How to: Portlight Removal

[Angela]

Does anyone have any experience with replacing a portlight? While docking his boat, my SeaRay neighbor backed into my boat and broke the frame on one of my portlights in the aft stateroom. It is the plastic Fuller Brush 7x15 portlight. I removed the screws inside easily, but there appears to be some sort of adhesive. Where part of the frame is broken off, it feels rubbery as though there is some adhesive or sealant there. Even with all screws removed, the portlight doesn't budge at all, and I'm not sure I want to get rough with it and risk breaking the rest of it and tearing up the interior wood finish, if there is an easier way.

Thanks,

Ang

[CapetaniosG]

I replaced two of my portlights last summer and I can give you some advise. The Fuller portlights have a frame on the outside held in place with sealant and about a dozen screws. This frame can't be removed undamaged. I removed it in pieses using a 3/4 in. wood chissel CAREFULLY. You have to replace this frame with a new one. Once you remove the outside frame, now go inside and remove the interior frame. This one is held in place only my screws and no sealant. Once you remove the two frames, use a utility knife to cut the old sealand around the window and thus, free the window.

When you remove the window, remove all the old sealant from everywhere and seal the exterior screw holes with epoxy. While you there, reseal all around the opening to protect the balsa core.

The new frames from Fuller do not come pre-drilled. You have to drill them yourself in the same pattern as the old one. You will never line up the old screw holes on the haul with those on the new frame. Don't even try. That's why you sealed the exterior screw holes. You will drill rew ones.

Once you prepare the opening, place the window in the opening, center it in both directions (up and down and sideways) and fill the space between the window and the window opening, working from the outside, with sealant like 3M 4200 (Don't use the 5200). The sealant should extent inwards about half the haul thickness at the opening all around the opening. The exterior edge of the window should protrude about 3/16 in. out from the haul at this point.

Now you take the exterior frame and place it temporarily around the window and you push the window inwards gently all around until the rim of the window is flushed with the frame. Apply sealant to the frame and gently place it around the window and screw it in but not all the way until the seand sealant on the frame is set, then you can tighten the screws, but not too much because you may crack the frame. Don't forget to apply sealer to the new screw holes. Now You go on the inside and install the interior frame and you are done. The interior frame takes no sealant, just screws. Good Luck.

CapetaniosG
Hatteras 53 MY

[Walter P]

I removed and re-bedded some of my port lights a couple of years ago and so far so good. Basically if you're very careful and very lucky, you won't break the outside trim ring. It required the use of a 2" sharpened putty knife to gently seperate the ring from the hull. If the boat had been painted and the rings were left on and painted over (as is usual), it will require that you cut a line where the rings meet the hull first, otherwise say goodby to your paint job, then gently insert the sharpened putty knife and using a mallet, gently tap it in around the circumference of the trim ring. As I said before, I got real lucky and the more carefully I worked, the luckier I got.

Once the outside trim ring is off the window itself was easy. Remove the screws and if necessary carefully cut the old sealant from the outside of the boat. Push the window into the boat and clean up. Mark the location of each window and it's trim ring to insure that they use the same holes. Be sure to use a dab of sealant in each screw hole and wipe off the excess when you tighten the ring. It's not necessary to caulk the inside frame. If the outside ring is not caulked properly, I don't want water between the rings.

When you finish if you have a fairly good paint job and are not ready to re-paint, I recommend an artist's brush to seal the hull/outside frame seam with new paint. (hopefully you have some, if not get some). The screw heads could also stand a dab of paint. Looks good and best of all - no leaks yet...

Walt (48' series 1 MY 1982)

[fixin-to-cruise]

After replacing 1 portlight and rebedding about 10 more, here’s my advice….

I’d recommend that you buy or borrow a “Fein Multimaster” tool. It has interchangeable cutting blades and sander tips and is perfect for quickly and easily cutting bedded parts from your boat without damage. The thin vibrating scraper blade will cut 5200 like butter!

Remove all the screws. Remove the trim ring. Tape the hull around the trim ring and the trim ring itself (so you don’t scratch it) and cut it free with the blade. Now cut the sealant from around the portlight from the outside of the boat. Push the portlight out of the hole to the inside of your boat. The inside of the portlight is not sealed for water tightness, the screws on the interior of the boat just hold it in place. Cut all the old sealant from around the hole in the hull so the new sealant will bond well.

Screw the new portlight on from inside the boat. Seal the outside with 5200. This is how you get the weatherproofing so do a good job! Make sure the sealant is flush with the outside of the hull. You can trim it with the Multimaster after it is dry. After the 5200 dries, replace the trim ring with Dolfinite 2005W bedding compound. This stuff doesn’t harden so you can remove the trim ring later without damaging it.

I bought my Multimaster from International Tool in Davie, FL, just west of Ft. Lauderdale. It’s pricey but one of the most useful tools you will ever have. The website is http://www.internationaltool.com/ and the Multimaster part number is FEIMSXE6362RS.

[Nonchalant1]

Yeah.....buy the Fein Multimaster and charge the SeaRay genius for it. Also charge him $70 per hour for your time fixing it.

Doug

[Angela]

Thank you for the advice.

I was hoping I could just unscrew everything and take it out, place the new frame in....but, not so. After my recent experience with having a marine service company do some seemingly simple work on my boat, I have come to believe that if you want it done right, you just gotta do it yourself which is why I haven’t called anyone to just come out and make the repair. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to do the “outside” work on this portlight from my dinghy since I don’t have finger piers, and launching that is a two-person job in my setting...and I have to wait until the SeaRay is out of his slip to do so and then be sure to have my dinghy back up on the flybridge before he wants to get back in his slip. Just thinking about the whole ordeal infuriates me! Since this is not on "my dime", I think I'll just call Steve at Sam's Marine and see if he can recommend someone who can do the work without butchering the boat. However, the SeaRay owner thinks $200 should cover the damage. The frame alone, just the frame, not the whole portlight, is just under $100 not including shipping. And I have to spend a day or more chasing parts, tools, trying to make repairs on my own, etc. when I have sooooooooo many other things to do on this boat. I guess I need a boat boy.

I can’t wait to see the look on Mr. Sea Ray’s face when I start learning how to dock this 58MY into my slip and slide into his boat. “Awe....that’s only a couple hundred dollars, right?” The problem there is that the Hatt is likely to hole the SeaRay. Well, hopefully, that won't happen.

Ang

[MikeP]

Re doing the work with a boat "next door," would it be possible to just motor off to a quiet cove, anchor and do the work there? I've done a good bit of spray-paint work that way. If you have to drop the dinghy to do it anyway, seems like it would be easier and less annoying to be out away from everybody if possible.

[surfdancer45]

You are being way to nice to Mr. SeaRay. If he is not willing to pay for your actual cost then tell him you will turn in a claim to his insurance company. That will get his attention. The advise on replacing the port is right on except for the part about using 5200. 4200 is what you want to use unless you enjoy removing caulking with a chisel. Good luck. Bob

[Angela]

Yes, I am being too nice, I guess. Since it has to be repaired, I was also trying to take advantage of the unfortunate situation and learn how to do something I hadn't done before (there is a lot of that going on here!). I see now that it's going to be more hassle than I had anticipated for several reasons....I don't have the proper tool(s) to cut the seal; I don't have good access to the area I need to work; and I can't just go move the boat elsewhere - I've got the starboard engine raw water system somewhat dismantled so I can clean the radiator and the heat exchangers which I'd like to finish before putting all that back together, and....I can't drive this boat by myself - docking is the issue since I can't see the back of the boat from either helm on the boat and cannot handle lines quick enough from either helm - she's very much a two person operation. So, I'm going to either ask Steve at Sam's if he knows anyone to can do the job (at Mr. Sea Ray's expense, of course), or wait until "Egaito" gets back down here at the end of this month or first part of next month and then we can do it; however, the portlight wasn't on his list! Truthfully, I just really want to get this fixed NOW before Mr. SeaRay thinks it's unimportant and that I don't care since I'm not making any visible progress on it.

Who knows, he may take out another chunk by the time the weekend is over.

Ang

[Boss Lady]

Hey guys, have you tried using Debond on the 5200 sealer yet? It is amazing stuff. Comes in squirt bottles. It will save you a butt load of time and trouble to get fittings loose, beats a razor knife all to pieces. Just put a few drops on and go have a beer and come back, viola! the 5200 changes to some other compound that has no adhesive properties, it is kind of like it turns it into silicone and comes right off.