They will pry out with a stiff 1″ putty knife and a hammer, or even better
a Fein Multimaster with the blade attachment. You will markup the gel coat
around the prt a bit, but nothing you can’t clean and polish out if your
even a little careful (and I am ussually not so careful).

You will then need to clean up all the silicone under there…

-p

—
s/v Deep Playa | Pearson 424 Hull #152 | http://www.DeepPlaya.com |
@DeepPlaya |
W7PEA

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 7:11 AM, kalinowski wrote:

Rather than spring for the bling of Newfound Metals ports, I procured a
set of four opening ports from another owner. I had them sandblasted, trim
rings annealed to make them true, and powder coated. I replaced the lenses
with Lexan AB, a highly scratch and UV resistant plastic. They look
better than new for a total of $300.

Now I have to pull the old ones out and install the rebuilt units. Does
anyone have any tips on getting the old ports out with minimal damage to
boat and port? I thought I’d ask before I get out the hammer. By the way,
I’ll soon have some old ones to pass on if anyone is interested.

Dan Kalinowski
Jolly Lama #135
Ko Olina, O’ahu

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Use a heat gun to help the process.

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 10:09 AM, Peaboy Walters wrote:

They will pry out with a stiff 1″ putty knife and a hammer, or even better
a Fein Multimaster with the blade attachment. You will markup the gel coat
around the prt a bit, but nothing you can’t clean and polish out if your
even a little careful (and I am ussually not so careful).

You will then need to clean up all the silicone under there…

-p

—
s/v Deep Playa | Pearson 424 Hull #152 | http://www.DeepPlaya.com |
@DeepPlaya |
W7PEA

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 7:11 AM, kalinowski <

wrote:

Rather than spring for the bling of Newfound Metals ports, I procured a
set of four opening ports from another owner. I had them sandblasted,

trim

rings annealed to make them true, and powder coated. I replaced the

lenses

with Lexan AB, a highly scratch and UV resistant plastic. They look
better than new for a total of $300.

Now I have to pull the old ones out and install the rebuilt units. Does
anyone have any tips on getting the old ports out with minimal damage to
boat and port? I thought I’d ask before I get out the hammer. By the

way,

I’ll soon have some old ones to pass on if anyone is interested.

Dan Kalinowski
Jolly Lama #135
Ko Olina, O’ahu

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Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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Dan
I’ve rebuilt my smaller portlights several times over the years. To my knowledge, Pearson used either Beckson plastic ports for the forward ports or a no-name aluminum port. My boat came with the aluminum ports. These are actually decent portlights. They just need a bit of service every few years to keep them from leaking. I’ve priced replacements at about $500 ea. That’s a bit much for me to spend on something that’s not really broken.

As I recall, they were bed with silicone sealant. Removal was straightfoward. I probably used a wide-blade chisel to pry them up. After removing the fasteners, clean the female threaded plugs up with a tap to remove any residue. Plan on losing a few. I think the sock-monster gets them. Fastenall can probably match them. You’ll have to find a local store however. I don’t see them online.
http://www.fastenal.com/web/home.ex

I also rebuilt mine using a scratch-resistant polycarbonate. They get dirty or scratched and difficult to see through even though they aren’t supposed to do that. A plastic cleaner will clear them up. The stock I bought was a bit thinner than the original plate-glass. I put gasket material around the frame to take-up any space. The gasket I used for this is available at any hardware store. Its a soft rubber self-adhesive bead used for weatherproofing windows. They don’t leak.

I use polysulfide to bed the ports. It cleans up nicely with denatured alcohol. I usually use a putty-knife to smooth-out any excess caulk and give it a finished look. I don’t remove the excess, I just smooth it out and even add some extra around the frame. There should be no caulk used on the inside. Silicone sealant might last longer if not exposed to teak cleaner. I haven’t found anything that cleans it up however. Its kind of messy to work with on something like this.

The last time I redid mine was about a year ago. I sent out a note on the project to this mailing list. I think I paid about $30 for materials and have enough left over to do it again. They’ll probably need new gaskets in about 5 years or so. I find that the aluminum frames corrode around the gasket seal. My guess is that salt-spray accelerates corrosion. Powder-coating will likely help, but I’m too cheap for that route. I spray-painted the inside of the frames the last time I rebuilt mine. Buffing the frame where it seals against the gasket every year with fine sandpaper seems to help. They will likely start leaking in a few years however.

The larger opening ports were replaced by me about 15 years ago with Bowmar opening ports. They have so far needed no service other than cleaning.

Regards
Rich

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Rich: I read your post about refurbishing the original aluminum opening ports and I am doing the same thing. Mine are not leaking around the mounted frame, so I see no need to take them out. I have removed the inside port door and sanded where the pieces fit together with 220 then 400 wet-dry sandpaper. I am looking for gaskets to replace the old ones and wonder if you or anyone has a suggestion or recommendation of where to get them.
I polished the inside port door with a felt wheel and green rouge, and it makes it look like polished stainless steel. I would do the mounted part if I were to take them off, but that is more work than I want to do for something that isn’t broken.
Thanks,
Charlie

Charlie,
By gasket, I assume you mean the gasket around the glass to seal it where it sits in the frame. I replaced my glass with tinted polycarbonate years ago. Its a bit thinner than the original plate-glass. I used a gasket material sold at most hardware stores as window weatherstripping. It comes in a roll and has two beads of self-adhesive rubber. I think this is the stuff. It seems to work very well.
http://www.amazon.com/Frost-V25WA-Extreme-Weather-Strip-8-Inch-by1/dp/B000B4N3OA/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

I also ran a thin bead of sealant around the inside of the frame when assembling. I first taped-off the glass so that any excess would be easy to remove. Its important to get something on the screw threads when assembling. Othewise the stainless screws will corrode in-place and require a torch to remove the next time around.

My ports were in tough shape. The aluminum frames were corroded on the inside lower part of the frames. Water collects in the ports and sits on the frames. Its bound to corrode where the water sits. I cleaned the inside with a wire brush on a wheel and left them unpolished. I then painted them with spray-paint. I think I used krylon primer. An epoxy might be better. You don’t want to polish the area where you paint. The outside of the frames look fine. Its just the area that holds water that poses a problem.

I also replaced the screens. They were corroded. I removed the old screen from the screen frame and glued replacement screen over the frame using JB-Weld. After the epoxy cured, I cut off the excess.

As far as the square port gasket, you indicate that yours are in good shape. I got replacement material online somewhere. The lip that it seals against on the frame gets corroded. I give the lip a light sanding each spring to remove any corrosion. I might try some kind of epoxy paint next year.

Rich

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I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear about which gasket. I was referring to the gasket that sits in the groove in the window lid, and presses against the lip on the imbedded frame. I didn’t replace the glass.
My boat lived in fresh water with the PO it’s first 30 years (great Lakes) and I brought her under the George Washington bridge in NY on August 8, 2011 and she now resides in the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama (welcome to UV, heat, salt, humidity and hurricanes). The point to that is that I have very little wear from salt corrosion. That’s the good news, but I still suffer from “old boat syndrome”. My rubber is hard from old age. My cast aluminum ports seem to be in pretty good shape, considering. Any ideas on replacing the lid gaskets?
Thanks,
Charlie. Hull 54

Go to McMaster-Carr and get the 3/8″ x 3/8″ rubber gasket material. Fits
in, seals great, lasts a lifetime.

It’s the red stuff, not the black stuff.

Bob

On Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 10:22 AM, cstewart wrote:

I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear about which gasket. I was referring to the
gasket that sits in the groove in the window lid, and presses against the
lip on the imbedded frame. I didn’t replace the glass.
My boat lived in fresh water with the PO it’s first 30 years (great Lakes)
and I brought her under the George Washington bridge in NY on August 8,
2011 and she now resides in the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama (welcome to UV,
heat, salt, humidity and hurricanes). The point to that is that I have very
little wear from salt corrosion. That’s the good news, but I still suffer
from “old boat syndrome”. My rubber is hard from old age. My cast aluminum
ports seem to be in pretty good shape, considering. Any ideas on replacing
the lid gaskets?
Thanks,
Charlie. Hull 54

---

"People cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to lose
sight of the shore."
Andre Gide 1869-1951

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Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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Thanks Bob. I was wondering where you’ve been since I saw you in Beaufort.

I hope to see you again, too! One of these years, I’m having my great
adventure part deux. Maybe even this year! For now, I’m in Stamford, CT
working on boats.

Bob

On Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 1:00 PM, cstewart wrote:

Thanks Bob. I was wondering where you’ve been since I saw you in Beaufort.

---

"People cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to lose
sight of the shore."
Andre Gide 1869-1951

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s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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Charlie
I did a web-search for marine stores that carry portlight gaskets and found one online that sells a square gasket of the proper dimension. It took a bit of hunting but you should be able to do the same search and find them. I’m sorry I don’t have their contact information handy. I purchased enough material to do the job twice. I have enough onhand to replace the gaskets again in about 10 years.

Hope this helps
Regards
Rich

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