[C320-list] Temporary hatch cover

[Christian]

Troy,
I believe you only need one of the hinges, but you do need that hinge to
set the gap proper.  I did put the epoxy in the gap to fill.

I did mine just as the CD direction followed, in 1 step.  I put the gasket
in, then put a bead just behind the gasket, along the frame, thick.  Then
set in lens, and beaded in the space between the frame and the lens.  Then
went with the back side of a spoon to smooth it all nice.  Was very pleased
with the result.  Highly suggest masking off the frame and lens with tape,
makes clean up very very easy.

The sealant i used was the CD recommended Dow Corning 795.  This sealant is
used for putting in windows in skyscrapers with no screws.  It will hold.
You shouldn't need to do two steps, or clamp down.

It takes a while to cure.  I let it cure indoors for just over a week.  But
it cured VERY nice, and very solid.

Glad the pics helped.  Let me know if you have nay other questions.

Christian


On Sun, Feb 10, 2019 at 8:28 AM Troy Dunn <troutwarrior at gmail.com> wrote:

> Christian-
>
> A few minor issues have surfaced and I'm wondering how you handled them.
>
> Issue number one is that there is a gap/seam (i.e. the frame is extruded,
> bent to shape, but not welded at the seam) in the hatch lid frame between
> the hinge screws that was sealed with either butyl tape or caulk.  I was
> wondering how you got that sealed while leaving a proper gap size.  I
> noticed however in your pictures that you brought the hinges home too.
> So...I'm guessing the answer is screw the frame into the hinge to ensure
> the gap stays the right size prior to beginning the lens install.  I wasn't
> looking forward to removing the hinges from the hatch opening frame and
> boat...hopefully those screws cooperate??
>
> Issue number two is bit harder to describe.   With the hatch lens dry
> fitted to the frame with the gasket in place, the lens appears to be at the
> proper height.   The lens rests almost entirely on the gasket however and
> it doesn't appear to me that the two step process for installing the lens
> will work.   What I've seen most folks do is lay in a bead of caulk around
> the metal side and then lay the lens on top of that bead.  Then after that
> cures they go back and fill the channel between the lens and the frame that
> is left.    I'm not sure this will work based on the amount of overlap of
> the lens sealing surface on the gasket.   Did you do this in one step or
> two?  Your most excellent picture gallery completely skips over that part
> LOL.   If one step, how did you ensure the lens stayed put while sealing.
> Putting a thin layer of caulk on the gasket seems like a bad idea...it will
> just ooze out onto the lens and be visible.   I'm thinking it will be just
> as effective to clamp the lens down and fill the whole gap all at once.
> This appears to be how it was done at the factory based on what I saw in
> disassembling the old lens.   I just haven't gotten my head around a good
> clamping technique that will keep the lens centered while pushing the lens
> flush with the frame while at the same time leaving me room to caulk the
> entire perimeter.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> As an aside.   "welding" the gasket together with super glue is a bit of an
> art form.   For anyone attempting this I would highly recommend practicing
> first.   Lay the gasket with the external sealing face down and the lens
> sealing face up.  Cut the gasket at 90 degrees with a sharp razor blade and
> a downward push (not slicing action as this will tend to give you curvy
> edges)   Use a very sparing amount of super glue on the edges of the
> gasket.  Any squeeze out will make the gasket less flexible and therefore
> less likely to seal at that seam.   The best weld will have no squeeze out.
>    The gasket that ships from CD will have plenty of extra for practice.  I
> would recommend two or three practice runs with short bits of gasket after
> measuring to ensure you have plenty of length.
>
> Troy
>