| My local "Duro
Vitres d'Auto" carries this window rubber to fit 1/4 inch glass or plexi,
and 1/4 inch body thickness. Your local auto glass repair shop probably
carries it too. I measured the outer dimensions for my windows to get the
right length of rubber. I pulled out the locking strip in my window
rubber. (You may not have this locking strip on yours.) Then, I took a
deep breath and ...... leaned on the forward curve of one of my windows,
pushing gently but firmly, until it started coming out of it's gasket,
entering into the boat's cabin, where my daughter was ready to grab it.
I kept the old
windows as templates for the new ones. I phoned around and found an auto
window shop that would cut my new windows for the best price. Prices for
this vary quite a bit, and shopping around will save you some money. The
shop suggested 1/4 inch plexiglass. After weighing the pros and cons of
the plexi over other materials, ( lexan and glass), I went with tinted
plexiglass, tinted enough for some privacy, yet light enough to let enough
daylight in. The glass guys used the old windows for patterns to cut the
new ones. Next comes the tricky part.
I cut the new
rubbers, slightly longer than needed. They will pull back some when the
windows are installed. Between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch extra will do it. I
then pressed the rubbers onto the fiberglass edge of the windows. I finished
the rubbers center, bottom, so that any water running the length of the
rubbers would trickle off there instead of trying to find it's way in.
You will find that the fiberglass, due to the way the boat was manufactured,
is not of uniform thickness, being in some places less than the 1/4 inch
that you want. Don't worry. Some suggest taping the rubbers to the opening,
but I'll tell you right now that the first attempt to put in those windows,
( and the following fruitless attempts) will just pull it all down. Much
to my disappointment the windows were too big. However laying them on top
of the old ones showed no difference in size. Maybe the openings had contracted
slightly in size over the years, and the only thing holding them to size
was the window pane itself. Whatever the reason I found that the only way
to get them into the rubber encased opening was by sliding the lubricated
edges from the back of the opening into the top and bottom grooves of the
rubber as I advanced it towards the narrower front of the opening, sort
of like a long flat wedge. My daughter pressed the work area forward from
inside the boat to keep everything from just popping into the cabin as
we worked. Whenever I reached an area where the window refused to go any
further, I marked the area, removed the window pane, and gently ground
off a bit of the window edge with a Dremel tool and a sanding drum attachment.
you could also use a sander at low speed. Too much friction makes the edge
gummy and you'll use too much paper. Eventually you will get those suckers
in there using this method. Lubricate the rubber and plexi edge generously
with dish soap as you go and the job will be a lot easier. Without the
lubricant the windows will not go in.
Now for the
important finishing locking strip. When I had taken out the old windows
I had noticed that there was no waterproofing material, silicone etc. whatsoever
in the window gaskets, yet my windows only leaked where the rubber was
cracked. On of the manufacturers of the rubbers told me that the locking
strip seals the window so tightly that no further waterproofing is needed.
You just squeeze in a small dab where the rubber ends meet. The tight seal
due to the locking strip also does a great job of dealing with any inconsistencies
in the thickness of the fiberglass around the opening.
When you buy
your rubbers for the windows you MUST remember two things.
1) Buy the same length of
locking strip to lock the whole thing in.
2) Ask them to rent/ lend
with a deposit, the hand tool to insert the locking strip into the rubber.
I guarantee
you that you cannot insert the locking strip into the rubber without that
little hand tool. Ask the guy to show you how to use it while you are there.
Use plenty of dish soap lubricant for this job too. No other tool, screwdrivers,
or such will do either. If they won't lend/rent it to you buy it. They're
worth about twenty dollars. I bought my own in case I ever wanted to remove
my windows for any reason. With boats ....you never know ....
So I've sailed all last summer
with the new windows. They've weathered some pretty good storms already.
I've sprayed my garden hose on them full blast. The rubber seals alone
keep the water out. No messy sealant.
Another bonus is that our
Dolphin looked so much better after, like she'd had a face-lift, which
I guess she'd had.
NOTE : If you want to keep
those windows looking good -
1) Use only cleansers formulated
for plastic windows.
2) If you insist on using
sealants, don't use any with ammonia or a vinegary smell, or you'll get
crazing and clouding of you new windows.
Now you have something to
do until it's warm enough for the season to start :^) |
