Portlight Plywood Core Replacement

[Steve22116]

Good evening all. JFKSail reported problems with rotten plywood core surrounding his portlights. I too had discovered damage on my L25 after removing them, especially the center ones.

What I did was take and angle drill and remove the plywood core about 1 3/4" all the way around the portlight. This takes about an hour per window.

I then used the waterproof epoxy paste (1 hour curing time) from Home Depot to fill in the void. The technique I found that works best is to cut the paste a little with acetone and work the paste in using a pair of tongue depressors sandwiched together and dipped in acetone. It takes about 16 oz of epoxy to fill the void per window.

BTW... I used this technique on the Beckson PF714 (7"x14"x2"). My core is still solid surrounding the PF310 (3"x10"x1.25") and if required I haven't figured out how to get the drill bit into that small space. Suggestions welcome.

 

[caguy]

There is a water soluble epoxy that has the consistency of water but dries hard. They use is on old rotted wood in home restorations. I used it on the floor boards of my 29 Model A Ford and it worked great. The wood really soaks that stuff up then dries stiff as a board (pun intended).

 

[BobM]

The usual approach

BTW... I used this technique on the Beckson PF714 (7"x14"x2"). My core is still solid surrounding the PF310 (3"x10"x1.25") and if required I haven't figured out how to get the drill bit into that small space. Suggestions welcome.

People usually tighten an allen key in their drill. A 90 degree drill might help too.

 

[Steve22116]

Frank, what's the product name? Also, how is your Lancer restoration going?

Bob, I used a 90 degree angle drill and that chuck length combined with the drill bit would be to long to fit into the smaller 3" space. Steve

 

[BobM]

Sounds like the allen key is the key then.

 

[caguy]

Frank, what's the product name? Also, how is your Lancer restoration going?

Bob, I used a 90 degree angle drill and that chuck length combined with the drill bit would be to long to fit into the smaller 3" space. Steve

Liquid Wood is one of them.

http://www.abatron.com/cms/buildingandrestorationproducts/woodrestorationmaintenance/liquidwood.html

I got mine from Lowes' paint department, I don't remember the brand.

 

[Steve22116]

Bob, do you think an allen key will remove wood or do you make it really exciting and grind the end to a point(;-)

 

[caguy]

The Multimaster Tool is perfect for a job like that.
http://www.themultimastersystem.com/index.jsp

There are less expensive copies of the tool out there. Mine is by Dremel.

 

[Steve22116]

Thanks Frank for the suggestion. Steve

 

[BobM]

The multimaster tools (I too have the Dremel version which is about $100) work great for boat work, but might be tough to fit in a 3 inch space. The allen key will work great for removing mushy balsa core and will fit into a 3 inch space. It may work for plywood too, but your mileage may vary. You can make a filler any consistency you want with resin and microballoons.

 

[Steve22116]

I'm fortunate Bob that the core surrounding the smaller, 3" ports is solid. I may soak a mixture of resin thinned with acetone and then check it in a couple of years. Steve

 

[BobM]

That's good. Did you find replacements the correct size or are you just reinstalling the old one? I always wondered if there was a replacement for that fixed port readily available.

 

[Steve22116]

Here's what I pulled from the website Bob, which I believe will fit. Steve

Beckson Marine, Inc.
165 Holland Ave Bridgeport, CT 06605
Tel: 203-333-1412 Fax: 203-384-6954

PF310-WS-10 WINDOW,3x10x1.25",wht/smk EA $71.00
PF714-WS-20 WINDOW,7x14x2",wht/smk EA $126.75

 

[BobM]

Great. It is always good to have this stuff in a thread so that when someone searches for Lancer 25 port replacement it comes up. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Steve22116]

Here's the Beckston website address: http://www.beckson.com/