[C320-list] Portlight Replacement/Repair?

[David Wellerstein]

So I broke down and bought four new Lewmar portlights for the cabin.  We’ll tackle the others later but for now I’m excited to get these done.  

Looks like removal is the toughest part of the job so I’ll do one at a time and see how it goes.

Big question is what material to use to bed the ports?  It seems 4000 or (the variant from Pettit which I got for free at a local boat show) are right for a caulk-type.  But I’m reading a lot about butyl tape.  I would love for the C320 hive and to weigh in here.  I’d love to hear from anyone who’s done both and what you’ve landed on as the best choice.  Seems that since fasteners are holding the inner and outer frames together that adhesion is not the issue.  It’s really about waterproofing and the butyl tape looks like it works fine.  Add to that the ease of working with it and the ease of removal…seems like the right choice.

Thanks as always!

—David
C320 #118, Dream Catcher

> On Mar 27, 2022, at 1:32 PM, Troy Dunn <troutwarrior at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Some folks have had success just replacing the gasket on the Bomar hatch.
> I had no such luck.   The problem is that the sealant (Dow795) that seals
> the lens to the frame needs to make a tight seal against the gasket too,
> mine kept leaking no matter what I did.   Since my hatch lens was over 20
> years old it was EOL anyhow.  I ended up making a new lens  and
> refurbishing the hatch.   Worked out well.   You can search the emails for
> the write up.   Pictures in my gallery.
> 
> Troy Dunn
> Wonky Dog
> Hull#514