Crack in salon window - finding it & replacing it?

[ohiohatteras]

Today after we got back to the dock, I noticed a 6 to 7 inch crack in my rear starbord salon window in my 1976 36C. No idea how it happened....or why?
What's the chances of finding that piece of glass? And how hard is it going to be to get it out & back in??
Thx
T

 

[Timeout]

Butler Glass in Sandusky, OH replaced most of my glass. PPG Solex. They had it in stock. Not sure if they are still in business. I got the rubber and other parts from Sam's.

 

[Timeout]

They may be called Adkins Auto Glass now.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Been there. You will have to remove the molding that holds it in, and cut the caulking to replace it. I think tempered glass is what goes back in. When I did this, I ended up having to replace part of the teak molding. A thorough cleanout of the area that the glass sits in is essential, because if it leaks after replacement, it will rot the aft bulkhead.

It probably cracked because of motion stress while the boat was underway. "Floating" the new pane so that it doesn't recur is difficult- I think I would run a line of caulk in there for it to sit on, let it cure, and then caulk the new window in. You will probably want to refinish the teak molding if your boat still has it. Altogether, this is a difficult enough job that you might want to wait until your winter haul out to tackle it.

 

[saltshaker]

Been there. You will have to remove the molding that holds it in, and cut the caulking to replace it. I think tempered glass is what goes back in. When I did this, I ended up having to replace part of the teak molding. A thorough cleanout of the area that the glass sits in is essential, because if it leaks after replacement, it will rot the aft bulkhead.

It probably cracked because of motion stress while the boat was underway. "Floating" the new pane so that it doesn't recur is difficult- I think I would run a line of caulk in there for it to sit on, let it cure, and then caulk the new window in. You will probably want to refinish the teak molding if your boat still has it. Altogether, this is a difficult enough job that you might want to wait until your winter haul out to tackle it.

I believe he needs to replace a salon side window not the fixed aft bulkhead window. This is a sliding window right? Not familiar with the 36C windows but if like most Hatt conv. it should lift out without too much effort.

 

[jim rosenthal]

My mistake! The rear window is a fixed pane that is caulked in behind a teak molding. The sliding side panes lift out, as you said, without a lot of difficulty. They are tempered glass. Any glass shop should be able to cut a new one and round and smooth the edges. Then it is a matter of getting it to the boat and setting it in there.

 

[ohiohatteras]

Thanks guys.....Yes...its the slider, although they havent slid for years! Do the windows remove from the inside or outside? I had the window frames painted to match the boat and pray I don't have to remove them and screw up all the paint!

 

[Timeout]

My sliders come out from the outside (lift glass up and pull out). The frame on the inside is higher to keep water out. Sam's has the nylon track and fuzzy stuff if you want to make them slide again. You may need to break the glass to get it out if the frame has sagged any (tape the glass and score horizontally; the film between the 2 panes should keep everything together relatively well). If you do need to break the glass, the new pane will need to be made slightly shorter to get it in. Didn't need to do this on the salon windows but did on the lower helm sliders. If one of the panes is fixed, there may be a stop block screwed into the top of the frame in the track which can be removed to slide the window so it can be removed.

 

[eze2bme]

I wouldn't break the glass if at all possible as the glass shop will need it to make your new window. If the top has sagged you can use a bottle jack with an extender and SLOWLY jack the top at the center of the window frame until the glass will lift clear. I'd suggest using something on the bottom of the jack to spread the load. Do a search on the site and I'm certain that there are threads outling this procedure.

 

[Angela]

I agree - don't break the glass to get it out. That's just the absolute wrong way to go about it. If your frame has sagged, it has likely done so in the middle, and if you make a new glass slightly smaller, it may be too small at the corners where it likely isn't sagging. A little rough weather/water, and that top corner could misalign itself leading to a shattering of your new window glass. Get a bottle jack and gently jack up the frame, from the inside, until you can get the window out, from the outside. So far, I've only had to slightly jack one window frame. The others were good.

 

[Timeout]

Its been over 5 years, broke the glass, still used it as a template (less a little height) and no problems with the new glass. Glass slides easily and isn't loose or exposed at the top anywhere or pinched in the center. Still captured top and bottom by new fuzzy track.