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Hi Dawn-
Been there, done that. We used 1/4″ teak faced plywood, finished with Cetol.
I think Pat said you already removed the ports. The original paneling may or may not be one piece. Ours, maybe not original, was pieced together eight feet aft near the fwd companionway.
First remove the trim between the panel and the overhead, then remove the panel. Remove the bottom shelf/rail being careful not to mess up the bunged screwholes. Use the old panel as a pattern to cut the new stuff. Do not cut the portholes yet. Cut them after the paneling is installed with a sabre saw from outside.
Don’t use 5200. It is both too messy and too permanent. Silicone, if you need something, but I wouldn’t use anything except around the port holes.
Finally, either create a spacer around the ports, or make sure that the inside of the laminate is smooth with no bumps. Any outward pressure on the laminate will cause a star shaped crack in the gellcoat.
Our biggest problem is moisture under the ports either due to leakage around the Bomar port, or cold weather sweating of the metal port. It will discolor the paneling unless you can completely seal the wood.
When you reinstall the panel, you will have to bow it to fit it in. Be careful not to scratch the forward bulkhead.
Quent
I think it is a good idea to prefinish the new paneling.A newspaper account here:
http://www.enquirerherald.com/365/story/977893.html
One out by chopper, the rest waited for boat rescue.
Some of the older Cheoy Lee boat had very scarey thru hull valves.
QuentWe installed most of a watermaker in there. Before it was over, I thought they would have to bury me in the boat.
QWell done! Is the heat exchanger on the port side (as installed) that is plumbed between the raw water pump and the engine heat exchanger for the engine oil or the transmission? Interesting modification. I’ll bet you find some debris in there.
QuentPat-
Are you going to replace the inside plywood panels while the ports are out? If so, be careful you don’t pull the ports down too tight when you replace them. Alternatively, smooth out any bumps on the inside layup. Otherwise you may get some star crazing in the gelcoat on the trunk cabin outsides where the bumps are.
QuentDo you know Mischief Maker’s hull number? If it is in the 130s or higher, she might have some W-58 parts worth salvaging.
QuentIf you have significant cracking, gelcoat of deeper, esp. vertical cracks, take a good look at tabing on interior, bulkheads, shelves, etc. We had that, and it took a bit of work to get her glassed back together.
Look at the hull sides up in the v-berth as well.
QuentThe worst situation is seawater leaking into the gearcase. I never had any luck getting the paper gasket to seal. A bead of RTV allowed to set up before screwing down the cover instead of a gasket works OK for me.
QuentLikely they are the same, perhaps the same castings but different generations. That’s about how long my paint lasts. I used zinc chromate primer (“yellow death”) then a couple coats of white, then a few coats of clear coat. All from spray cans. Looks good for a couple years then sort of wears off. The new ones have a nice thick finish that looks baked on.
I’m going to pull them all out this winter and redo them. Unless I get the tension on the dogs just right, rain finds its way in. I miss the Lewmar ports from our P-36. They never leaked.
QuentBob-
What I have is four large Bomar opening ports identical to the ones that came with our 1981 P-424. I took them apart, painted them with outboard motor paint which I don’t recommend, since it only holds up a couple yers. They should be repainted with powder coat, or a good two part marine paint. I reglazed them with the same tinted lexan as Bomar hatches. All the hardware is in good shape, But I don’t have exterior trim rings or screens, or gaskets.
Used and sometimes new never installed Bomars are not impossible to find. Bacon’s, here in Annapolis usually has some at much less than the new from Bomar outrageous price.
The gasket is the same as for the hatches, 7/16″ round foam rubber. The ouside trim rings are hard to find used as they are hard to remove intact. The screen frames are sometimes possible to find and are easy to rescreen.
IMO, these are not great ports. They leak, sweat profusely in cold weather, and do not hold paint well. Their virtues are that they are cheap and available second hand, and are massively strong.
Quent
