Side Window round 2

[Ben Campbell]

Hi,

I posted a while back about a crack in the side window of my Beneteau 31. It didn’t seem to be causing a problem, so I let it go for a while. But now I’m starting to get some water in and found a new crack over the portlight that drips onto the chart table.

Beneteau parts has not responded to attempts to get a quote on a new window. Nor has the dealership for this area. Do any of the plastic fabricators keep patterns for production boat windows? It’s odd-shaped, and may have a small curve to it. I _think_ it’s acrylic/plexiglass.

Does anyone know of a marine window repair person in the North Texas area that will work on a boat in a slip? (Preferably someone who can warrant the install against leaks.)

In the interim, is there a good way to seal cracks in the window that won’t look absolutely awful? It looks like I have about a 1mm gap. I’ve found several products for sealing cracks in acrylic, but I gather they won’t fill gaps. Would a clear epoxy work for this?

Thanks!

Ben Campbell
09 Beneteau 31 “Dancing Days”
Lewisville Lake, TX

[Robert Mayo]

You need to call Tony at Hatchmasters and talk to him about it. https://hatchmasters.com/hatch-repair/

If you can remove your window and send it, his shop has an oven to bend curves and can replicate it. 

Most of the old molds are gone. I replaced a wraparound window in my 80s vintage Oceanis, and it was so big that Tony couldn't do it because of the size of his oven. I found a company in Toronto to do it, and shipped my old ones there.

In the process I learned how professional Hatchmasters is, and so later when it came time to replace hatch lenses, I sent my Lewmar hatches to them. Tony is like the Ward Richardson of plexi. But I bet they are busy right now - it's prime season!

I know you are looking for repair patches to the problem, but there is no satisfactory repair (ask me how I know). Best to replace it, and install it properly with the correct Sikka or equivalent, as it was originally installed. Much easier and more pleasant to do that, than to watch your wood interior get increasingly damaged.

Rob

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[Ben Campbell]

When you say all the old molds are gone, would you consider the mold for a 2009 as “old”?

Thanks!

Ben.

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[r.simoneau]

I recently saw a clear acrylic? Uv cure liquid thin material on the web.  Also found Solaris uv cure polyester.  The trick is finding a low viscosity material that will wick into the crack. Locate also has a Glass Glue for $7.  Dont know the longevity of any of these, but probably worth trying short term

Rich

Sent from my Galaxy

[Ben Campbell]

It’s not a hairline crack—I’m looking at a roughly 1mm gap. Wouldn’t that need something on the higher viscosity side?

Ben.

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[Robert Mayo]

"Old" is certainly arbitrary but I'm not sure you will locate usable plexi molds more than a decade after the boat's production. You know how the sailboat industry has been over that time period.

Like you, I tried a number of things on what was originally a hairline crack. But nothing worked for very long. my nav station wood would have benefitted if I had bitten the bullet 2 seasons earlier and done the replacement.

I also learned is that you can re-bed (uncracked) plexi windows if you have a leak around the sealant. But there is a chemical bond between the plexiglass and the sealant, which affects the contact surface of the plexiglass. So it's a fix that likely lasts 2-3 years and is only good one time.

When you receive a replacement curved window (even if made with the original mold) it probably isn't going to fit exactly like a glove. (When you think about it, the boat mold and the window mold are unlikely to be a perfect fit.)  So a careful installer will use a dremel or other tool to improve the fit between the window and the fiberglass, almost like dentistry, fine-grinding the mating surfaces into a more even fit. The surfaces need to be very clean when sealing them into place. A lot of this can be seen online.

R

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[Ben Campbell]

Yeah, I tried silicone sealant, and it UV rotted in no time in the Texas sun. 

And I just heard from Tony that he can’t help me. He suggests getting it from Beneteau or finding a local fabricator. 

The removal and reinstall process doesn’t sound like the sort of job I want to do myself, and I certainly can’t warranty my work :-)  Butt there’s not much of a marine industry in North Texas. 

Ben. 

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[mro...@awdmar.com]

Probably a long shot but can a replacement be made with 3D printing? They recreate human organs fco. Post a pic of the item in question when you get a chance.

Mike

S/V Andiamo

Belmont Harbor | Chicago, IL

On Apr 6, 2021, at 1:25 PM, Robert Mayo <mayoro...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Ben Campbell]

It’s about 96 inches long, so that would take a pretty big printer. Assuming  anyone can even print in optically-clear acrylic and maintain the needed window strength.

Pics attached of whole window and the main crack. Of course, it’s a single piece covereing multiple “windows”. (Or at least, it used to be one piece.)

Ben.

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[Robert Mayo]

Wow - all one piece and 96" - you are going to need that company in Toronto if it requires an oven to mold. But the good thing is that you don't have a lot of curve in it. Can you determine the thickness of the plexiglass?  It looks almost flat, and it could be that it was cut from flat plexiglass and then pressed and temporarily weighted while the sealant set.  Ward should be able to look that up, if you can reach him.  The plexiglass supplier would need to match both your plexiglass color and thickness.

You can see mine below, actually 5 pieces (two small, flat aft pieces, two very curved pieces, and one large curved one across the top).  

Last thing and then I'll shut up - it's worth making canvas covers for all your hatches and fixed ports too. Then you never have to mess with this again. Most people's boats sit there unused 90% of the time. Canvas covers add life and value.

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[allendick]

Clear Gorilla Tape makes a good temporary and unobtrusive fix for cracks in Statoglass or Plexiglas.

[Ben Campbell]

Wow, I didn’t know it came in clear, thanks!

Ben.

On Apr 7, 2021, at 4:24 AM, allendick <alle...@gmail.com> wrote:

Clear Gorilla Tape makes a good temporary and unobtrusive fix for cracks in Statoglass or Plexiglas.

> In the interim, is there a good way to seal cracks in the window that won’t look absolutely awful? It looks like I have about a 1mm gap. I’ve found several products for sealing cracks in acrylic, but I gather they won’t fill gaps. Would a clear epoxy work for this?

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[Allen Dick]

I should also mention common box packing tape.  We used it on cracked windows on windsurfing sails and it held up reasonably well to sun and water.  There may be more and less water resistant brands,  Don't know.

>> Clear Gorilla Tape makes a good temporary and unobtrusive fix for cracks in Stratoglass or Plexiglas.

[Mark J Wilme]

you might also consider filling the grack with clear RTV silicone, then using a razor blade to trim it flush and putting the clear tape over that

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[Ben Campbell]

It turns out I can get a new window from Beneteau. Oddly, the new style with two port light cutouts is a fraction of the price of the original style with a single port light. Beneteau says either will work. I gather if I order the original it has to be fabricated as a one off by the supplier, but the new style is available in stock. I’m not going to complain about the extra port light—even adding two brand new port lights it’s still a lot cheaper than the old-style window.

Beneteau sent me the attached PDF installation instructions. They are a bit … ambiguous in places. It looks like they recommend a polyurethane adhesive (not named, but I assume silkaflex?) and possibly VHB tape depending on whether the window has a groove for the sealant. OTOH, I’ve heard of people having good success with either just Dow 795 silicone or VHB tape plus Dow 795. It sounds like the Dow 795 would be cheaper and easier (with or without the tape) due to the lack of a primer. What is the consensus these days?

Thanks!

Ben.

[Ben Campbell]

On closer inspection, it looks like the factory-installed window was mounted with VHB tape and nothing else. At least, if there was any other sealant at one time, there’s no sign of it now (after 11 years in the Texas sun).

Ben.

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> <ch_7_2_Plexiglass_(pmma)_bonding_on_polyester.pdf>

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