Resealing Large Salon Windows

[NautiBits]

The pleasure of your reply is requested!

This new to me 2000 36 Classic requires the large lexan windows to be resealed. Derived from posts on this forum, Sikaflex 295 UV and primer is the proper adhesive for this job. I have looked, but could not find, a play-by-play for this task. I have found that a window removal tool from Harbor Freight can make the project more pleasant. Anywhere from 2 to 4 10oz tubes per window are needed. How many cans of primer are needed? I know to look for the nylon washers which can be reused. Is it obvious where they are located(around screws?)? I will, by default, not trust that anything I find is the work of the initial builder. So, if there are 5 washers, but it requires 10, I will need to source and replace the missing ones. I've found the Sika 295UV from about $15 to $34 a ten ounce tube, and the primer from $50 to $85 an eight ounce can. Any better sources?

Does removing the interior molding make it easier/possible to do this job? Can a single window be done or should all three windows on one side be done together? I'm not going to replace the five original windows now (one was replaced prior to purchase because it was broken). I saw a post where the next size thicker lexan was used. What are the pros and cons of that change? Should butyl tape be used around the screws? I've noticed that the newly replaced window leaks around the screws(and other places too!) So, I thought maybe the combination of using Sika to hold the window on and butyl to bed the fasteners might work.

One bead around the edge, two beads spaced an inch apart, putty knife 1/8 inch thick x 1 inch wide all around, perpendicular to the hull or faired moderately with fingertips or special tool???

If I want to plan for window covers, should I use the window screws as points of attachment?

I would really like some feedback.

Thanks,

Joe Mc

[SecondWind]

See this thread and others:
search.php?keywords=+windows

[NautiBits]

I redid the leaking center port side window last weekend. So far, so good. I did remove the inside trim first. The previous sealing job had spooged adhesive all over the inside trim, so the trim didn't come off easy (like it should have). The adhesive on one end (the massive leaking end) just popped right off the window, but held onto the trim very well. I think I found my leak. I was a bit more modest with the caulk (Sika 295 UV) when I re-installed the window. I used the window removal tool from Harbor Freight that has two T-handles that hold a three foot piece of wire that you slice through the adhesive 'lumberjack' style. I bought the 'Professional' tool from H-F too, but it is going back unused. The Admiral did a good job on the inside until she couldn't finesse the wire around the previous removal job scars(maybe a hacksaw).

Lessons learned:
I didn't buy the nylon washers suggested in another thread. I misread it and thought they were for spacing out the windows. It wasn't until I removed the exterior screws that I realized the washers were under the screws. Upon re-installation I discovered the importance of replacing the 6/6 nylon washers. They are brittle and crack easily. I'm ordering a couple of hundred or so from McMaster-Carr.

The spacers turned out to be black rubber (EPDM?) cabinet bumpers about a half inch diameter and one-eighth inch thick. Another thread stated that the spacer should be at least 3/16 inch for proper Sika 295 adhesion. So, I'm interested to clarify the proper spacer thickness. The thread also stated that a generous bead of caulk should be applied one-quarter inch in from the edge, then back-filled and tooled after placing the window. I exceeded that recommendation, but probably stopped short of a sh!t-ton or a butt load. About fifteen ounces, or a tube and a half, of Sika 295 was consumed. The activator/cleaner, Sika 226, is isopropyl alcohol. It is probably a high concentration. I'm sourcing a substitute. There was no primer on the mounting surface. I painted on a 2 inch border on the mounting surface and the window. I'd like to find a different (cheaper) source for a suitable replacement product.

The #8 screws used on the interior trim appear to be too long. Many appeared to be ground down, or perhaps corroded. I'm going to try some smaller versions.

I was careful on the outside with the caulk. I masked and taped, but didn't sling any goo off the target area. I will tape sheet plastic on the inside next time though. Lots of tiny black specs that turn into Kryptonite on the Galley gelcoat kept me busy with my dental tools. I think they were residue from cutting through the seal initially.

Advise please:

Spacer optimum size, shape, material. Screw lengths. Replacement for activator and primer. Sealing screw holes with butyl rubber.

Thanks.

[NautiBits]

Five weeks later, my first window reseal is still keeping the water on the outside of the boat! This pleases me. I got a little crazy when I ordered the 6/6 vinyl washers for under the exterior screws. I got BLACK! Hell yeah! Call me crazy! She looks positively ravenous in her black nylons!

I'll be tackling the 'Marine Professional' installed starboard side window next. There is probably 3 to 6 tubes of caulk in that baby and it leaks like going through the carwash with the windows opened. The window was replaced because it was cracked. So, the brand new piece of lexan has the usual two dozen holes, plus a few more for purposes only a true 'Marine Professional' would understand. Oh, it was installed four months ago. And it leaks. Bad. And it sports the cold steel look of stainless washers. Its kind of 'city morgue meets the dentist' motif. It doesn't match anything else on the boat, kind of like a gold tooth. So, in addition(by subtraction) to lightening the caulk loading, I'll dress her up with brand-spanking new BLACK nylons and maybe a flagstaff for the yacht club burgee.

Since I'm not going to pull out and replace all the seals, I'm sticking with the cabinet bumpers for spacers. As stated before, the Sika install instructions talk about having a minimum 3/16 inch spacer for maximum adhesion. The current bumper/spacers give a little more than half that amount. Is this a PDQ specific change?

[thinwater]

Yes, mounting snaps in the screw holes for covers works very well. Search 'window covers' on my blog. Only the corners are needed.

[NautiBits]

Thanks Drew.

I just picked up a roll of Reflectix from Lowes. It is the aluminized bubble wrap material like you would see in car windshields. I plan on cutting it to fit on the inside of window frames. I'll glue on a built-up edge to provide necessary air space and a little rigidity. They are ultra-lite and easy to install, remove and hide(okay, perhaps not hide ). I'm aware of the double-dose of UV on the poly-carbonate. Working on getting the Admiral spooled up on Sunbrella. "Too expensive!," she squawks!

Great info on your blog! Initially I searched on 'window cover' and learned about the etching power of bird dung. Powerful stuff. Than I followed your order more specifically...'window covers' ... and got the info you intended to share. Ladies and gentleman, the man knows his site!

[thinwater]

You might also try replacing any removable summer bug screens in the windows with 1/8" acrylic cut to size. It won't fit the salon windows, but the top hatches work well. I have a total of nine "storm windows" for my PDQ 32, which I put on 2 days ago. Wrap them in a sheet for the off season. They really cut down on windows sweating.

Yes, Sunbrella is expensive, but it lasts >10 years in the sun, always out-lasting the stitching. My skylight and mainsail covers are 16 years and going strong!

[NautiBits]

Lesson Learned Dept:

DO NOT....I repeat...DO NOT transfer even a small amount of Sika Primer 209-D into a Red Solo Cup! Although you will have easier access to the precious primer for about a minute, you will then be contemplating a new Dalmatian, Killer Whale, or, appropriate here in Texas, a sweet Painted Mustang motif for your sparkling white yacht.