I used Transclear 7 a bit over a year ago to reseat my leaky portlights and overhead hatches. Good news and bad news: The good news is that none of the portlights/hatches has leaked since then, despite sailing through some pretty difficult conditions (rain and heavy seas). The bad news is that today I tried to remove one of the portlights to check something lower in the hull, and I could not remove the frame. It was stuck very firmly to the hull. I really wished I had used Butyl. (I thought the Tech 7 would be relatively 'soft' as a sealant, but this was not the case.) Rather than risking damage to the frame, I just re-screwed the support bolts into place. (I use Tef-Gel on the threads to prevent galvanic corrosion, and it seems to work well (stainless steel into aluminium).) Thanks for the tip on the carboard holder for the numerous bolts of different size. Great idea -- and it worked very well.
I used butyle tape. It comes 1 inch wide and is like sticky clay almost. It's easy to clean up and you can put more on places if needed. And you can remove it very easy without any damage at all. I Rebed all my windows in my 32 Challenger and 2 years later no leaks. I got the boat for cheap because the windows were leaking. I got it all fixed up now and only had to replace 1 damaged panel. But it comes in a roll 3/4 inch wide or 1 inch wide and in 20 feet long I believe. And if it does leak you can tighten the screws more or pack in more butyle even when it wet! Just pinch off a chunk and pack into the leaking area. No need to mechanical etch or sand just pack some in with a putty knife and go sailing.
Butyl tape would be best to rebed the portlight. It's cleaner and provides a better seal. In terms of a gap between the fibreglass liner and your exterior wall, I'd fill the gap to prevent movement as well as to prevent water getting trapped in there next time the portlight leaks.
You can use Loctite, the weak type, on the stainless steel screws to reduce the risk of contact with aluminium. The rigg company who improved my rigg used Loctite a lot.
Hi Tino, I am doing the same task on all my port lights. Of course I did not realise when I removed the first port light that the screws were of varying lengths. I will use your plan for the next ones. I felt that the gasket on the port light was actually made from butyl tape originally so I am removing the old gasket and replacing it with butyl tape to see if that effects a good seal while still relatively easy to remove in the future. I will might use tech 7 on one port light as a comparison. I also see that much of the water that appears to be a leak is often condensation. Has anyone been able to order the rubber gasket that fits within the frame and seals against the plexiglas when it closes. So far I have been unable to get a correct replacement despite sending the size/type number written into the plexiglas. All the gaskets I got were incorrect so far
I have not tried to find the rubber gasket which sits between the frame and the plexiglas, but it must be fabricated somewhere. I'll let you know if I find a matching rubber gasket.
You can get the rubber gasket at ebay.com search for : "LEWMAR Standard Portlight replacement Seal For Old & New Standard Portlights" -- The right type is "new standard old style" the price is 16 US Dollars pr. meter.
The crazeing problem is still a mystery to me but according to my investigation it's caused by strong soap or white spirit. My Bavaria freiend has crazy crazeing on all acrylic glass and on my boat it is almost nothing so I don't know why it appears. I know my Bavaria friend has fixed one of his portlights, wich means he has removed the cracks in the plexiglass by sanding, I have seen the result and the glass looks like new. The crazeing is only on the outside.
That's an interesting post. All my port lights are crazed. I will take another look and see if it is on the outside only. Sanding as Tino suggests sounds very drastic (I'm extremely cautious) but would consider trying it if I heard more details on a process etc.
I used Transclear 7 a bit over a year ago to reseat my leaky portlights and overhead hatches. Good news and bad news: The good news is that none of the portlights/hatches has leaked since then, despite sailing through some pretty difficult conditions (rain and heavy seas). The bad news is that today I tried to remove one of the portlights to check something lower in the hull, and I could not remove the frame. It was stuck very firmly to the hull. I really wished I had used Butyl. (I thought the Tech 7 would be relatively 'soft' as a sealant, but this was not the case.) Rather than risking damage to the frame, I just re-screwed the support bolts into place. (I use Tef-Gel on the threads to prevent galvanic corrosion, and it seems to work well (stainless steel into aluminium).) Thanks for the tip on the carboard holder for the numerous bolts of different size. Great idea -- and it worked very well.
Thanks for the info regarding the Tec7
I used butyle tape. It comes 1 inch wide and is like sticky clay almost. It's easy to clean up and you can put more on places if needed. And you can remove it very easy without any damage at all. I Rebed all my windows in my 32 Challenger and 2 years later no leaks. I got the boat for cheap because the windows were leaking. I got it all fixed up now and only had to replace 1 damaged panel. But it comes in a roll 3/4 inch wide or 1 inch wide and in 20 feet long I believe. And if it does leak you can tighten the screws more or pack in more butyle even when it wet! Just pinch off a chunk and pack into the leaking area. No need to mechanical etch or sand just pack some in with a putty knife and go sailing.
Hello Tino
All your video's were a great help!
Thank you very much.
Great vid, very helpful. Thanks for taking the time
Butyl tape would be best to rebed the portlight. It's cleaner and provides a better seal. In terms of a gap between the fibreglass liner and your exterior wall, I'd fill the gap to prevent movement as well as to prevent water getting trapped in there next time the portlight leaks.
Cardboard trick is awesome!
Great video, thanks
You can use Loctite, the weak type, on the stainless steel screws to reduce the risk of contact with aluminium.
The rigg company who improved my rigg used Loctite a lot.
Ok super. Thanks for the tip :)
Hi Tino, I am doing the same task on all my port lights. Of course I did not realise when I removed the first port light that the screws were of varying lengths. I will use your plan for the next ones. I felt that the gasket on the port light was actually made from butyl tape originally so I am removing the old gasket and replacing it with butyl tape to see if that effects a good seal while still relatively easy to remove in the future. I will might use tech 7 on one port light as a comparison.
I also see that much of the water that appears to be a leak is often condensation.
Has anyone been able to order the rubber gasket that fits within the frame and seals against the plexiglas when it closes. So far I have been unable to get a correct replacement despite sending the size/type number written into the plexiglas. All the gaskets I got were incorrect so far
I have not tried to find the rubber gasket which sits between the frame and the plexiglas, but it must be fabricated somewhere. I'll let you know if I find a matching rubber gasket.
You can get the rubber gasket at ebay.com search for : "LEWMAR Standard Portlight replacement Seal For Old & New Standard Portlights" -- The right type is "new standard old style" the price is 16 US Dollars pr. meter.
Hi tino im going to do that to all my port lights too, do you know of any uv film to stop the portlights from crazeing cheers mate
The crazeing problem is still a mystery to me but according to my investigation it's caused by strong soap or white spirit. My Bavaria freiend has crazy crazeing on all acrylic glass and on my boat it is almost nothing so I don't know why it appears. I know my Bavaria friend has fixed one of his portlights, wich means he has removed the cracks in the plexiglass by sanding, I have seen the result and the glass looks like new. The crazeing is only on the outside.
That's an interesting post. All my port lights are crazed. I will take another look and see if it is on the outside only. Sanding as Tino suggests sounds very drastic (I'm extremely cautious) but would consider trying it if I heard more details on a process etc.
Thank you Tino. Have you replaced the rubber seal around the frame? My port lights are leaking at the rubber seal. I think?
No I have not replaced the rubber seal
@@twiper Thank you