Fred,
I'd suggest following the advice in the Sail Mag article
http://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/maintenance/replacing-fixed-portlights/
And http://svjohannarose.blogspot.ca/search/label/NewPorts
I did my windows this spring. It went pretty smoothly. I
initially thought I'd want to spread the sealant on the cabin side
before I attached the window - but couldn't see how I could keep
the tape clean. In the end - using the "tape hinge" method to get
the window in the right place and attached, then masking around
the window and squeezing the caulk sealant in from the outside
filled the gap easier than I expected.
The biggest challenge I had (after getting the windows out) was
cutting and shaping my windows. Putting them in and sealing was a
long day - but not as fraught with challenges as most other boat
projects I've faced.
Mark
CS 30 - Prosecco
Deep Cove Nova Scotia
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
- George Santayana
On 2017-07-26 11:25 AM, Frederick G
Street via CnC-List wrote:
Hi, Fred — as long as the peel-off backing is still on both sides
of the tape, you can cut it with a sharp scissors. I just did a
square or angled cut as needed to the tape, then butted the next
piece right up to the previous piece and kept going.
If I understand your second question, when I had the
acrylic cut for the new windows, I made sure I had at least 1/8”
or more all the way around the window between the acrylic and
the mortise into the cabin top; then the Dow 795 was “injected”
into that gap under pressure so it squeezed around under the
acrylic up to where the tape was. I also tended to hold the
tape off the inside opening a bit, so it didn’t show so much
from the inside. That made for less of a gap between the
outside edge of the acrylic and the tape under it.
And the VHB tape isn’t really permanent; it just
sticks really well. If you get a putty knife
into the small crack between the acrylic and the cabin top from
inside the boat, you’ll eventually be able to work your way
around the opening and get the thing loose. But it’ll take a
while, and you’ll definitely wreck the old acrylic in the
process. Hopefully, you’ll have many years before you’ll need
to do this…
— Fred
Fred Street -- Minneapolis
S/V Oceanis (1979
C&C Landfall 38) -- Bayfield,
WI
Now
that I have bought the 4991 tape some questions occur
to me.
Assuming
I want the tape to just outline the window opening,
can I cut the the tape to go around the corners
without sticking to the scissors or sharp blade? The
shape of the window opening has some rather quick,
tight turns. The radius of one turn is no more than
the radius of a dime.
Another
question is about the use of the Dow 795 silicon.
When do I apply the silicon? Because the tape is 1/2"
wide and the some of the window will extend more than
1/2" beyond the tape, if I put the silicon on before
affixing the window I can see the silicon squeezing
onto the tape as I apply pressure. If I put the
silicon after sticking the window in place I can see
difficulties in getting it into the area that is less
than 1/8" thick.
Another
question is more of a long term problem. Assuming
that I have my boat until the windows need replacing
again, how will I be able to remove one if the tape
is "permanent".
Any
other suggestions about the use of the tape will be
appreciated.
Fred
Hazzard
S/V
Fury
C&C
44
Portland,
Or
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