality bronze frame portlight. I myself broke 3 when I said enough. Just another opinion to add to the mix.
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Don Baker
Butch
Butch of Fernandina Beach........do you have a Hunter 33.......I also Have a Hunter 33 and I live in the Fernandina Beach Area Email me at dbaker3598@aol.com or Phone 2616858
Butch of Fernandina Beach........do you have a Hunter 33.......I also Have a Hunter 33 and I live in the Fernandina Beach Area Email me at dbaker3598@aol.com or Phone 2616858
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Ed Schenck
In answer to Howard.
I finished two portlights, one 7x14 and one 5x12, just before Spring launch. They look good, do not leak, and I'll feel confident with them in blue water. They are safety glass and bolted through the trunk so are very solid. No one is going to step on and break the frames off like my current ones. And having two quick-release dogs is far better than four screw knobs. I like that the wood core is now sealed all the way around. But they are far from perfect. They are very expensive, I would rather have had a new jib. They require a hook and chain to keep open. The spigot is not angled so they cannot drain. With the slope of the cabin sides there will be 1/2" of water lying against the glass after a rain or a wave. NFM recommended glueing a couple strips of yarn to act as wicks. I'll just continue to take a sponge to them. I have considered drilling a hole in the center of the spigot, close to the trunk. I may try that with just one. The screens are kind of clunky also. When I bought mine the 7x15s were not available. That size would be a much better fit. And I might have opted for the new stainless steel. My bronze ones look very good though and I have seen the unpolished "green" ones and do not have a problem with that. So I would do it again. See link below.
I finished two portlights, one 7x14 and one 5x12, just before Spring launch. They look good, do not leak, and I'll feel confident with them in blue water. They are safety glass and bolted through the trunk so are very solid. No one is going to step on and break the frames off like my current ones. And having two quick-release dogs is far better than four screw knobs. I like that the wood core is now sealed all the way around. But they are far from perfect. They are very expensive, I would rather have had a new jib. They require a hook and chain to keep open. The spigot is not angled so they cannot drain. With the slope of the cabin sides there will be 1/2" of water lying against the glass after a rain or a wave. NFM recommended glueing a couple strips of yarn to act as wicks. I'll just continue to take a sponge to them. I have considered drilling a hole in the center of the spigot, close to the trunk. I may try that with just one. The screens are kind of clunky also. When I bought mine the 7x15s were not available. That size would be a much better fit. And I might have opted for the new stainless steel. My bronze ones look very good though and I have seen the unpolished "green" ones and do not have a problem with that. So I would do it again. See link below.
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Bill of Sandpiper
Response to Ed Schenk
Why stick with the original fragile plastic trim rings? They don't last very long and removal after a few years causes breakage. I manufactured two new portlight trim rings from fiberglass to replace broken ones. I first built a plasticine dam on a large piece of glass using the old ring for a mold. The plasticine was then coated with PVA - a release agent. Gelcoat then several layers of CSM and cloth were applied inside the dam, soaked with resin then the excess squeezed out. Final product was filed even, sanded and painted. They look great, are strong and flexible and should stand up well to UV. Best, removal should be much easier.
Why stick with the original fragile plastic trim rings? They don't last very long and removal after a few years causes breakage. I manufactured two new portlight trim rings from fiberglass to replace broken ones. I first built a plasticine dam on a large piece of glass using the old ring for a mold. The plasticine was then coated with PVA - a release agent. Gelcoat then several layers of CSM and cloth were applied inside the dam, soaked with resin then the excess squeezed out. Final product was filed even, sanded and painted. They look great, are strong and flexible and should stand up well to UV. Best, removal should be much easier.
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Gene Gruender
My experiences
I just got back from a Long Island to Jacksonville, Florida delivery, so I'm stepping in here a bit late. But... I've done most of this already, so I've learned a few things the hard way. Here are some: I tried replacing parts of the Gray ports and quickly gave up on that. I ordered new ones, thinking my old ones only fell apart from age. The new ones must have gotten old very quickly. I installed the Newfound Metals ports about 4 years or so ago. They are a step above the plastic, no doubt. However, here are some drawbacks I've learned. The adjustments for both the locks that you do manually to close them, and the adjustments at the top to adjust at the hinge will not stay set. There is no provision to keep the screws from moving and I find I am constantly having to adjust them to keep water from coming in. I've tried to jam some material in the thread to make them somewhat like a lockwasher, but have had limited success. They must be screwed down very tight to hold water out. The rubber seal around the window is not water tight, just a loose fit, and depends on being closed tight to make a water tight fit. Water will seep between the glass and water otherwise. At least on mine, the bronze tarnished badly and quickly. This won't bother some people, but it wasn't what I was looking for. Newfound Metals sold a coating of some sort that was suppose to prevent this but it was a do-it-yourself deal and I didn't want to mess with it. It might be a way around the tarnishing if they still sell it. Reparing and sealing the coring around the frames was mentioned. That is good advice, and I had to do most of mine. It's not fun, but can be done. However, I don't think much of my rotting came from leaking around the ports, rather from the dorade boxes. they are prone to leaking from a design/fabrication defect. I've written up some info on this on my website which may be of interest. For some reason, I can't get the website up right now to paste in the exact address, but if you go to: http://www.geocities.com/rainbow_chaser.geo then follow the link to the upgrades page, look for the dorade link you can get there. If I manage to get it up later I'll add another post with the link. Good luck, it's a fun job! :^) Gene Gruender
I just got back from a Long Island to Jacksonville, Florida delivery, so I'm stepping in here a bit late. But... I've done most of this already, so I've learned a few things the hard way. Here are some: I tried replacing parts of the Gray ports and quickly gave up on that. I ordered new ones, thinking my old ones only fell apart from age. The new ones must have gotten old very quickly. I installed the Newfound Metals ports about 4 years or so ago. They are a step above the plastic, no doubt. However, here are some drawbacks I've learned. The adjustments for both the locks that you do manually to close them, and the adjustments at the top to adjust at the hinge will not stay set. There is no provision to keep the screws from moving and I find I am constantly having to adjust them to keep water from coming in. I've tried to jam some material in the thread to make them somewhat like a lockwasher, but have had limited success. They must be screwed down very tight to hold water out. The rubber seal around the window is not water tight, just a loose fit, and depends on being closed tight to make a water tight fit. Water will seep between the glass and water otherwise. At least on mine, the bronze tarnished badly and quickly. This won't bother some people, but it wasn't what I was looking for. Newfound Metals sold a coating of some sort that was suppose to prevent this but it was a do-it-yourself deal and I didn't want to mess with it. It might be a way around the tarnishing if they still sell it. Reparing and sealing the coring around the frames was mentioned. That is good advice, and I had to do most of mine. It's not fun, but can be done. However, I don't think much of my rotting came from leaking around the ports, rather from the dorade boxes. they are prone to leaking from a design/fabrication defect. I've written up some info on this on my website which may be of interest. For some reason, I can't get the website up right now to paste in the exact address, but if you go to: http://www.geocities.com/rainbow_chaser.geo then follow the link to the upgrades page, look for the dorade link you can get there. If I manage to get it up later I'll add another post with the link. Good luck, it's a fun job! :^) Gene Gruender
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