[TSOJOURNER]

I have a 1970 Viking 28 whose oroginal main cabin windows/ports that I need to replace. It seems the two options are 1) An oversized piece of LEXAN through bolted in the cabin sides or 2) trying to make new windows the same as the old ones and reuse the original frames. Does anyone have any experience to share on this topic.

Thanks

 

[Constantin]

We had to replace a number of saloon windows due to cracking and the resultant leaks. The acrylic windows weren''t in a frame, just stuck with silicone on fiberglass and w/some thru-bolts. At least the OEM made those OEM hole locations solid fiberglass (unlike all the other hole locations on deck).

We went for a Lexan replacement, even though we weren''t able to find Lexan as deeply tinted as the OEM acrylic. Lexan is tough stuff! Our windows cost about USD 300 and should last much longer to boot. (Well, now that the boat doesn''t flex in three directions anymore... but the structural issues are another story)

Anyway, I am a true believer of Lexan. If your surfaces don''t curve excessively, I''d replace everything w/Lexan. You''ll sleep better in a bad storm.

Besides, if your topsides are cored, then thru-bolting exterior Lexan windows properly is a real PIA - that is unless you don''t mind rotting the core through hundreds of little bolt holes. Every hole will have to be overdrilled, epoxied, redrilled, and the end result is unlikely to look good unless you repaint the topsides.

 

[jolly.mon]

I''m wrestling with the same issue - find a company to make replacement frames or work around replacing the frames. I had not thought of simply bolting lexan on from the outside. Doesn''t sound pretty but it might work - maybe put a fake frame around the outside just for looks. Constantin - are you saying I could not just use several bolt holes to secure the lexan straight to the fiberglass? If I go this route, is silicone the best sealant? You don''t have a picture of your windows available do you?

 

[Jeff_H]

Last year at the Annapolis boat show there was a company that made custom replacement aluminum frames for reasonable prices. Bomon Inc, 1855 A Industrial Blvd, Laval Quebec, H7S IP5 Canada, 450-668-3111 voice 450-668-6770. The operable parts of the ports are frameless plexiglass and is seated in an aluminum frame with plastic dogs (maybe aluminum).

Jeff

 

[rbh1515]

At the Chicago Boat show recently I saw some very nice replacement ports by New Found Metals. Stainless steel is even an option. They have a good web site:
www.newfoundmetals.com
I was going to use their ports on my last boat, but I decided to sell the boat. Good luck. Rob ~~~~_/)~~~~

 

[TSOJOURNER]

i replaced my ports with stainless ones from
whitewater marine in st pete. i liked them better than the ones from newfound
eric

 

[Constantin]

Jolly_mon, stop by www.vonwentzel.net/Prout/ and have a look around the structural defects page and the pains in the front page. The pics there should give you a good idea of what the tint differences are. Naturally, there may be deeper shades of Lexan around... we just couldn''t find them at the time.

In our case, the windows are thru-bolted through solid fiberglass that has been necked down from the surrounding cored stuff.

BWS, Practical Sailor or somesuch magazine advocated the use of long-lasting silicone sealants since they do not have a tendency to attack lexan/acrylic. However, be sure to look and ask! You want a neutral-curing silicone (some use acid) such as GE Silpruf. Here is a link for further info on Silicones:

http://www.jlconline.com/jlc/archive/exteriors/caulk/