Leaking windows

[Talianna]

I have a 1987 Ponderossa 42 and two of the salon windows have developed small leaks.* Am thinking of removing the trim and inspecting the windows and then re-sealing them.* Any links to discussions on how to remove the trim and re-seal the windows?* I do not see any screw or nail marks in the trim.* Could they just be attached to the frame with the sealant?* Thanks for the help.

 

[JAT]

On our GulfStar 44, the windows are held in the frames by the sealant material on the outside. On the inside the glass rests on a flange of the frame has a bead of sealant to prevent the glass from contacting the flange.

Our glass in the side windows and windshield (3 fixed windows) was sealed in with some horrible black rubber that was in bad shape, so I literaly peeled it out after scoring it with a sharp knife... Cleaning the old glazing out took longer than reglazing the windows. When I resealed them... I used Sikaflex 295UV in black. Its an excellent product, and the beauty of it is that it will bond firmly, is impervious to UV, and doesn't chalk up or powder.

You will want to mask the frame, and the window itself...and use a tool similar to one used for smooting in grout. It can be a little messy...but it cleams up with isopropyl alcohol.

 

[Talianna]

JAT - thank you for your response. I will probably need to remove the teak trim around the windows to get to the base of the frame. It does look like someone has put lots of caulking around the frame in an attempt to stop the leak - without solving the cause. I imagine a strong putty knife will work to pry the teak trim away from the bulkhead. Thank you also for recommending a product to use. My guess is that I am in for quite a "fun" project. Thanks again.

 

[C lectric]

Use several putty knives. Push one in as far as it will go which will/should start opening a gap. Stop there and use another knife to work beside and continue the gap. You may also find a sharp utility knife to actually cut the stuff as you go will help.

Do not pry heavily in one place, rather a bit of pressure over several points will work better and avoid damage to either the cabin or the frames.

I have several small Stanley pry bars [55-045] about 6-8" long that I have ground the edge so it is relatively sharp, not cutting sharp, but sharp enough that it can usually be worked in behind failry easily and they then have enough curve that a bit of pressure can be applied. These I prefer to putty knives. I like them because they have a roll to them rather than just a bend and the flat blades of a putty knife don't allow for prying. The putty knives are usefull for keeping th gap open as will thin pieces or wedges of wood.

I also use thin pieces of aluminum or wood between the wall and the prybar to protect the cabin side from the prying.

You may also find carefull use of a heat gun will help soften the old caulking and make removal easier.

 

[FF]

Any home box store will have cheap wooden shims for adjusting doors and windows in their opening.

Very handy when time is your friend and their prying pressure can, with time , allow old sealant to part.

 

[Talianna]

FF and C lectric - thank you for your very useful and detailed advice. I am very appreciative. I think I now have a good handle on how to get this started - and hopefully a dry, happy ending.

 

[C lectric]

Take a look at this site:

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/butyl_tape

*

It's a plug but not on my behalf.* I bought some of this tape over the winter to use on my windows and locker frames rather than caulking.

I've used similar tapes on my trailer and it is better than caulking, to me.

Anyway take a look at it.*** Take a look at the rest of the site.* I found some really good info in it overall.

 

[FF]

I've used similar tapes on my trailer and it is better than caulking, to me.

Most newer items are built for a tape seal , not goop.

 

[Slowboat 37]

It was suggested to me once to heat a putty knife with a small torch and then slide it behind the teak trim and work my way around the window to melt through the bedding material. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it works

 

[Bilgewater]

When pulling the window out of my cabin door, I used plastic shims, available at any big box store, or maybe even your local hardware place. Get one started, tapping gently, and then continue around, adding shims as you go. Slow, even pressure will do the job in time without tearing anything up.

 

[yo]

I have just finished replacing some of the window tracks on my boat. Found the best way to remove that outside trim was with a dremel multu- max tool. My trim was held in place with screws and alot of caulk. after removing screws the tool work under and cut thru the caulk. work great for me

 

[Arctic Traveller]

It was suggested to me once to heat a putty knife with a small torch and then slide it behind the teak trim and work my way around the window to melt through the bedding material. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it works

After blowing in a window, I then cracked the teak trim trying to remove it. I decided to hire a professional and he used the torch and putty knife method, it worked just fine. I think it was bonded with 5200, so it wasn't going to give up easily....Arctic Traveller

Trawler training at www.arctictraveller.com

 

[alormaria]

Piano wire.

 

[Marin]

The window frames of our vintage GB are installed from the outside and held to the cabin side with screws and an adhesive bedding compound. When we started reworking all the windows in the boat we used putty knives, high E guitar strings, and other self-invented techniques to get the frames off and old track out after the screws had been removed. Not always an easy job.

Then a shipwright friend, seeing what we were doing one day, showed us the tool he uses for this same task. It's a rotary deglazing tool and it's turned what once used be a long and tedious job with the risk of breaking the frame into not quite a snap but the next thing to it. We've been using it for some ten years now as we overhaul one or two windows a year and it has made a major difference in the ease of doing the job.

And when we reinstall an overhauled frame, we do not use an adhesive bedding compound which means if we ever have to take that frame off again, it will be no job at all.

 

[Andy G]

Any pictures of the rotary deglazing tool? Having just finished replacing my main stb front window , I could have used that.

 

[JAT]

Take a look at this site:

Need Butyl Tape ?? Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com
Anyway take a look at it.*** Take a look at the rest of the site.* I found some really good info in it overall.

Thank you very much for posting that link!~! I had some of his stuff bookmarked...on another laptop and the hard drive scrogged....lost a lot of good stuff and that site was one of them!

 

[Marin]

Any pictures of the rotary deglazing tool? Having just finished replacing my main stb front window , I could have used that.

No. It looks vaguely like a small pizza cutter but with the wheel 90 degrees to the handle. The edge of the wheel is knife-blade sharp and you can keep it that way with a fine file. We got ours the same place the shipwright who told us about it did-- at a local industrial/residential glass shop. They use the tool for removing old window glass and frames. At the time they cost somewhere between $50 and $100.

 

[Phil Fill]

The frames where caulked on, so I used a cheap, 2 bucks, flexible putty knife with a rubber hammer pounded the putty knife under/through and then worked it back and forth. Only had to take off the bottom and the side that held the fixed glass.

Living on a boat I would never pay over 25 bucks for a tool, and the cheaper the better as they usually end up under the boat. The hammer slipped and when into the water, but I still have the cheap putty knife.

 

[skipperdude]

Leaking windows ? You're done for skipper

Just sign the boat over to me and end your concerns.

SD