[C320-list] Leaking portholes fix?

[Bochniak, Dan J.]

Has anybody changed the rubber gasket to prevent leaks? 
-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bill Sloane
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 10:38 PM
To: C320-List at catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Leaking portholes fix?

Your directions make sense to me Jon.

Thanks,  Bill.

On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 9:03 AM, Jon Vez <jonvez at comcast.net> wrote:

> Bill,
>
> One word of warning--when you tighten the screws on the frame, be *very*
> careful not to strip the holes--the aluminum is quite soft. Mine were loose
> and I started with this step, but alas was not my leaking problem.
>
> Yes you can get the 3M caulk from WM, however I found that the 3 stores in
> my area only carried the white, so I had to order. I ended up ordering from
> Defender. If I don't need something yesterday, I tend to order from them.
> Unfortunately it only comes in the 10 oz cartridge, which is way more than
> you will need.
>
> Here's what I did--
>
> 1. I used an exacto knife to cut out all of the grey caulk on both sides of
> the frame. If you go to a home depot or crafts type store you can find an
> angled exacto with handle that makes this job much easier than a standard
> razor. This was very straightforward and not hard to do. You will find that
> the grey caulk has hardened to almost a plastic consistency, so once you
> get
> a start you can pull most of it out with your hands.
>
> 2. I cleaned up any remnants of the old caulk with a dental pick and then
> swabbed the area with denatured alcohol to clean up the surfaces for good
> adhesion
>
> 3. Using blue painters tape, carefully tape around the edges of the
> horizontal gaps. I also taped the back of the open seam (the opening on the
> inside of the boat) to prevent the caulk from oozing inside.
>
> 4. I bought several small syringes from West Marine--these are typically
> used for working with resins and epoxies. I squirted the 3M 4200 from the
> cartridge into the syringes. I then used the syringe to fill the gaps. I
> overfilled them and then used a putty knife to press in and smooth the
> caulk
> on the outside. Remove the tape before the caulk sets and you are done.
>
> I 2 complete rebeds on the ports until I realized I could get away with
> this
> much easier approach. The above took about an hour for the remaining ports
> start to finish. The complete rebed took about a week due the difficulty I
> had removing the old silicone completely from the ports. If you do rebed
> the
> ports I highly recommend the Bomar hatch tape!
>
> Hopefully this isn't too confusing, but if you have any questions, feel
> free
> to contact me offline...Good luck
>
> Jon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bill Sloane
> Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2011 11:04 AM
> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Leaking portholes fix?
>
> Jon and John,
>
> It sounds like your solutions are very similar.  I might try Rick's
> solution
> right now because my boats has about 6" of snow on it at the moment. Jon,
> if
> you are willing to supply more details, I would be grateful.  Is the
> UV4000/4200 something I can get at West Marine?
>
> Bill
> C/320 No. 554
>
> On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 6:46 AM, Rick Sulewski <rsulewski at bex.net> wrote:
>
> > Bill,
> >
> > A short term solution that worked on our hull # 277 was to simply tighten
> > the frame and compress the gasket. It was amazing how the leaks
> disappeared
> > one we tightened all of the frames that had plenty of space between the
> > shrinking gaskets and the hull. So far that solution has lasted over 4
> > years. The day will come when I will have to address the gaskets, but in
> > the
> > meantime, buying some time is working for us.
> >
> > Rick
> > My-Ria # 277
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
> > [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jon Vez
> > Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2011 8:38 AM
> > To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> > Subject: Re: [C320-list] Leaking portholes fix?
> >
> > Bill,
> >
> > I had leaking portlights the season before last and addressed it this
> past
> > spring. Before you remove the portlight or go after the gasket, try
> this--
> >
> > Pull out the grey caulking on each of the horizontal slits in each
> > portlight
> > and then refill with black UV4000/4200.
> >
> > I have hull #582 and I started by removing the frame as I saw the
> cracking
> > you mention--However I found the caulk was in really good shape and still
> > quite waterproof under the frames themselves. My experience is that
> > removing
> > and rebedding the frames and replacing the gasket was unnecessary in my
> > case. If you can get away with just doing those grey slits you will save
> a
> > lot of time and aggravation. You do not have to remove the portlights to
> do
> > this job. If you like, I can give you more detail on how to do this job
> if
> > this is the approach you choose to take.....
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jon Vez
> > Solstice #582
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
> > [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bill
> Sloane
> > Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2011 12:23 PM
> > To: c320-list at catalina320.com
> > Subject: [C320-list] Leaking portholes fix?
> >
> > After 13 wonderful dry years, my 1998 Catalina 320 is starting to leak at
> > the LEWMAR operable portholes. At first I thought the leak was from the
> > black rubber interior gasket, but then I looked at the exterior aluminum
> > frame of the windows and noticed the gasket between the aluminum and the
> > fiberglass of the cabin top is also cracked.
> >
> > Has someone had this same problem and fixed it?
> >
> > Bill Sloane
> > Endless Summer
> > Catalina 320, No. 554
> > Olympia WA
> >
> >
> >
>
>