Windows Part 1
4 new oversized windows and fixings purchased, made up by signtech (local sign manufacturers) for £86. ST-242 stainless self tappers purchased for fixing, (x 50 for one window) (£3.80)
Dow-corning marine sealant purchased for beading (£5.50)
Method
The forward starboard window leaks badly and the v-berth cushions were soaking wet. The rubbers here face the midday sun and the prevailing wind on its current mooring, so have badly perished.
I checked out the seawych owners manual on the website www.seawych.org (you’ll need to be a member to see the manual) and studied the options.
Options looked at were
a) replace the rubbers
b) fit new larger windows and screw these into the GRP.
Given that the windows were seriously crazed and the comments I’d read about the difficulty in replacing the rubbers (not by everyone, it has to be said) and the cost, it was a relatively easy decision to go for new oversized windows.
I was advised that a local sign manufacturer would be able to help. Despite this I wasted a lot of time pricing up acrylic online and in local builders merchants. An uncut peice of liteglaze, 4mm acrylic was £82.
In the end the local sign makers cut the four windows out of dark-tinted 5mm acrylic for £86. You can see them on my kitchen floor.
To make the template I took a roll of paper and a permanent marker down to the dried out mooring, and simply drew dots along the line of the aluminium sealing strip on the rubber seals. At home I enlarged this outline by 25mm to create an oversized template.
The screws recommended on the members site are 5mm x 10mm self-tappers. I could only find #10 x 1/2″ in my local chandlers. If I’d had to buy them bubble packed in packs of 10 it woudl have cost a fortune and I’d have looked to the web, but luckily they had them loose. Code was ST-242 I think (or 240).
These have a shaft diameter of 3.5mm, an OD of 4.75mm and length 13mm as measured by me. The head diameter is 9.5mm.
I am going to drill 4.0mm in the hull I think, and 6mm in the acrylic glazing to allow for movement.
The sealant I bought in haste and now regret, is dow-corning marine sealant. I should have gone for the sika quick setting stuff. UV resistant Sika is the recommended option but not available in Jersey.
Hopefully get the leaking window fixed over Christmas break as the current high is making the weather pretty good.
