Fixed port light seal replacement

[Already There]

Getting ready to remove the four fixed port lights in my P-365K. Bought the seal kit from catalinadirect.com for the 30-36 catalinas. This kit contains all the glazing and sealant components to repair the fixed ports. SUPPOSED to work on the Pearson extrusions also . I'll let you know how it goes. I will also do a photo chrono to support the fix if anybody needs it.

[Already There]

Kit works perfectly! Removed the 4 fixed port lights from the cabin and dismantled them. Bad shape, been leaking and gunking up for 20 years. Cleaned frames, polished with buffing lathe, and reassembled with new seals and sealant provided with kit. Absolutely like new!

[Neo*]

I will be doing this on my Pearson 31-2 this winter, but I am hoping to use butyl tape instead of the kit. Do you have any pictures to share? Did you replace the glass? My fixed port lights are almost opaque at this point.

[Already There]

Hi NEO,
Give me an email address. I have a few pics on my phone. I'll email them to you. I kept the glass. I polished the glass and frames. The seal kit fits exactly as the original. The sealant provided with the glazing strip is a sure bet. If you need glass, get tempered glass for your safety. The original glass is tempered. The job takes a bit of work. The things are pretty gross after that many years of trapping water and grime. You will have to sand out the deposits in the glass groove on the bottom sections of frame. The tops are gonna be pretty clean inside.

[Already There]

Here are some photos of the two ports still to go, and a shot of two completed ones. Oh yea, my boat pic also.

[GeorgeDuBose]

Thanks for the post about the ports. I am facing the job and am armed with the Catalina kit. I will have to get new glass as the old is delaminating and filling with mildew. Not a pretty site.

I was wondering how you changed the color of the frames until I realized it was only your carpet's reflection.

On the subject of ports, has anyone fitted storm shutters for offshore to their Pearson?

Thanks again,

George DuBose,
Skylark P36-1

[Neo*]

I finally got around to removing the fixed port lights on my pearson 31-2 and discovered they are quite different from Already there's. The frames are all plastic and I was able to pop out the plexiglass panes by simply scaping away at the caulking from the outside. I plan on using the plexiglass as templates to cut the tempered glass replacements.

[PorFin]

For those of you guys who are going to use laminated/safety glass:

Do yourselves a favor and seal the edges with a couple of coats of epoxy. Many of the sealants suitable for the job will attack the bond between the glass panes and the inner (mylar?) laminate. Left unsealed, the glass will de-laminate and get cloudy all over again.

Just a suggestion...

[Already There]

Great info. Thankfully the glass was non-laminated tempered in my boat. Not a bad job once I got the nasty old frames out and torn down. Reassembly took some finesse. Large furniture clamps seemed useful for compressing the frames while working the seals into the channels. An extra pair of hands would have helped alot.

[Neo*]

Originally Posted by PorFin

For those of you guys who are going to use laminated/safety glass:

Do yourselves a favor and seal the edges with a couple of coats of epoxy. Many of the sealants suitable for the job will attack the bond between the glass panes and the inner (mylar?) laminate. Left unsealed, the glass will de-laminate and get cloudy all over again.

Just a suggestion...

Thanks for the tip! Not sure what type of glass my buddy is buying, but I'll be sure to find out and epoxy if necessary.