[C320-list] lewmar portlights

[Christopher Nichols]

Time has come on Amanda Rose (476) to rebed or replace the cabin trunk portights ajacent to the shrouds. At present we have the original ones with the horizontal split in the metal surround which i gather from posts a while ago are often problematic.
I'd really appreciate advice on if it is advisable to replace the ports rather than simply rebed them in order to avoid problems in future. Also if replacement is advisable then is there a particular model that you would recommend?

My yard are quoting just about $1000 for rebedding the existing 4 so it is looking pretty costly anyhow.

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.


Chris Nichols
Personal account

[Descher, Chris]

Bowmar hatch tape solved all my problems.

Sent from my iPhone

[jim brown]

Rebedding isn't a big job if you have the time. I'd also look into using butyl tape to rebed them. Easy to work with and now used by many manufacturers instead of calk. Check out several youtube videos and one Compass Marine and Sail Rite for instructions on how to use it. I haven't used Bomar hatch tape but haven't heard any negatives so that is also a no caulk option.

Jim Brown

[JJ Morrison]

If the Lewmar port-lights are just leaking then I wouldn't replace them. All 4 of mine were leaking and I fixed them and haven't had a problem in the 4 years since. What you need to do is remove the inside plastic frame to expose the innards of the port-light. You then need to remove all of the old calk in that split in the port-light frame, a dental pick works best for this. You will discover that the material is an "S" shaped gasket and it takes a bit of picking to get it out...both from inside and outside of the boat. Once all of the old stuff has been removed tape off the edges on the outside of the port-light frames. I filled the gap with black 3M5200 but any high quality calk would work. The calk will ooze to the inside of the frames so a bit of masking tape on the inside will prevent it from dripping. Once the calk has cured remove the tape and from 10' looks just like a factory job! Evidently it is not the bedding which leaks at the port-lights but that pesky seal between the gap which deteriorates over time. I got this from Lewmar. It worked on my boat and I know others have done it. Worth a try if you're looking at a few $Gs to replace them.Cheers and good luck.JohnM1999#574

> Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 06:52:50 -0800
> From: jbrow...@yahoo.com
> To: C320...@Catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] lewmar portlights

[Warren Updike]

I can second this approach, except that I didn't bother with the inside. I
just picked the gasket from the outside, taped off the hull, frame, and
gasket, then filled the space with black LifeCaulk. I used a plastic scraper
to remove excess caulk and let it cure. The tape came off easily and, as JJ
says, from 10' or even 3' away you wouldn't know the difference.

Warren and Pattie Updike
1994 C320 "Warr de Mar" #62

[Doug Treff]

I also made the same repair using this method. I can say that without a
doubt it worked. Try this BEFORE you go replacing the O-ring (major
hassle) or any other parts and see if it solves your problem. If you
devote 1 entire day to making this repair, you could fix all of your
windows in one session. Get them all taped up first and then go around
with the caulk and do each one like an assembly line. I used the white
4200 and it looks factory. You can buy a cheap set of dental picks at
Harbor freight that will help you yank out the old gasket material.

Below is a link to a blog article from someone who owns a C-36 and
repaired his fixed ports the same way. These fixed ports (like the ones
we have on our C320's) also have the same joint in the frame, though
mine haven't leaked yet. The pictures are very useful and if you've
spent any amount of time studying your ports, you can see that the
repair process is very similar. When you do yours, do it with the window
open, and make sure to tape off the inside of the frame as well as the
mating surface where the window closes and the o-ring to prevent getting
any sealant where it doesn't belong. I highly recommend caulking the
inside as well as the outside. The inside frame is only held on with
Velcro and will come off easily with a little tug.

http://blog.taas.it/2013/05/for-catalina-36-ia-community.html

Good luck, and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions, as I
have done all of my windows this way even if they haven't leaked yet.

Doug Treff
do...@treff.us
1996 C-320 Hull #350 - September Song

[Bruce Stanley]

Test
On Feb 20, 2014 11:40 AM, "Christopher Nichols" <cini...@btinternet.com>
wrote:

[JeffWi...@aol.com]

Hey Chris,

I just did all ( 7 total) of mine myself and I know I had to spend less
than $100 in parts - and I went way overboard I think.

In my humble opinion, i would not dream of replacing these ports unless
yours are truly damaged - shattered lens, bent frame, etc.

I purchased new gaskets for lens, o-rings for dog ear latches, and 2 tubes
of life caulk - and only used 1 tube and even replaced the main saloon
hatch too.

I went overboard in the way I did the job. I spent close to 1.5 - 2 hours
per port. I removed port, scraped old bedding compound off fiberglass and
then wiped down with acetone. then the fun began. I used a set of dental
picks as suggested from the 320 website and began removing old caulk from
gasket channel of port light frame and from the horizontal split in frame -
very time consuming.....then dry fit new lens gaskets, I never siliconed
them in place as suggested.. Fitting new gaskets in radius of corners was
very difficult for me. I experimented with different methods of stretching
the gasket to fit in groove then pushing back in opposite direction once
gasket was in groove. it took a couple of different attempts to get
correct. The new gasket comes with the ends glued together but I ended up
breaking the glue when installing. Also begin inserting gasket into groove under
one of the hinges and work around port slowly. Removing dog ears and
replacing o-rings was very simple and straight forward.

Test fit the cleaned up port back in the opening a couple of times before
caulking to insure best position. Some of the cutouts in fiberglass were
pretty rough and left little room for error in repositioning port. I held
the port in place with tape until I could get below and reattach interior
frame. When attaching frame, I did not tighten the screws down very hard at
all, just enough to hold port in place until caulk sealed. Once it cured
overnight , I went back and tightened them a little more.

Things to look out for:

Removing screws for the first time -my boat is a 1995 model. I dont think
these ports had ever been taken apart before. Some of the screws needed
soaking (PB Blaster) and still needed an impact driver. I think I still
stripped off 3 screw heads. Try to avoid this......

Also about screws - some were longer than others- note which screw came
from what position and put back in same place when reinstalling.

Caulking - tape off the exterior around port to prevent extra work later.
I am still trying to clean up my mess around the edges of ports. i used
the same caulk to fill the horizontal split in frame as I did to rebed port.
Again tape will save you some work.

Interior plastic frames - mine are yellowed and brittle. I cleaned up the
interior frames very well and and smoothed the caulk on the interior side
and did not reinstall plastic frames. I like the look of the exposed
aluminum frames better than the plastic trim frames. I would be willing to give
these away to some one if they were interested.

Good luck,

Jeff Willis
Esprit, #174


In a message dated 4/1/2014 8:13:19 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

[Jon Vez]

I started out by rebedding one port and that's when I realized the bedding
was fine--it was the horizontal bedding that dries and shrinks. I ended up
just doing the horizontal splits and this was indeed the cause of the leaks.
I have a writeup somewhere on the site. If you are going to pay that kind of
money for rebedding, then I would either make sure they also do the
horizontal splits, or skip the rebedding altogether. When I removed the
first and only port to rebed, I immediately knew that wasn't the problem as
they are well bedded and in my case I believe they used Butyl tape which
remains pliable indefinitely...

The worst case would be for you to spend all that money and find your ports
still leak...

Regards,
Jon Vez
Formerly #582

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-lis...@lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-lis...@lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Stanley
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 8:13 PM
To: C320...@catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] lewmar portlights