Port light seals

[Andrew Dickson]

I just took delivery of a 2000 MKII and my wife and I are on quite a learning curve...never owning a cruising sailboat before. I'm certain I will have lots of questions in here as we figure out all the systems. Today's question: Some of the port lights seem to be leaking when it rains. Is there an adjustment on the locks to tighten the seal or should I be replacing the seals? If replacement is required, are there instructions somewhere on how to do it?

Appreciate the help!

[Dave Spencer]

Hi AD,
Welcome to the fleet and welcome to the forum. 
With a boat as new as 2000, it seems unlikely that the seals have worn and need to be replaced already.  When we got our new to us 1994 C34 a couple of years ago, I noticed a slight leak in one of our ports.  We simply gave the seals a good cleaning which stopped the small drip.  It doesn't take much dirt in the seals to cause a leak.  There was a small strand of fishing line that we use to pull the screens in and out that had come loose a lodged in the seal that was causing the biggest leak.
give that a try. 
You may also want to check the Tech Wiki or use the search function on the forum to see if others had the same issue and found a solution.
You'll love the C34!
Do you sail in Ottawa?  Kingston?

Good luck with the leaky ports.

[DarthOccam]

Is it leaking between the rubber seal and the plexiglass or is it leaking behind the frame?  Spray water on the deck with a hose to see.  Cleaning the seals can help if it's the former.  Agree with Dave that you probably don't need new seals unless something unusual happened.

We purchased our 2005 model in 2010 and also had leaks with multiple portlights.  In our case, when the ports were installed by the factory, they used a very narrow strip of (I'm guessing poor quality) buytl tape.  The buytl had hardened and cracked and was not sealing.  As a result, when it rained or we washed down the deck, water would leak around the frame and into the cabin.  At first we assumed it was leaking past the seals, and messed with those for a few weeks without really stopping the leaks.

We finally removed each portlight (not as scary as it sounds), cleaned off the old buytl, and re-sealed.  It takes about 45 minutes per portlight once you've done one.  We also did the hatches at the same time, as they were also leaking.  

You will find different recommendations on the forum as to what to use to seal the portlights.  Do some searches.  Some prefer high-quality buytl (search for posts by Mainesail), others a polyether or polyurethane sealant.  Stay away from 3M 5200 or silicone for this purpose.

Regards,

Michael

[Andrew Dickson]

I'll have to do a test to see where the actual leak is...between seal and plexiglass or behind frame. That is a good question. I expect they will simply need a good cleaning. We are sailing it in Ottawa, Dave. With hopes to get to the Great Lakes with it in the next couple of years.

Regards,
Andrew

[Stu Jackson]

Try reply #6, here: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2979.0.html

[Ron Hill]

AD : If the water is coming in between the Plexiglas and the gasket thy this:

Spray some silicone spray on the gaskets and see if that doesn't limber them up so they will seal. 
If that doesn't do the job order some new gaskets form Defender and replace them.