Bestway Labelle 42

[Paramedic62]

New to us , Bestway Labelle 42 . Looking to see what other owners have done for leaky windows and portlight gaskets .

They are rectangular stainless portlights and I want to replace the crush gasket when the ports are closed

[TJM]

The best suggestion is to look at each window and try and establish the path where water will intrude. On some of my ports, the window is pitched the wrong way.




I made sure the small drains are kept free and clear. I drilled the holes a little larger so they would not get clogged.
On other windows that leaked it was a matter of where the sliding window was located. They are known to fail if they are adjacent to the side walkways. I have since removed the sliders and replaced with a solid piece of Acrylic with 3M 4000 as the sealant. It stays flexible and is UV stable.

[Comodave]

I just replaced 11 PYHI portholes in my boat due to the leaking gaskets and cracking plastic. Have not replaced the gaskets only. Leaking windows are a real problem. Are your aluminum frame or teak frame? If they are aluminum then I would remove them and clean off all the old caulk and then reinstall them. Oh, BTW, welcome aboard.

[TJM]

Comodave: What did you replace the PYH1 port hole windows with ?
I believe my 11 are 4" x 12" Is there a direct replacement ?


Love your boat, lol

[Comodave]

I used New Found Metals ports. They are really nice. 316 cast Stainless steel. The screens are aslo 316 s/s. I had 5X12s on my boat. No they are not exact replacements. But as long as the new ones are a bit larger cutout it will work fine. I had to fill the old drain slots in the fiberglass and cut the hole out about a 1/4” all around. I used butyl tape to install the new ones. Lots and lots of stuffing the butyl tape in, took about 2 hours per port. NFM gave me a break on the orice because I was buying 11 ports. Overall I would do it again. They are beautiful ports.