Salon Window Replacement

[Sugar Mama]

Hi! I've got a 1977 Californian with a few leaky salon windows. I'm tackling the worst of them. So far, I have removed the exterior frame, pulled the glass (without breaking, phew!) and have cleaned out the 47 years of patch jobs, but now I'm not so sure how to go about re-bedding the glass. Any advice is welcome, I'm new to all of this!

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard.

 

[Brisyboy]

is the frame intact?

 

[Comodave]

Some photos of the window frame would help.

 

[Sugar Mama]

The frame is intact; it is four teak pieces that seem to only be decorative. There's a little bit of wood rot on the mahogany interior frame, which I know needs to be mended before setting the glass. But what about the gap between the window frame and the boat frame, what is that filled with? I'm guessing traditional window glazing isn't flexible enough. And then there's the question of what adhesive and/or sealant to use. Of course I chose to do this during the rainy season just to make things interesting.

 

[FlyWright]

A high quality butyl tape is very well suited for this job. A thread search should show past discussions about this repair.

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[Comodave]

The problem with butyl tape in this application is there isn’t a good way to clamp the frame to the cabin side to properly squeeze the butyl. Unless you are going to through bolt the frame to the cabin side. If you are just screwing it on then I would use a good quality caulk like Sika 291.

 

[FlyWright]

Good point.

 

[Comodave]

Maybe even Sika 295UV. I believe it is designed to stick to plexiglass, not sure about glass. Check the recommended usages

 

[Sugar Mama]

Should the window need repair down the line, will Sika be a bear to remove?

 

[TG]

I've done this job and I used Boatlife Lifeseal. It has held well now for several years, since March of 2018.

 

[Comodave]

Sika and Boatlife are similar. I started using Sika and like it better. The Boatlife seemed to get dirty looking. They are removable unlike 5200.

 

[Mainecoast]

Dolfinite. But first seal the inner wood stop and the inside of the outer frame. I used BIN.

Have done all the windows on my GB36

 

[Choices]

Use Permetex Urethane caulk. Comes in a blue and orange tube from Home Depot.
Sounds crazy, but it cleans with mineral spirits, is white, sticks like stink. Not sure about plexiglass.
Go to my blog, grandbankschoices, and see the process. I did 22? windows. It will never need to be done again. Looks molded into the fiberglass.
Fixing it right just takes time that will pay rewards later.