size of port lights

[kendoe]

I have a sabre 28 1978. Has anyone replaced the port lights on this type of boat. I a am trying to find the port light size. They are the main cabin pprt lights.

[SoulVoyage]

Unless you think your portlights are too big for seawork, you don't really need to worry about size, per se. Simply take one of the old ones out and take it to a glass shop...ask to have a replacement cut using the old one as a pattern. Stay with the same thickness. I'd definitely reccomend using Lexan...it's the strongest stuff out there.

[sailingdog]

Don't use lexan or polycarbonate for portlights unless you like having leaks and rebedding ports constantly. Cast Acrylic is the way to go. There's a bunch of really good reasons almost all of the commercially available ports and hatches are made with ACRYLIC. First, it has much better UV and scratch resistance than does Polycarbonate. Second, it has better physical characteristics in terms of dimensional stability. When you hit a piece of polycarbonate, it can distort enough to cause the seal with the sealant to break, and that leads to the port leaking. If strength is such an issue, go with a thicker piece of acrylic.

BTW, you should bed the stuff using Dow Corning 795 Silicone, which is not your average silicone sealant but a silicone structural adhesive designed for holding glazing materials into frames on skyscrapers and such.

[olson34]

I do not doubt the sincerity of those for or against any particular material or sealant.
I can cite my own success.
Upon the advice of one of the best boat builders in the region, I used black Boatlife Life Seal to bond all four of my new replacement large external Lexan lens pieces to our boat in '95.
Never a leak or a crack since. Nada. Zip.

Having said that, there are tricks of the trade to getting a good bond, and chief among those is "floating" the lens on about 3/16" of sealant, so that the coefficient of expansion of the Lexan will not break the bond loose.
There are some other pointers as well, and I have referenced those in other threads.

Note B: there seems to be some difference in UV resistance and general life span between the cast acrylic you see in port lights from Lewmar, to name just one, and the sheet goods at the local plastics store. The basic plastic compound may well be the same, but the cast product product does seem to perform a little better. (IMO, and YMMV)

Best,
L

[kendoe]

Thank you all for the great information. I am thinking that I might replace the port lights with one from new found metals, any ideas on that route? Kendoe

[olson34]

Originally Posted by kendoe

Thank you all for the great information. I am thinking that I might replace the port lights with one from new found metals, any ideas on that route? Kendoe

Wally's fine C&C DIY restoration site, and the specific url.
C&C Landfall 38 - Stella Blue
Replace Leaking Boat Windows with Opening Ports

There was a more recent thread that mentioned a NFM install over on the Ericson owners' site.
Folks seem to like them in general.
I have not tried a NFM port, but did add a new Lewmar opening port to our boat. The Lewmar frame design makes it very easy to get a waterproof install.

L

[mitiempo]

Here's a good link showing how to install New Found Metals opening ports.

Installing New Found Metals Stainless Portlights Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com