Portlight screens

[touche]

Does anybody have any ideas on constructing screens, or a source for new, for oval portlights for an '87 PSC 34?

[wsmurdoch]

My 1988 PSC 34 has oval ports as does the 1985 PCS 34 in the adjacent slip. Our oval ports are not the same. To me, his look like the ports shown on the Spartan Marine web site

Bronze and Stainless Marine Hardware, Seacocks, Portholes, Thru Hulls - Spartan Marine Hardware and Accessories

They sell screens for their ports.

My ports are similar but not branded. I made the screens for my ports. They oval plywood rings 1/2" thick and 3/4" wide with a rabbit cut into one side to receive a rubber spline that holds no-see-um screen across the opening in the ring. I made the a pattern for the six large ports and another pattern for the four small ports. When I had the fit right, I copied them with a router and made enough for all my ports. They are stained and varnished to match the interior teak on the boat.

They are bigger than the interior opening in the ports and smaller than the outside opening and wedge halfway in. I glued velvet ribbon around the edge where they contact the port to get a good seal and to keep from scratching off the varnish.

If I had it to do again, I would probably use tan or brown HMWPE rather than plywood.

I also made similar screens for the two large Bowmar hatches.

Bill Murdoch
Irish Eyes
New Bern, NC

[touche]

Bill,
Sounds good. Thank you very much!

[touche]

Bill,
Just re-read your post and don't understand what HMWPE is.
George

[wsmurdoch]

HMWPE - high molecular weight polyethylene - Starbright is one brand - Plastic sheet that can be worked with wood working or metal working tools.

Bill Murdoch

[arisatx]

Came across this website yesterday - looking for screens for mine as well and am unsure if I'll ever be able to get them thru the factory...

Screens of Schooner Bay

They look nicely made.

[Sapperwhite]

Arisatx, thanks for the link.... I was kind of lurking this post because I am missing a few screens from my Orion. This looks perfect! Thanks again.

[touche]

Arisatx,
thanks for the link. the screens look good.
Touche

[T37Chef]

The screens on our Tartan 37 are from Beckson.

After learning what the cost of Beckson replacement screen would cost...$18.00 each, I did it myself, using the old frames. It was so easy, but I am not familiar with yours, but what I did...

• Purchased screen material & glue from hardware store
• Removed the rubber gasket from the port which exposed the plastic frame for the screen.
• Removed the screen, cleaned the frame.
• Glued screen material to the top only of each frame and let it dry.
• Then stretched the screen to the opposite side and clamped and glued
• Repeated on the remaining two sides.

Looks great, just like the replacement screen, at a cost of about $10.00 total

[stevemac00]

Save your money and don't buy the PSC screens. Mine fit so sloppily a fly can come through the crack. I have the PSC rectangular portlights which are well built but there's no flange to butt the screen to. Maybe yours is different.

I would make my own. The PSC screens are 1/16" ABS. You can buy it cheap here. http://www.rplastics.com/plasticsheet.html - that would be the ABS textured. Use a scroll saw (or jig saw) and cut them out. Mark the holes with an awl and drill. You've got screens better than PSC for a fraction of the cost.