chronic window leaking

[DBG8492]

i didn't pay attention if there are screws on the outside. will check later. how to test if the holes are clogged?

The screws on the outside of mine were hidden by rubber covers. They'd probably never been removed and to me, looked like part of the window construction. I didn't notice they were removable until I started poking and prying at things with a screwdriver to try to figure out how to remove the window.

Pics below show the whole window first and then the rubber cover. It's the one on the outside edge - nowhere near the glass. This one in particular was a permanent window under the sundeck area and we were removing it because we needed to install a window unit there while on the hard. It wasn't leaking.

Also, I took another look at my sliding windows in the cabin and the drains look identical to yours. There are two parts to them. The outside edge is a "gutter" outside the tracks that hold the glass. This has what yours looks like - cutouts about an inch wide into the aluminum. The inside edge - which is part of the actual window track - has one-inch slots in the aluminum that I suppose should feed the water that gets in the tracks out to the gutter, where it will drain through the cutouts.

When I eventually pull the first one to fix the plywood under it, I plan to figure out the best way to fix it so that once re-bedded, it will drain with minimum maintenance. It may be that the original design was best and that the fault lies in some action performed by one of the previous owners - like the makeshift screens that were on one of them... I don't know, but I plan to figure it out.

 

[paulga]

Comodave: How do you affix the alum strip above the window?

 

[Barking Sands]

I did Sunbrella covers with the Keder track tucked under the overhand to keep water out. Sunbrella can be made waterproof with 303 water repellent. The bottom has snaps. When I want little light or air the lower snaps can be snapped to the rail. In this configuration the windows can be opened to. Then can even be opened in a mild rain. Works really go. This is my first line of defense in keeping water off the windo and out of the tiny channels.

 

[Comodave]

Comodave: How do you affix the alum strip above the window?

Screwed it on and caulked it all along to keep the water out. Similar to the post above but not Sunbrella. I used Stamoid since it is actually waterproof, Sunbrella is water resistant, and it allows light through the Stamoid. If you want to actually see out unsnap it and slide the bolt rope out of the keder strip, easy.

 

[paulga]

the red arrow points to the outside edge, correct?

 

[paulga]

so you have to first drill holes to affix the keder, then install the rope with canvas sewn to it, then the snaps, correct?

I wonder can vinyl can be used in place of stamoid:

https://www.sailrite.com/Plastipane...3ZOzYiE78KOxveXrOwJgAs3Z3KecogpMaAi-5EALw_wcB

 

[Comodave]

As to mounting hardware check marinehowto.com for an article on how to do it including counter sinking the holes so as not to chip the gel coat.

 

[Bmarler]

I would consider using automotive trim adhesive tape to mount the tracks. It holds extremely well and doesn’t make holes in the boat.
Use a quality brand like 3m or equivalent. Cheap stuff isn’t as good.


Here’s the stuff I use for my restoration work: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v000056294/

 

[paulga]

Thanks. I was considering a double sided rape when I saw the magic phone mount base at the local west marine store. But I got the impression that 3m tapes purchased from Amazon is quite weak.

 

[Comodave]

I would not do tape unless you are planning to get rid of it in a short time. I would screw the strip on and be done with it.

 

[DBG8492]

the red arrow points to the outside edge, correct?

Yes sir!

Don't mess with any of the rubber or seals on the inside part of the frame - here there be tygers.

 

[paulga]

Comodave: did you sew the stamoid to the bold rope using a home sewing machine or manually?
do you have a photo of the snaps that are used to snap the stamoid to the cabin?

 

[Comodave]

I have a Sailrite sewing machine. It will sew through 8 layers of Sunbrella one stitch at a time. Owning a boat it is really helpful to have a commercial sewing machine. I have saved in excess of $20K over the last 15 years by having my own machine and doing all the canvas work on our various boats. I just used the standard DOT type of snaps. It helps to have all the tools needed to do snap work and also the sewing work. This is the first boat in 20 years that I have not done the new canvas work and that is because arthritis is making it difficult to do the work with my fingers.

 

[DBG8492]

I have a Sailrite sewing machine. It will sew through 8 layers of Sunbrella one stitch at a time. Owning a boat it is really helpful to have a commercial sewing machine. I have saved in excess of $20K over the last 15 years by having my own machine and doing all the canvas work on our various boats. I just used the standard DOT type of snaps. It helps to have all the tools needed to do snap work and also the sewing work. This is the first boat in 20 years that I have not done the new canvas work and that is because arthritis is making it difficult to do the work with my fingers.

I will second this.

I repaired the canvas cover on our jib sheet for the sailboat after the hem on the outer seam had worn out and come loose nearly the entire length.

I did the whole thing with an awl and spool of thread. After the first few feet, I got the hang of it and was able to do about a foot an hour - but I admit that I was re-stitching it in the exact cross-hatch "X" pattern that was used when it was made because I didn't want it to look like a patch job. If I hadn't cared, I could have done a few feet in an hour.

I would have given my right arm and one of my legs for an industrial sewing machine then, and it's a purchase I will be making for this boat as soon as we are ready for canvas.

 

[paulga]

I have a Sailrite sewing machine. It will sew through 8 layers of Sunbrella one stitch at a time. Owning a boat it is really helpful to have a commercial sewing machine. I have saved in excess of $20K over the last 15 years by having my own machine and doing all the canvas work on our various boats. I just used the standard DOT type of snaps. It helps to have all the tools needed to do snap work and also the sewing work. This is the first boat in 20 years that I have not done the new canvas work and that is because arthritis is making it difficult to do the work with my fingers.

that would be overkill for now. and the boat does not has many canvas.

does this tool set work for that purpose? understood it would be tedious and slow per @DBG8492, but it's not urgent either.

https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Leath...e35-400a-ba2d-4211ba11974c&pd_rd_i=B08DXHMFL8

 

[Bmarler]

Thanks. I was considering a double sided rape when I saw the magic phone mount base at the local west marine store. But I got the impression that 3m tapes purchased from Amazon is quite weak.

I don’t get my supplies from Amazon. You need to get from auto body supply outlet. It’s more expensive, but is a permanent solution. I trust it completely. It holds along the entire length, not just where the screws are.
If you use the right product the bond will be stronger than the substrate.

 

[paulga]

I did Sunbrella covers with the Keder track tucked under the overhand to keep water out. Sunbrella can be made waterproof with 303 water repellent. The bottom has snaps. When I want little light or air the lower snaps can be snapped to the rail. In this configuration the windows can be opened to. Then can even be opened in a mild rain. Works really go. This is my first line of defense in keeping water off the windo and out of the tiny channels.

what snaps do you use to fasten to the cabin and to the rail?

 

[Barking Sands]

what snaps do you use to fasten to the cabin and to the rail?

I can remember if they were the SS or the nickel plated brass. But I tend to buy most of these types of things from Sailrite. Thier selection of hardware and misc items tends to be medium to high quality. So when in doubt I stick with them

 

[BluewaterN47]

Leaking windows

If your window confirguration, including frames, allows, you might try using the very robust but hard-to-find 3M471 vinyl tape, usually available from Amazon but McMaster Carr has a wide selection of widths and colors.


I never tried it on windows but I did use it on a leaking forward hatch and it kept the water out, even in a head sea, like a champ.



I find the 1-inch width to be the most versatile. The tape grabs, sticks and lasts on solid gel coat--it really holds with great tenacity.


My Nordhavn 47's lazarette allowed water to leak in heavy weather on offshore pasages where the cockpit often had inches of water. We crossed the Atlantic, Fort Lauderdale to Gibralter, using 3M471 to tape the laz hatch, and it never leaked a drop. Of course, to get into the laz in port we had open it up in Bermuda and the Azores, then re-tape for the next passage.



The white 3M471 matched the gel coat of my Nordhavn almost perfectly, and I used it routinely all around the boat. I found, for example, that if I had a screw hole or gel coat chip that needed to be covered "temporarily", the white tape worked perfectly and would stay in place for months until I got around to making a gel coat repair.


Of course, to adhere best it needs something solid like clean gel coat, clean aluminum, stainless steel, plexi or glass. It won't work well trying to hold on to unpainted or poorly painted wood.


Your mileage may vary!


Milt Baker, American Tug 34 Bluewater V