[C320-list] Portlight leaks

[Allan Field]

Joe - About 3 times per year, I open the port lights and clean them very
thoroughly with Armour All.  The theory is that the Armour All makes the
gasket expand plus, of course, cleans any gunk off.  Prior to doing this, I
had occasional leaks around the gaskets.  In the past 4 years, never a leak.
The fixed ports on Sea Shadow have never leaked and the boat is now about 6
years old.

I not only attended the Annapolis Boat Show on the Friday of the
northeaster, I also moved my boat under power at 7 AM from Herrington
Harbour South to Shipwright, a distance of about 4-5 miles with 40+ knots of
wind and 6-foot seas on the starboard beam, a lee shore to port, and hard,
cold and stinging rain in the face.  While the boat did not leak a drop, my
12-year old West Marine foul weather gear leaked like a sieve.  Guess what
my first purchase at the Boat Show was?  You are wrong if you guessed Armour
All!

Allan S. Field
Sea Shadow - #808
Columbia, MD

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Joseph C. Fratantoni
Sent: Thursday, November 23, 2006 12:50 PM
To: c320-list at catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Portlight leaks

  At the end of this season, our third with Winter Whim (#211), we noted
that there had been a leak into the aft berth on the starboard side.  This
occurred after heavy rain - those of you who attended the Annapolis Boat
Show will recall that the mid-Atlantic has had a monsoon season - and by the
time we discovered the moisture, there were no clues as to which port had
been leaking.  There signs of leak from another source and we have seen no
signs of leakage from the cabin portlights, but they are all a bit tough to
close all the way which suggests to me that the gaskets are getting stiff.

   Is there any experience with leaks from the portlights?  Is it reasonable
to replace gaskets and watch, or is it time to rebed?

 

   An a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

            Joe

 

Joseph C. Fratantoni

Rockville, MD

jcfrat at comcast.net