Saloon window.

[JDCAVE]

Finally fixing my cracked saloon sliding window. Only the bottom of the wood frame together with the U channel track was “caulked” and it was a very difficult material to separate. I think they used 4200. Not certain. The top track is held in with a small amount of caulking and a bit of tape. Barely hanging there. It was a pita to remove.

What product is best for that bottom track? I think the reason a PO used 4200 was to waterproof everything to prevent water egress into the saloon.



Jim

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. JD. Hmmm....The piece you show should simply be a trim piece, I think and not play any role in preventing leakage. IF you have the track out, I would attempt to seal it in the opening in such a fashion as to make it waterproof even without the wood trim. I would bed both the frame and the trim with butyl tape or Dolphinite in anticipation of future removal or maybe I've got it all wrong...

 

[Pack Mule]

What RTF said. I’ve been using butyl tape on stuff lately and love it. No mess.

 

[menzies]

Good job so far, now go over to the bar and pour yourself a beer!

 

[Comodave]

When you do get it out, maybe epoxy all the wood so it won’t absorb water and then use butyl from marinehowto.com. No affiliation.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. C makes an excellent point wrt sealing with epoxy!

 

[trawlerjeff]

I to will be challenged with my saloon windows leaking, wondering if anybody has a typical window construction detail from maybe grand banks forum or other source. Try as I might can't get into the sight for info, thanks jeff

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. t. Use the search function in TF the toolbar above. This is one of several threads:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/custom-windows-grand-banks-42-a-40094.html

 

[koliver]

Finally fixing my cracked saloon sliding window. Only the bottom of the wood frame together with the U channel track was “caulked” and it was a very difficult material to separate. I think they used 4200. Not certain. The top track is held in with a small amount of caulking and a bit of tape. Barely hanging there. It was a pita to remove.

What product is best for that bottom track? I think the reason a PO used 4200 was to waterproof everything to prevent water egress into the saloon.

View attachment 106727View attachment 106728

Jim

Jim:
Just looking at your picture, I can't be sure that is the inside frame that you removed. It makes a big difference, as, if that is the inside frame, the 4200 (likely 5200) shown is unnecessary, as that frame is there only to hide the inner works.

If that is the outside frame, there has to be a water tight seal between the track and the sill, and when the track overflows with rain, that water can't be left trapped between the track and the frame, as it will get into the material below the track, and it will eventually mess up that outer frame. You need 5200 in that application. You also need a drain from the bottom of the track, a drain that allows the water to drain onto the outside of the house wall. Without an adequate drain, overflow will occur on the inside, causing the inside wall to fail.

Did you have a broken slider, or was the fixed pane the broken one? That made a big difference when I did my aft head window. I wanted to replace the track, as it had aged out at 49 yrs. The velvet like stuff in the track was rotted, so the track had to be replaced. That track and the sliding glass were, on my boat, installed from the inside, so the inside teak frame had to come off along the bottom and at one end. I was replacing the wall covering anyway, because the window had leaked and the plywood to which the wall covering was attached was rotted, along with the sill.

Then I leaned against the fixed pane of glass and cracked it. It was installed against the opening, with 5200, so to get it out, the outside frame had to come off. With everything out, I was able to rebuild the lower sill (rotted) and make it all water tight with Sikaflex 291.
I had previously tried butyl tape, when I replaced a front wheelhouse window, and found that Sika 291 worked considerably better and was easier to apply.

I had the glass panes custom cut from laminated safety glass and was able to get more of the track for both top and bottom at the same Auto Glass store.

 

[JDCAVE]

Good morning. I spent the day on the project yesterday. To clarify Keith, that frame was from inside the boat. I have no idea why a PO removed it and used so much glue. I guess he wanted to contain any moisture that collected. There are two drain holes fore and aft on the outside frame that are designed to drain any water that collects in the track.

I removed the tracks and cleaned off all the old caulking/glue down to bare wood. I determined that the forward fixed pane had “let go” from the caulking so I decided this window had to be removed and recaulked. Fortunately, this wasn’t too difficult, so that was recaulked and put back in place. I replaced all tracks with new material. I first installed the bottom track, using teal coloured Boat Life Caulking product. I used a few screws, recessed below the plastic slider to secure the track until the caulk had set. Then I put in caulking for the upper track, laid the top track on the sliding window and placed into the bottom track and leaned it back into place. Again, I used small recessed screws to secure the top track.

I’m going back today to put additional caulking between the bottom track and the wood “backing” inside of the window opening. It’s a little shy of what is required but it’s difficult to put more in with the caulking in place being “wet”.

When I rebedded the seven windows in the Pilothouse, I used 4200. That stuff sets up in an hour. It’s pretty unforgiving if you make and mistakes, (and I had to redo one of the windows when it wasn’t properly in place). 6 years later there are no leaks. The Boat Life caulking product takes a long time to set up. The jury is out on whether this was the best move. I guess time will tell.



Jim

 

[C lectric]

I think our window frames, sliders, are different but I have redone them all now. My method may not work for you .
I no longer use the SS dual track slider track for 1/4" glass.
I make my own on the table saw from BLACK UHMW polyethylene.
I was fed up with the felt bunching up and plugging the drain holes and jamming the glass. Also it was a PAIN to set the screws so the glass wouldn't contact the glass.
The drain holes were enlarged to 1/2" diam. from 1/4" or 5/16" THe old ones were far to easily plugged.
There were rotten spots which I Pentachloraphenoled and after allowing for it to dry then coated the bad spots with raw epoxy initially, then thickened epoxy to fill.
The pentaphenol is a bugacide and is poisonous so needs care in use but it will kill anything trying to grow on or in the wood.
THe first set of 3 sliders, over 10 yrs now, I simply pentaphenoled the whole frame. It has held up and seems to have prevented ANY sign of water absorption.

The last set of 3 sliders, about 6 years old now, I did the penta coating but also then went over it with S2 , a water thin penetrating epoxy.

My windows now slide easily, no rattle even though there is no fuzz, and the black UHMY is holding up far better than the metal SS track.

For my front non sliders I too used the Boatlife, now about 15 or 20 yrs ago.
I had done one years before and the Boat life was still soft and pliable. It leaked because I had not done a good enough job.

If you wish we can talk and I will try to provide photos.