Replacing portholes

[Dan Geltmacher]

Does anyone have any ideas on removing the old portholes (Bomar) without breaking them. Particularly the outside frame cover. After removing all the screws that I could see it still seemed to be pretty tight. They are plastic, I don't know what kind of stress they will take.  Also any tips on replacing dog assemblies? Looks like you drift out the pin and replace the assembly. They take a while to get and are kinda expensive, for what they are, so I wanna do it right the first time.Hawaii Dan

 

[John]

John's thoughts

If the ports are original the "glass" is probably crazed. When the trim ring is removed it breaks very easily where the spigot is - that's it's smallest point. The ports are so cheap I'd recommend just buying new and replacing - they will make your boat look so much better, especially from the inside. With new ports and new "glass", you also get new gaskets and lever/cam dogs vice the knobs.When replacing the ports I'd recommend filing or grinding the outside edge of the hole at a 45-degree angle to provide more contact area for the sealant. Note that the trim ring is moulded with a 45-degree relief for the sealant. Don't bother puting any sealant on the inside as this does nothing to keep water out and serves no other purpose except to make it more difficult to remove the port should you ever want to do so.

 

[Bucky Sherman]

Can the plastic,buy quality metal replacements

I have been fighting the same problem with these ports on my H27.After breaking the frame trying to drive out pins to replace the dog bolt, I decided not to even attempt removing the port from the cabin. If you are going to own the boat for any length of time, the replacement ports you choose will need re-sealing from time to time.Plastic ports are not meant to be removed! I received a great tip from someone on this forum. Newfound metals makes directsize replacements for gray ports.The frames are of bronze and the lens is glass.I purchased a complete set for my boat.Go to www.newfoundmetals.com and check it out.They may look expensive at first,but I found they compare with aluminum frame replacements that usuallydont have the cut out sizes required.