Replacing the windows - rubber edge trim

[josephmoore]

The aluminium window frames on my Hurley 22 really are past their best and I'm dreaming of a dry cabin so I've resigned myself to replacing them with plastic of some sort, sealed and bolted through from the outside. Standard stuff.

Thing is, that would leave the bare GRP edge inside the cabin looking like it did when it left the factory - ie. Chewed roughly to shape by an army of hamsters.

Not overly pleasing to look at.

So I was thinking of popping some rubber u-channel trim round the hole to tidy it up before fitting the windows. Of course, this would also tuck round the outside... if it was big enough - say a 10mm deep profile - could I kill two birds with one stone and use it to seal the window opening? Usually it's just some squishy foam tape or mastic doing the job, so as long as there was a good seal the rubber should do the job, right?

Anyone tried it, and succeeded? Or failed?

 

[Gymnopedie]

About 15 years ago I carried out the same exercise on my Invicta because the rubber surrounds had perished.

A firm on the edge of Ipswich was able to supply the rubber. I believe they were of a type commonly used for fixed car widows and windscreens. The strip was of H-section into which the fibreglass and Perspex slotted. There was than a rubber cord which fitted into a groove on the outer edge of the main strip. A simple but special hand tool was required - which they happily loaned to me for the duration.

 

[josephmoore]

That's a very good call. That stuff's available cheaply in lengths and used for glazing Land Rover windows. I even have the little diamond spreader tool required to fit it. Perhaps, just perhaps the original windows could be prised from the knackered frames and might fit in the holes.... I'll have to do some measuring!

 

[Aja]

I would think of replacing the aluminium frames with rubber extrusions. Measure the thickness of the coachroof and the thickness of your replacement windows and you should be able to get an exact match from COH-Baines's website.

Regards
Donald


http://www.coh-baines.co.uk/

 

[TradewindSailor]

I'm not overly fond of bolting on acrylic windows ..... the acrylic will crack if the holes aren't over-size, and the bolts invariably leak after a while .... and there's always the condensation dripping off the bolt ends too.

I suggest that you clean up the grp edges and perhaps use rubber U channel the neaten it up ...... but you stick the acrylic on with sikaflex 295UV using their cleaners and primers, making sure to roughen up the acrylic in contact with the sikaflex. You can temporarily bolt the acrylic in place while the sikaflex cures (give it 5-7 days, especially if you're bending it round a tight bend), take the bolts out and fill the holes with sikaflex. An overlap of 25mm should be enough and the sikaflex should be at least 5mm thick ..... which the rubber u profile will help to provide.

You could even run round the edge of the acrylic with a router profile bit to smarten it up before fitting it.

 

[gavin400]

Seals + Direct supply everything you need

 

[grahama]

Seals + Direct supply everything you need

Thank you for posting what looks like a very useful site, my winters project boat windows.

 

[josephmoore]

Excellent stuff, thanks chaps.

Will see if I can get a window out without it falling to pieces and measure everything up so I can order some rubber seals. Much more practical than an aluminium frame with stainless screws in. It's just eaten itself away to nothing in places!

 

[Stemar]

FWIW, I just refitted the last of my windows after refurbing it. The ally frame had a few holes in it and and other damage from corrosion, so I ground them back to bright metal with an Aldi "Dremel" with an attachment like a dentist's drill, filled it all with a plastic metal type filler and sprayed the lot with Hammerite smooth. New new perspex, and seals from Seals Direct, backed up by a glazing sealant completed the job. I used self-adhesive expanded neoprene (http://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping.asp?intDepartmentId=1#14 stuck to the windows to seal the frames to the boat.

A few small holes don't mean the frame's beyond repair but, obviously, there does need to be enough good metal to maintain the mechanical integrity

I did the first couple about 8 years ago and they've stayed leak free. I think the advantage of the neoprene is that it allows significant movement whilst still maintaining a seal. Another advantage, now we're painting the top is that the windowscan easily be removed and replaced.

 

[VicS]

About 15 years ago I carried out the same exercise on my Invicta because the rubber surrounds had perished.

A firm on the edge of Ipswich was able to supply the rubber. I believe they were of a type commonly used for fixed car widows and windscreens. The strip was of H-section into which the fibreglass and Perspex slotted. There was than a rubber cord which fitted into a groove on the outer edge of the main strip. A simple but special hand tool was required - which they happily loaned to me for the duration.

Wilks, ??? at Tollesbury Essex http://www.wilks.co.uk/ but Seals Direct will probably sell all of Wilks products anyway. Not a zilliion miles from Ipswich.