Lewmar seals need softening

[amethystgozo]

Hi guys,

this is my first post here. A year ago we changed a couple of rubber seals on our portlights. Till now the seals are still very stiff, so it is very hard to close the hatch.

Does anyone have any advice on softening these seals?

Thanks

Karl

 

[Deleted member 36384]

What port light is it? I have fitted a new fore hatch, Lewmar Ocean 60, for example, and I can't say the seals are stiff, but it it takes a bit of force to engage the locks in the fully closed position, not finger tip pressure for sure.

The seal is an elastomer material and it has a resilience designed into the chemistry i.e. it tries to return to it's original shape. The resilience is what allows the elastomer seal to make a good seal under any wave pressure, as well as give the seal a useful life (elastomer materials age and the resilience can reduce). I would be wary of trying to soften the seal as you may find that the port light will let in water. You don't live in a very cold country by any chance?

When you changed the seals, did you use Lewar parts or buy an off the shelf seal that fitted? If the seal is too hard buy an another type that is softer, elastomers have hardness ratings so that the correct firmness of seal can be selected, you may have purchased one that is too hard for the application.You may also be straining lock mechanism.

 

[RichardS]

I keep all the seals on my hatches supple by rubbing them with silicone oil every couple of years. The easiest way is to spray silicone oil aerosol into the top of the container so you have a pool of fizzing liquid. Then dip your finger in this and rub it over the seals getting into all the folded over bits with your pinkie. This is cleaner than using the spray itself, which tends to run everywhere or using silicone grease which is usually a lot thicker and takes a lot longer to spread.

Richard