portlight gaskets

[seanmcelligott]

So I ordered six new portlight gaskets from lewmar after reading the informative posts on this website about leaking portlights.  The  ports have been leaking pretty badly.  The water runs down the teak rail under the ports and ends up on the chart table causing all kinds of problems.  I thought about just putting a potted mini evergreen tree under the end of the rail to catch the water thereby inventing hydronic portlights.  But instead I decided to try to replace the gaskets.  I took the old gasket off and cleaned off the old sealant residue from the port.   I made sure I had the correct size gasket.  I can get the "arrow" of the gasket into the top and bottom of the portlight.  But for the life of me, I cannot get it into the corners of the portlight!   It is like the groove is too thin or something.  After about an hour, I gave up.  It was very frustrating, like prom night all over again.  I then tried to put the old gasket back in and had the same problem (confirming that the problem is me not the equipment).  The directions mention a "blunt plastic object" or "roller" as making the job "easier."  Any thoughts from someone that has done this before? 

[Jeff Kaplan]

sean, when i first got #219, 4 years ago, i noticed one of the ports, beckson, leaking very badly, and had been for years, causing some damage to the wood and the cabin light under that port. i called beckson and ordered a new gasket. the sales person told me it is a little tricky to install, but do-able. after many frustrating hours of not being able to install the gasket, especially at the corners, i said screw this and ordered a new port. a lot more money than just replacing the gasket, but the hours spent for nothing paid off with the installation of a new rain drain port. just my thoughts...jeff

[waterdog]

What you need is a point load of pressure applied to the little arrow part.  It's pretty much impossible with a "blunt piece of plastic".   I had good success by working it in with thumb pressure, start in the middle and you feel it clicking in and you need to chase it all around.   The handle of a screwdriver was helpful as was a small flat screwdriver blade worked in behind it.   You might try one of those tools that they use for working the rubber strip into screen doors - looks like a pulley on a handle.   I'm not sure I ever got the corners exactly seated right, but I don't think the arrow part is integral to the seal on the portlight - it is more or less the gasket retaining mechanism.   What is important that the large round part "the seal" lies flat against the frame and the lense.   Closing the port and dogging it makes the best clamp while your silicone sets - this will be really hard to do.  Over a few weeks the gasked seems to compress to a more oval cross section and the ports become much better behaved. 

You don't need to buy new ports!  Before you go to that extreme, simply cut the "arrow" off in the corners and bond it in with silicone.  It's possible to have leak free ports!   Do the O-rings in the handles while you are at it.   

[waterdog]

One more thing.   I shouldn't claim that new gaskets actually fixed all of our problems with leaks through the portlights.   One day we were out and covered a good number of miles, at least 8 hours without stop.   It was a sunny day but we had all the ports closed to keep spray out.   Finally we arrived at our destination dropped the hook, opened the boat up and started preparing cocktails.   

Next thing we know there is a deluge flowing down the little teak rail and soaking the chart table.   

It seems our dog Scupper could hold it no more and finally let go on a convenient vertical surface up on the deck.   I think it was his way of saying that rowing the dog ashore is one notch higher in priority than preparing the cocktails...

[DougP]

Tried soap, heat, stretching, and everything else I could think of. By the end of the first day I thought it just wasn't possible.

I ended up using an oak wedge and a lot of muscle to put the gaskets in my Becksons. Was probably on of the physically hardest things I've done on the boat.

The result though was that this was the first Winter I didn't tarp the boat. The ports just didn't leak.

[Stu Jackson]

I recollect that the question was about Lewmar portlights, not Becksons.  While the replacement of the seals is difficult, perhaps in both, they are somewhat different.

[seanmcelligott]

Ok, well I am glad to know that I am not alone in my struggles.  I really thought there was something I was missing but it sounds like it is just a pain in the arse.  I will go at it again this weekend with whatever wedging, cramming, rolling tools I can find.  If all else fails I will cut the arrow and rely on the sealant.  I think that when I get the gaskets and orings replaced the boat will be a lot drier.  This is my first winter with the boat, but I have about 10 inches of ice in the bilge right now.  I didn't expect to get that much water down there, so I had just put a little antifreeze in the bilge for the residual water that was down there in the fall.  Not nearly enough.  Ice prevetned the float switch from operating for the bilge pump.   Not a good start for me.  I think I will put a tarp over the boom to keep as much water out as I can until I get it under control.  After the gaskets I am going through the other water in the bilge checklists I found on this site. I am so glad I bought a C34 by the way.  The boat is great, but this site is truly extraordinary for the do it your self sailor.  I never feel alone when having problems, I just think to myself "I wonder what Stu would say about this."  I think we should have C34.org T shirts with the slogan "What would Stu do?" 

[waterdog]

"I wonder what Stu would say about this."  I think we should have C34.org T shirts with the slogan "What would Stu do?" 

The answer of course is Stu would have a search of the knowledgbase and find out if it wasn't a problem that Ron had already faced, then he would go to Ace hardware and see if he couldn't find an equally acceptable, non-marinized variant at a fraction of the cost...

[Stu Jackson]

Thanks, but any T shirt should say:

"What would we working all together do about this one?"

With, of course, this on it: