Leaky port seals

[Dennis Cain]

We have a Beneteau Oceanis 321 (1999 vintage) and the seals on the ports
are beginning to be a problem due to leaks. I usually coat the seals
with silicone grease every year, but this is no longer adequate. I have
purchased new seals from Lewmar, and am curious about the experience of
others re the installation process. Any advice? We are planning to
replace all of the seals - both the large ports and the small.

Thanks in advance.

Dennis Cain
Anodyne

[rvluc...@yahoo.com]

Dennis: please advise if you are referencing the opening ports, the cabin top sky lights or the large fixed ports. Different action required for each.

We own oc321 hull 001, 1999.

Bob L
Latitudes,

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[Mark J Wilme]

We have had new seals for our 2001 OC381 (opening ports) for 3 years now. We had so much trouble getting the first one in that the others are still in their plastic bags uninstalled.

Mark

Mark Wilme
Mark....@Gmail.com

+1 (508) 826 5607

www.linkedin.com/in/markwilme

[Paul Schwab]

We have a `99 Beneteau Oceanis 352. We have had a few opening port that
leak in heavy rain or heavy splash.
Before you replace the seals, take a hard look at where the "leak" is. I
noticed that water was dripping off the block that the turning latch locked
in.
I found that Lewmar sells a replacement latch kit (rt & lft) for $19 each.
The kit has the handle, trim cap, exterior button with o-ring & screw.
It occurred to me that the o-ring might be worn. I took apart one of the
handles, pulled the o-ring and found a replacement at the local hardware
store for 84 cents.
I used some Sailcoat to lube the o-ring/port surface and re-assemble. The
screw is used to adjust the "snugness" of the assembly.



Something to consider before doing a full seal replacement.

Paul
s/v Witchcraft
BO 352, #282

-----Original Message-----
From: benetea...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:benetea...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Dennis Cain
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 9:31 PM
To: benetea...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {Beneteau Owners} Leaky port seals

[Sails Call II]

We have a 1998 Bene 321 and have had leaky ports.  I found the leak coming from the outside frame of the ports.  You can remove the frame from inside the boat to see where leaks are coming from.  The frames are velcroed on, but also stuck with some silicone - be careful removing the interior frame so as not the break the plastic.  The outside frame has a split on either side which creates a leak.  You need to dig the old caulk out of the split and refill it with 3M 4000.  This product stays flexible and does not dry out in the sun.  Replacing the seal is difficult since you need to clean out the old silicone from the groove before bedding the new seal in with new silicone. I did this on one port and it did not stop the leak.   The newer Lewmar ports have a full frame on the outside without the split. 

[Bob Getty]

That is a solution it worked has worked for five or more years on my 351

Sent from Bob's iPhone

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[Howard]

Since I've tried all the solutions discussed so far with little success, I'm wondering if the new design opening side ports by Lewmar are the best solution.  I see that the big redesign is not just the elimination of the 2 outside frame gaps, but the removal of those crappy knobs in favor of levers that snap onto the window receivers.  I also wonder if they can be adjusted.

Anyone have the new design and are happy with it?

Sure like to hear some opinions before I decide to spend abut 3 "B.O.A.T." units for 7 of the new design.  I would consider other manufacturers of opening ports.

Howard.

Sent from a real computer!

[Robert Lucchetti]

We have dealt with leaking opening ports on our oc321/1995 and have gone the enite process of removing the gasket, etc, etc.   What we finally found/learned is that the failure point is NOT the gasket but the sealant at the point where the 2 halfs of te frame come together.   Now all we do is remove the plastic bezel, unscrew the interior metal frame and reseal the joint. Do be sure to put sealant on the screws when re-installing.   Bob L Latitudes/Chicago/oc321 --- On Thu, 5/16/13, Howard <hrs...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Capt Brian]

This is a reponse I gave earlier on this topic.

 

I fixed all my ports using gray RTV instead of other sealents. I cleaned out all the soft gasket, lightly sanded the inside surfaces of the frame, cleaned with alcohol, taped the frames, filled with RTV and the used a razor blade to smooth out. I did this 10 years ago and haven't had a leaky port since. Hope this may be of some use.

Brian

 

RTV - room temperature vulcanization