Prac 1: Replacing windows

Bob is a very handy practical man, a fact for which I am eternally grateful.  Over the years I have managed to become somewhat at ease with a hammer, chisel, saw and screwdriver but working with these tools is by no means second nature to me.  So here we are living on an old (classic) sailing boat which in the way of all boats, needs ongoing maintenance and repairs.  As in our land life, we usually strive for economy and self-sufficiency and do any needed work ourselves.  (Hence our intense months of home renovations over the last year or so – or was that just some nightmare I had...)  

However nautical maintenance can present a whole new learning curve.  So whenever a new project comes up we do lots of research, talk to anyone who we can corral and try to figure out the best way to go about doing what needs to be done.  The problem with this approach is that if you ask 10 sailors what is the best way to do something, then you will get 10 different answers; each given adamantly that their way is the best and only way.

The project planned while we waited for the new engine was to replace the six large windows around the aft cabin.  The seals around these had broken down and we were getting some water leaks.  For now we only had to contend with a bit of rain but we did not like the thought of the windows on the stern leaking in a following sea.  (First rule of sailing:  Keep the water on the outside)

We embarked on the project full of confidence from our successful re-sealing of a deck hatch last year. http://shamballacyc.blogspot.com.au/2014_10_01_archive.html I happily removed the old windows (they practically fell out as soon as we removed the screws) and chiselled away the old sealant (see last post).  The old windows had a bit of cracking and crazing so we thought we might as well get new plastic as well.  

Now the learning curve starts.  Who in Marmaris makes plastic boat windows and when we find someone will they speak English well enough that we can communicate exactly what we want?  Then what type of plastic is best – polycarbonate or acrylic?  Each has advantages and disadvantages and each person we talked to and every web site read swears by one and damns the other.  Then how do you attach the windows?  Do you use Sikaflex as we did with the hatch or use silicone? Do you use double sided tape to help attach the windows evenly?  Do you also add screws?  After scraping away the old sealant we discovered an extra 18 screw holes per window filled with epoxy and wondered why our windows only had six screws each.  And if you use screws do you countersink them or drill a bigger hole and use a smaller screw with washers to allow for heat expansion?  Then once you install the window how do you clean up the black gooey overflow?  Do you wait until it dries and carefully carve away with a Stanley knife, risking scratching the window or hull or do you wipe up with paper towels and metho as you go along?  And is metho the correct cleaner for the job?  What solvent cleans up the sealant without damaging the plastic?

Faced with so many questions we reacted in the best Wilson-Phillips tradition and prevaricated.  We thought we would sleep on it for a day or two.  Then we might as well have a second cup of coffee in the morning before we start anything.  Then it was a bit too late to start anything as it was almost time for lunch at the canteen.  Then after lunch the wind would start to pick up so maybe it wasn’t the best time to do anything with sticky goo and open windows.  Then we convinced ourselves that we were simply suffering from ‘on the hard lassitude’ (see the great parody novel The Ascent of Rum Doodle http://www.rumdoodle.org.uk/ ) and anyway weren’t we retired with no time clock to punch?

Meanwhile we had no windows so we taped some plastic over the window openings to keep out the mossies and now fairly infrequent rain (Mediterranean climate of wet winters now moving into the dry summer.)

Plastic sheets over the windows while we overcame our 'on the hard lassitude'

Finally we could no longer justify our flimsy excuses, summoned up a bit of self-confidence and decided to JUST DO IT!  Rightly or wrongly we deferred to Vedat from VS Marin, a reputable company that specialises in boat windows, to answer many of our questions.  We got new polycarbonate windows to be attached with black silicone sealant and supplemented by six countersunk screws.  Vedat made up the windows and delivered them to the boat within a few days.

Then we had a relapse of ‘on the hard lassitude’.  Unlike the hatch we repaired which was a flat surface, all the windows on the hull have a slightly curved surface onto which a flat piece of polycarbonate is fitted.  Will the goo just ooze out in the middle making a huge ineffectual mess?  Finally we rang up Vedat and asked him to stop by for a few minutes the next time he was at the marina.  We asked him to give us a quick demonstration of the best way to attach one of the windows and we would do the rest.  Vedat graciously gave us a demonstration which took less than 5 minutes and was done exactly the way we thought it should be done.  So resummon some self-confidence and get on with it you lazy slackers!  Here is the process we used taking about 10 days from start to finish.

1)      Remove the old window and give to Vedat for templates (each of the six windows were a slightly different shape).

2)      Clean off all the old sealant from the window frame.

3)      Tape sheet of plastic to the window opening until ready to install the new windows.

4)      Remove the taped plastic sheets and carefully move and stick them to the inside of the window to protect the interior from all the black goo and soot. 

5)      Place masking tape around the outside of the window frame.

6)      Add a thick smear of silicone to the window bed.

7)      Remove the internal protective plastic cover from the polycarbonate window.

8)      Carefully place the window in the opening and gently and evenly press into the silicone for a nice even seal.

9)      Put in the six screws per window in the holes made during the cutting of the polycarbonate.

10)   Let the sealant dry for at least 24 hours. (‘On the hard lassitude’ set in again at this point and the 24 hours stretched to more like 72 before we proceeded to step 11.)

11)   Take off the outer protective plastic coating from the window and carefully apply masking tape around the edge of the window.

12)   Carefully cut away any overflow of the hardened silicone with a Stanley knife to have a smooth surface between window and frame.

13)   Add a thin smear of silicone to the gaps between the window and the frame, smoothing with a soapy coated rubber gloved finger for an even finish.

14)   Immediately and carefully remove the masking tape around the window and hull.

15)   DONE.

Waiting for the sealant to dry

Ready to cut away the excess silicone

Finished window

We now have solid, leak proof new windows but I am not 100% happy with the end results.  Whereas probably only noticeable to the practiced eye, the windows are not set as flush and neatly as I would have liked.  Lessons learned?  Doing it again I think I would have made two changes.  I would have used the larger holes/smaller screw and washer method instead of the countersunk screws and would have used double sided tape plus silicone to make the windows more flush.  Ah well, all part of the learning process.