For all the people on the list that have had some success with the Sika option, I’m with Rick: the original Plexus solution still seems to be the best option to me, so long as it’s done carefully and with the correct materials. This means that you need to use cast, not extruded acrylic for the lights, and it needs to be the proper thickness (3/8” for pretty much all of our boats). On my first C&C, a 1981 30mkI, the original installation lasted until about 1997 before the windows started to leak; that’s sixteen years. On my current 1979 Landfall 38, the windows were incorrectly replaced by the former owner before I purchased her in 2005; he used 1/4” cheap acrylic, and it’s split in many places. When I replace them this year, I will be using a Plexus product and high-quality 3/8” acrylic, along with LifeSeal for the final edging around the cabin sides.
Fred Street -- Minneapolis S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( On Feb 12, 2015, at 9:40 AM, Charlie Nelson via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > My windows were replaced by a local yard about 10-12 years ago before I was > paying attention to this list. There appear to be screws > involved whose heads I can see from the outside--probably screwed thru the > windows to the fiberglass in the 'frame'--but I am not sure. > > Some of them are beginning to leak again and over the years I have seen some > spitting of the fiberglass on the inside around the windows. > I think this was a result of hull stresses while sailing. > > I have solved this with thickened epoxy and a pressure clamp to squeeze the > splits together while the epoxy cured. > > My question for the list is if I decide the windows should be replaced again, > should I bite the bullet and go with the Plexus/glue > route or return to a glued and screwed solution, which the first repair seems > to have been. > > Since the factory window installation began leaking early in the boats > history (5-10 years), I am not sure the windows were installed with the > best solution originally so returning to a similar fix seems at least > counter-intuitive. > > Further, I am less interested in a 'pure, original solution' fix than a > simple fix that works, which the original fix did for ~ 12 years. Since most > of the repair cost is likely to be in the labor involved (not the cost of the > windows), any solution will likely cost about the same. > > Charlie Nelson > Water Phantom > 1995 C&C 36 XL/kcb > > > > cenel...@aol.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rick Brass via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > To: Edd Schillay <e...@schillay.com>; cnc-list <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Sent: Thu, Feb 12, 2015 9:22 am > Subject: Re: Stus-List Window Installation - 1985 41 > > I have the aluminum frame windows on both my boats, which I consider to be > less stylish but much more practical, so I'm basically just an interested > onlooker to this discussion. But it seems to me a point made several years > ago in a similar thread has been lost here. > > The frameless windows were glued into the deck/cabin structure and helped to > stiffen it, which also helps to stiffen the whole boat. > > Plexus seems a right PITA to use, but it has lasted the better part of 30 > years on our old boats. And the comments about damaging gel oat when removing > old portlights speaks to its tenacity as an adhesive. > > Sika 295uv, and the 3M equivalent, are great adhesives and sealers. (And also > a PITA to use. Don't even THINK about not using the primer.) I used Sika 295 > on my rebuilt hatches, and it is great for car windshields (which are bedded > in rubber so the window does not crack as the car body flexes) but it remains > flexible. And from the previous discussions on the list I've gotten the > impression that the hull and deck flexing leads to leaks in a few years, and > polycarbonate portlights held in by screws tend to get cracks at the stress > points. > > As I said, I have no real experience with the glued in portlight solutions > and I'm happy with my simple, cheap, durable, but not stylish aluminum > frames. I just wanted to remind the group about why the frameless portlights > were glued in by C&C in the first place. > > Rick Brass > > Sent from my iPad > > On Feb 8, 2015, at 20:38, Edd Schillay via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: > > We have the frameless windows and did the replacement last Spring. We used 3M > fuselage tape - and although the prep was a lot of work, we are very pleased > with the end result. > > > All the best, > > Edd > > ------------------------------- > Edd M. Schillay > Starship Enterprise > NCC-1701-B > C&C 37+ | City Island, NY > www.StarshipSailing.com > ------------------------------- > 914.332.4400 | Office > 914.774.9767 | Mobile > ------------------------------- > Sent via iPhone 6 > iPhone. iTypos. iApologize > > On Feb 8, 2015, at 8:24 PM, Frederick G Street via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > That might work; but butyl’s NOT an adhesive, so you would definitely need > the screws/bolts. > > Fred Street -- Minneapolis > S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( > > On Feb 8, 2015, at 7:22 PM, Gary Zuehlke via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > Would the butyl tape work on frameless windows that were attached by screws? > What about bolts all the way through to some nice wood trim that would > "clamp" the cabin top sides between the windows and interior trim? > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom > of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom > of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom > of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom > of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com >
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