180 Feet of fuzzy stuff arrived today...

[MikeP]

Yeah, where ARE those dang pics. I just realized that the only way there will be pics is if I actually TAKE them! Maybe I'll take them when I do the port side.

Got the trim off - heat was the answer and the heat gun did it OK, just took more heating than I had initially tried. So I should get the starboard side done today though I'm thinking it's close to drinking time so I have to think about what my priorities are...

 

[jim rosenthal]

My boat has the fuzzy stuff on the inside of the trim piece as well....does yours have that?

Reading all this makes me remember what this was like. What a pain. I would start drinking, too. Maybe even before I did it.

 

[lumina]

Wow 6 years old and needs to be done again?
Isn't that kind of fast?

Hi All,

I thought so too Dan, but it seems all the dust, dirt and sand blowing around sits in the helm window tracks and they grate away.

 

[MikeP]

As far as wear, like anything, I guess it depends on the local conditions/exposure and how much the windows are opened/closed. From what I can tell, I believe the fuzzes have never been replaced on our boat until now and it was a few months ago that I noticed they needed re-doing as some of the fuzz in one window essentially fell out when I opened the window.

To me so far, the biggest PITA is installing the new Fuzzy in the bottom tracks that face toward the inside of the boat because of the tall "lip" on the inside, bottom edge of the window frame makes it impossible to get a tool at the correct angle to pop the fuzzy into the track. For the tracks facing the other direction, it's pretty easy with just a wide blade screwdriver. Frankly, I don't have anything that has so far managed to be able to do it on the inside-facing tracks. It needs to just be something like a screwdriver where the last 1" of the blade does a 180 so it looks like a hook with the flat blade.

I have not found any track at all where the fuzzy can be inserted/slid into position since there are no slots for that. As noted in other posts in the past, a slot could easily be made with a dremel for that purpose.

I wouldn't call it a horrible job but it is rather fiddly and annoying and, if slots had been originally cut into the frames (or I add them), it would make it a much easier.

 

[MikeP]

Finished the starboard side, now all back together. The perfect tool for installing the fuzzy was a small scraper that has a blade angled just right. I'll probably start on the Port side tomorrow or the next day.

As far as the work itself, I don't like it because it's very time-consuming with no apparent results. It's not like overhauling a part that doesn't work and seeing it now work properly. It's about some windows sliding open that will slide open anyway - with or without new fuzzes. I can't see any difference in the window/frame itself so there is no "ah, that looks really nice" feeling nor is there any difference in the way the window feels when sliding.

Admittedly, on the port side, some of the fuzzie ripped out of place and they do look bad, which is why I decided to do the job but one could replace the torn ones and you wouldn't be able to tell any difference in the appearance or operation if the rest was left alone. No, I won't do that because it's not in my nature but operationally and appearance-wise, it doesn't matter.

So...I'd call it the worst work I've done on our 53MY simply because there is - in my mind - absolutely no satisfaction in it. And I'm only half done.

 

[bobk]

Mike, Please share a picture of your 'perfect tool'.

Bob

 

[Angela]

One problem...and a solution to a different one...

The problem - I can't get the aluminum trim/window-pull off the end of one of the window on the Starboard side so there is no clearance to lift the window out of it's track because the trim hits the upper track almost immediately. The trim came off the other window easily - in fact it nearly fell off and that window came out with the help of Cheryl's bottle jack. I thought about cutting a bit of the upper part of the AL trim with a dremel but I don't want to cut the anodized AL if I can help it.

Forgot to mention, after breaking one window trying to get that pull strip off, I used a dremel tool with a cutting wheel to very, very delicately cut a tad off of that pull, all the way around the glass to give me the lift out room I needed. It does not seem to have affected the AL. I did find a Rustoleum spray paint that is a perfect match to the bronze-colored AL. I had to buy new pull strips from Sam's for the window I broke because the pull would not come off the broken window. I painted it and it looks great, still several years later.

 

[MikeP]

Turned out the adhesive on the hard-to-remove pull was silicone (tool of the devil) but sufficient heat did the job without having to bang on anything/risk damaging the window itself.

A couple of things worth noting that might help others - some areas of the channel where the fuzzy goes can be corroded so that it is impossible to seat the fuzzy in the channel. You can do two things - ignore the fact that it won't seat in that spot and just continue seating it elsewhere. I don't believe it would make any difference. It won't actually pull out because it's engaged in the channel everywhere else.

OR

It makes no difference whatsoever whether you use one long piece or several short pieces of the fuzzy so one approach is to bypass the bad spot in the channel, leaving it empty. I found that the lower part of the frame was rather difficult to set the fuzzy whereas the sides/upper part were quite easy. This was due to corrosion in the channel. It takes hardly any to affect the ability of the fuzzy to seat properly.

Since the purpose of the fuzzy material is simply keep the glass centered in the track and stop it from rattling, the fact that there is a missing section of fuzzy because of a corroded channel has absolutely no affect on the function.

Here's the little scraper that did a nice job popping the fuzzy into the channel. http://www.reddevil.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=822#.VAIsAlb6RBU

 

[MikeP]

Just realized I have a question...

In other posts re this I have read that the windows have something that keeps the outer window from opening - some sort of stop? Neither the port nor the starboard windows on our 53 have a stop - either the front or rear window can slide open. I admit this makes no sense but both windows on both sides have always been able to slide open. So what "stops" the outside window? Nothing seems to be missing from our windows/frames. Obviously a screw in the frame could do it but there are no holes anywhere that indicate a screw, plate, whatever was attached.

 

[Angela]

Mine had a little rectangle piece of balsa screwed into the track at the top. Other than on the curved windows of what is the galley on your boat, I found no use for these and I didn't reinstall them. I like being able to open both windows for ease in cleaning the windows, especially since I do not have walk-around decks. The "stops" on the curved windows keep you from opening a window too far and breaking it at the corner when you run into the down sloping part of the frame. Many people replace these stops with pieces of starboard instead of balsa.

EDIT: You don't want to use a screw for this stop. If the window gets opened too aggressively, you could crack it when you hit the screw. Balsa is somewhat soft and provides a smooth flat surface to distribute the "bang" more evenly, unlike a screw head which could crack the glass. I never could actually see the screw hole, but rather, I would feel for it by running a screw along the inside of the track until it hit the hole.

 

[MikeP]

Thanks Ang

Think I'll leave it alone - the fact that both windows can open (though I have never opened the outer one) hasn't bothered me for 11 years so I guess it shouldn't now! I guess my concern is in learning that how it's SUPPOSED to work is different than how it DOES work which offends my sense of "rightness," despite the fact that that concern, in this case, is meaningless.

What it does mean from a functional point of view is that one of the windows in the frame has a lock thingie but the other does not so in theory, anyone could get on the boat, slide the forward window open and get into the boat without actually having to break anything. Of course, breaking the side door window/opening the door is much quicker/easier!

 

[Angela]

If you flip the little lever up that's attached to the inside of the tall part of the frame on the bottom, no one can open that window. If they have a Hatteras screwdriver, however, they can unscrew the balsa block, assuming they know it's there, and open the "fixed" window. I don't think that screwdriver bit is on most thieves Swiss Army knife. Then again, these boats are so easy to break into. How many of us actually lock those windows with that lever? When I leave, I just hide my valuables like the laptop or ipad. I once knew someone who put valuables like that in the garbage can, on the outside of the trash bag so it wasn't "in" the garbage.

 

[MikeP]

SOME Encouragement for those considering doing the fuzzy thing...

This morning I started on the port side - I just finished the installation and the glass is back in place and all back to normal. Took 4 hours. The one thing that the port didn't require was jacking - the glass lifted right out once I removed the trims/pulls (heat gun) But the jacking doesn't add more than a few minutes to the process so it's not that big a deal.

Like everything, doing it the first time on the starboard side and sorting out what works and what doesn't work makes a huge difference. That side took a day and a half though I might have been able to do it in a long day had I kept at it but I quit early and started drinking!

The most valuable single tool for me - a tossup between that little scraper and the heat gun. The heat gun makes removal of everything much easier - the old fuzzy will stay pretty much in one long strip that can be pulled out at once. It also will make the old plastic guide material on the bottom and sides pliable instead of brittle - heat it up a bit and it will all come out in one or two big pieces with no shattering and re-gripping every 1/4 inch! I have now decided the job isn't so bad...NOT that I care to do it anytime soon.

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures. I was working to fast for the camera to capture that sort of speed; shutter only goes to 1/4000 sec.

 

[tonytrakovich]

Mike

What adhesive did you use to reattach the trim / pulls? Mine have just fallen off and I don't want to use silicone

Tony

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I used mirror mastic and it lasted about 3 years before they just pulled off. The next time I used silicone and it has held just fine.

 

[MikeP]

I used 3M weatherstrip adhesive. It is my "go to" adhesive for a LOT of things. I've even used if for weatherstripping! However, since I just installed it, on the windows, I can't vouch for its longevity yet. But based on everything else I've used it for, I don't expect it to fail in my lifetime!

 

[Plan B2]

I removed my windows yesterday. Two of the four were damaged so I am relacing all four on the aft deck. I had to pull the lower guide to remove one window, so I have ordered new fuzzies and guide for all of them. Fortunately I only need to replace the bottom sections so 25 feet of guide and 50 feet of fuzzy and we should be all good.

 

[lake of the woods]

Memories!

I did all my windows two years ago and found, after the first window, it fairly easy to do. Yes, I have a fresh water boat and the aluminum window frames are in excellent condition. I found that there was a "starter slot" opening near the end on each strait run of the window frame to remove and start the weather stripping “fur" (another Canadian"ism").

For those of you about to try this fun piece of maintenance I found that using "needle nose” and “curved needle nosed” pliers to pull the fur back into the track worked the best. You can also use hemostats if you have access to them. Dental Picks are a must as well.
Once you remove the old weather stripping fur and plastic glides thoroughly clean all the tracks with an old tooth brush and soapy water. This made reinstalling the plastic guides and weather stripping fur easier.
The balsa wood “stopper blocks” were probably original in all the sliding Hatteras windows. Security as well as ensuring the window did not open accidently in rough seas would appear to be the rational to reinstall them. I suspect that over the years as PO's have tackled this maintenance job they found trying to reinstall the balsa wood blocks the real challenge as you are trying to “blindly” screw them back into (two holes?) in the upper track. I manage to achieve this task in three of my four sliding windows. The fourth window still eludes my ability to find the holes (no jokes please).

I enjoy the forum and the extensive knowledge the contributors are willing to share!

Lake of the Woods
1989 40 DC.

 

[rsmith]

If you replace windows make sure the glass co polishes the cut edges. It relieves the stress and prevents cracking.

 

[REBrueckner]

I remember reading posts here before I did some of mine some years ago. Didn't seem much of a hassle. Anytime I can do a job standing up insteada upside down, ok!!! Those little stops were TEAK blocks on my boat, pushed up within the window channel, held in place with a small screw.

I did not want to disturb my window channels fearing possible leaks if the Aluminum windows frames moved as well..

I had two cracked salon windows one year, I can't imagine why, hauling maybe. Anyway, I when I had new windows made, I ordered them about 1/8" smaller in height than
the original windows ...slipped in and out really easily.

If you can't get an old cracked window out, tape it up, whack it with a hammer a few times and you don't have to worry about windowframe movement...it's safety glass and does not crack nor splinter but I spread blue poly tarp in the salon floor anyway. It 'bends' for removal after a hammering!

You can measure the narrow point vertically between upper and lower window channels,
and pick a height slightly larger you think you can fit in there, say 1/8" or 3/16" without too much effort.