1978 34' Californian LRC - porthole window replacement

Has anyone replaced the porthole windows in the forward v-berth, stateroom or the head? I was in the process of removing them today to reseal (they were leaking a little) and one of them was damaged. the size of the opening is about 18.5" x 6.5". I have not seen replacements available from some of the common porthole replacement companies in a size that is close.

I will probably need to step up to another size, and will want to do the same for all 4 of the windows so that it all looks the same from the exterior. I am interested to see if anyone else has had a similar experience and what they have done.

*

I think they are probably the same port window that's on the 37', 38' and 42'. *White plastic with three screw down posts on the inside, with either wingnuts or plastic nobs to seal the window closed.

I replaced both of mine probably 15 years ago and they were available at Doc Freemans in Seattle at that time. *No idea who the manufacture was, probably out of business now, I haven't seen them in a while. *The replacements were the same as the old ones, except they replaced the three aluminum wing nuts and bolts with stainless bolts and the nut was a white plastic nob with stainless threads. *The plastic doesn't hold up well to the sun and the hold down ring on the outside often cracks when you re-bed the window and tighten the screws.*

If you find a suitable source be sure and post it. *I have one that is beginning to deteriate.

I have thought of replacing mine with stainless ports, but have not begun to look for a source. I think they'd add some nice boat bling. It's way down on my 'gotta/wanna/gonna-do-it' list. I'll be following this thread for your experiences.

Thanks Edelweiss for the contact. Yesterday afternoon I reached someone at Mike's Plastics - Go Plastics in Corona, California and they think that they made the originals and still have the molds. I am going to contact them again on Monday. The owner thinks that he can make them next week and they will be ready for the weekend. Cost is about $200 he thinks.* I heard that they made many of the ports on boats of this era, including the Cal sailboats.

FlyWright, there is a company out there that makes good stainless ports. A friend of mine bought some for his sailboat and he was very pleased with the design and the quality. The company is New Found Metals and you can find them by searching on the web. A size that would work (the existing hole in the side of the boat would need to be enlarged) would run about $7-800 per port. I am sure that they would look much better, but the cost is much higher

I will post an update when I find if they can make them and look at the quality of the part.

Wow!! *$200 isn't bad at all. *Even if you have to enlarge the hole to fit a little larger window, it is messy but easy to do with a router. *I had to do that with my rear windows when I replaced them.

The weakness in the tri-cabins windows are the aft cabin, port and star. windows. *All wood frames, with no fiberglass inner lip to seal against and there was no keeping them sealed. *Each one is ten feet long and when those two diesels idle, those windows vibrate like a drum head. *I found a custom window manufacture, who made me a set of aluminum frame windows to replace them. *It's what Marshal should have done to begin with.

Keep us posted on your progress.

LB

To follow-up on the earlier posting. I received the porthole window replacements. In the previous post, I made a mistake in the name of the company. They are Mark Plastics (info below). They are exact replacements as I believe that they made the originals and have the patterns. They were very helpful in providing guidance on how to make the appropriate measurements to ensure that they fit right.

The hardest part of the job was removing the old windows. On three of the windows, the old sealing material (silicone) was still firmly holding the windows into place. Removing them required breaking them apart, primarily loosening the flange on the outside of the window with a putty knife and breaking it off. A box cutter was then used to separate the sealant from the outside of the spigot. Several of the windows came out in multiple pieces.

It did not take too long when I got into the rhythm. about 45 min to an hour per window. Cleaning the old sealant off to provide a good seal was performed with sandpaper (carefully), acetone and then denatured alcohol.

Overall cost was about 950 dollars for the windows and Mark provided the new sealant. I would recommend them to others.


Mark Plastics (951) 735-7705 369 E Harrison St, #G, Corona, CA 92879

Wow, I'm impressed!! *So if I'm reading this right, you replaced four windows for $950. If so that makes them less than $250 each? *Did the port windows include the whole thing, plastic window, screen, and screwdowns and what kind of screw down knobs did they have on the inside?

The windows are sliders that are about 18.5 by 6.5 inches. They have a fixed and a sliding lexan window in them (they are too small for tempered glass). The fixed portion is about half the length of the window and the sliding element covers the other half of the length. They included everything, the frame, windows, beauty ring on the inside and the screws. The price per window was about $220 and including tax was under $950 for all four! They are identical to the originals. I am not sure if they are the same as what is on the 37' Californian.

Oh!!* Those are different. I have a 34' here in my marina and from the outside they look about the same.* But mine have a hinged Lexan window which tips up when opened and are clamped down tight with three threaded bolts and knobs when closed.
*
*I will contact the manufacture anyway as they may have made my style window as well.
Thanks for your help
*

As it turns out the port windows on the 34' Californian's is different. *The 40' Tollycraft on my dock has the same as mine. *Go figure?

The Tolly's were built here in Washington and the Calli's in Santa Rosa. *They must have had a common supplier?

Larry B*

"the Calli's in Santa Rosa"

The Californians were built in Santa Ana, CA in Southern California. Some references are list Tustin, CA (right next door) as the build location.

Now you've got my attention, that is interesting??? *

My number tag on the helm pillar post lists the hull number, length, year built and Marshall boat Co., "Santa Rosa, California" *What do you make of that? *For 30 years I have thought they were built there? *Maybe I have a counterfit Californian?*

Different hulls assembled in other cities? *Business office in Santa Rosa? What do you think Al?

Larry B

Santa Rosa, CA is NorCal, near Napa. Tustin and Santa Ana are next door to each other in Orange County, SoCal.

The first article and options list in this link http://www.trawlerforum.com/t16976520/34-californian-articles-specs-and-factory-options-list/ list the location as Tustin, CA. I spoke to Gil Marshall a few menths ago and he recalled working on the 34 Californians in 1977 in the Tustin plant as a kid working for his Dad, Jule.

Maybe you have one of those rare 37 Marshall Northern Californians.

Here's another reference to the Orange County, CA location in 1976.

http://www.goboating.com/boattests/DM_article.asp?id=288


-- Edited by FlyWright on Wednesday 24th of August 2011 12:06:28 AM

FlyWright wrote:
Santa Rosa, CA is NorCal, near Napa. Tustin and Santa Ana are next door to each other in Orange, County, SoCal.
*

Maybe you have one of those rare 37 Marshall Northern Californians.

*

Click to expand...

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There may be more truth to that than we know. *My father and I bought this one in 1977 at Yachts Unlimited on Lake Union, Seattle. *The dealership had outfitted it with all the bells and whistles and were using it as a demo, we had to kick a salesmen and his girl friend off of it to take it for a test run. *They were heading for the San Juan's. *It had about 200 hours on it. *

I have only seen one other 37' aftcabin LRC and it was also here in Seattle. *I have twin 130 hp NA 6.354 Perkins and the other 37' had twin 4 cyl 85 hp Perkins. *Both were outfitted by the dealer with all electric, they came bare, alcohol stove, no lounge seating, no Gen set, no bow pulpit, not even curtains and a built in ice box (not electric). *It was left up to the buyer to outfit the boat.

The following year they became the 38' aft cabin LRC by adding about 10" to the hull. *As far as I can tell they added this extra length to the stern, and built a storage locker into the stern deck with a deck hatch, between the aft cabin and the transom. The spray rails at the waterline also had disappeared. *

There were earlier 38's, but they were not a one peice house. The cabins were made up from individually molded flat glass sections, assembled on a wood frame, the seams were caulked and covered with teak trim. *If you haven't seen one, just look at your forward trunk cabin and imagine what it would look like with all the right angles covered by a teak trim piece. *Yes, they leaked like an old hose!!

Other than that, they are pretty much identical. I don't know for sure how many 37's were built but mine is hull 776.

That is pretty much all I know. *I wish there were more articles on the early Marshal boats. *That is truly a mystery about the city name?

Larry B




-- Edited by Edelweiss on Thursday 25th of August 2011 12:51:53 AM

H20DOG, did you paint the boat, if so what type of prep/paint was used,, looks great.
Q

Thanks for the comment. The boat was painted before I purchased it. I think that they used LP (via brush). I am not sure of the prep work that was required.