[C320-list] Lewmar side port Seal install

[Pat Moriarty]

Have you rebed the hatch yet?

At 08:11 AM 4/18/2008, you wrote:
>I already tried the easy fix by replacing the  O rings so now I will
>try the hatch seals
>with some of the tips here. Did the new seals appear to be much
>larger, making it harder
>to close the hatch ?
>
>Joe
>#574
>
>On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 6:45 PM, Chris J.Manges 
><cjmanges at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > I just replaced all four. The first trick is 
> to be sure all of the old sealant is removed. 
> To do that, I used a very small flat screw 
> driver to scrape the track (lightly). If you 
> don't remove ALL of the old sealant, the new 
> seal will not seat. The second trick to dry fit 
> the new seal is to use a small plastic scraper 
> with the sharp edge sanded off, or a fairly 
> thick feeler guage to persuade the dovetail 
> portion into the track. Start with one of the 
> flat surfaces and work your way around the 
> entire portlight. Once you have a good dry fit, 
> remove the gasket and put a SMALL bead of 
> silicone into the track. Once the silicone is 
> in place, repeat the installation process. (The 
> dovetail will go in somewhat easier since the 
> silicone sealant acts as a lube before it sets. 
> However, I would not skip the dry fit process, 
> as it is a real mess to go back if you don't 
> get a good fit.) Once installed, close the 
> hatch, dog down the latches, and leave them 
> closed for a week until the silicone firms up. 
> It will take a longer than the normal time to 
> set up since the silicone is not exposed to 
> air. As a reference, it took me almost 7 hours 
> to complete all four forward portlights.
> >
> >  One other suggestion-some of my leaks were 
> actually around the latches, not between the 
> acrylic and the port seal. If you have the old 
> style latches, (dog ear, turns to latch), there 
> is an "O" ring that dries out and allows water 
> to enter past the shaft of the latch. These are 
> metric "O" rings, and I believe they are 2mm 
> thickness by 12mm diameter. You will need to 
> pry out the cover (small, thin knife blade) and 
> unscrew the phillips head screw to remove the 
> old "O" ring. (Be sure the portlight is open to 
> keep the outer part from falling onto the 
> deck.) Replace, and lube the new "O" ring, and 
> reassemble. You might try this first, as it is 
> much simpler than replacing the portlight seal in the frame.
> >
> >  Good luck,
> >
> >  Chris Manges, S/V Obsession #587
> >
> >
> >
> >  -----Original Message-----
> >  >From: Joe Abbagnaro <jabbagna at gmail.com>
> >  >Sent: Apr 17, 2008 1:01 PM
> >  >To: C320-List at catalina320.com
> >  >Subject: [C320-list] Lewmar side port Seal install
> >  >
> >  >Any tricks for installing the new Side port lewmar seals.
> >  >The seals appear to be much thicker than the old seals ?
> >  >I am having trouble getting them to snap into the slot.
> >  >
> >  >Appreciate all help


> >  >
> >  >Thank You
> >  >Joe
> >
> >

Pat Moriarty
PSI Urethanes Inc
PH: 800-888-5156  Fax: 512-837-8733
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