[Rhodes22-list] Lou's portlights
Roger Pihlaja
cen09402 at centurytel.net
Wed Dec 1 06:32:17 EST 2004
Lou,
How did the gelcoat get damaged in the corner of the opening for the port?
The damage looks superficial & it only extends to the edge of the port.
I would repair it by sanding the area with 100 grit sandpaper, cleaning up
the area with acetone, & then painting on a thin layer of WEST system 105
Epoxy resin with West System 205 Fast Hardener. This epoxy coat is just a
"tie layer". After the epoxy is "green" (set but not fully cured) (10-20
minutes depending upon temperature), mix up a batch of 105 Epoxy resin, 205
Fast Hardener, and 406 Colloidal Silica Filler. Mix the resin and hardener
1st & then add filler until the mixture is "stiff". Trowel this putty into
your damaged area such that it's level or slightly proud relative to the
surrounding gel coat. Let it cure for a couple of hours, sand down any
proud areas smooth & level, clean it up with acetone, & you're ready to put
the port in. It looks like the trim ring on the port will cover your repair
& any slight amount that does protrude will be on the bottom of the port &
not very visible. So, you probably won't have to worry about color matching
the gel coat.
Note: Don't let the epoxy tie layer become fully cured by letting it set for
more than about 45 minutes before adding the thickened epoxy. You want the
epoxy to be green, not fully cured. When the epoxy is still curing, there
are still reactive molecules on the surface. When you add the thickened
epoxy on top of this green surface, the fresh epoxy will actually crosslink
with the reactive molecules in the tie layer and bond at the molecular
level. Since the tie layer was unthickened epoxy, it bonded with the
substrate FRP in two ways. It developed an adhesive bond with the FRP
substrate. In addition, when the unthickened epoxy was fresh, it soaked
into any porosity in the FRP substrate and mechanically interlocked with the
"tooth" (the scratches) left behind by the 100 grit sandpaper. The result
is the thickened epoxy repair will be permanently bonded to the FRP
substrate and much less likely to delaminate or crack over time.
Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Lou's portlights
> Lou,
>
> I took a look at the pictures of your ports. The pictures remind me of a
> similar job I did on my Rhodes 22 back in 1988. I can't recall if I
refered
> you to an article from the FAQ web site regarding how to replace the
opening
> portlights. But, here it is:
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> ______________
>
> Opening Ports For The Rhodes
22
> A boat can never have too much ventilation. It's possible to upgrade two
of
> the fixed ports on the Rhodes 22 to opening type ports. Because of the
shape
> and curvature of the sides of the cabin, only the sternmost ports are
> suitable for this upgrade. Without a set of custom made shims, opening
ports
> in the other four positions would have to tend so much to conform to the
> curvature of the cabin walls that they would inevitably leak. After two
hard
> sailing seasons, the two opening ports I installed still don't leak a
drop.
> Opening side ports are not a ventilation cure-all. Obviously, they must be
> secured when the boat is rail down, beating to weather. In addition, wind
> driven rain or spray will blow in through an open port. However, at anchor
> or at a dock, the extra ventilation above the port settee and galley makes
a
> significant difference in cabin comfort.
>
> With a boat as beautiful as the Rhodes 22, the appearance of the side
ports
> is very important. It turns out that a black Beckson 5" X 12" camlock port
> is a very close match to the existing fixed ports in terms of color, size,
> and shape. Figure 1 shows how the boat looks with the new port installed.
>
> Table 1 gives the parts required for this project:
>
> Table 1
> # Required Part Number Description
> 2 P0512DBS-10 5" X 1211 Camlock, Drain, 1" Spigot, Black Smoked
> Glass, With Insect Screen
> 1 Pack of 25 BB187-02/25 -24UNC X 1/21' Barrel Nuts, Phillips
Head,
> Nickel Plated Steel
> 20 10-24UNC X 1-1/4" Round Head Machine Screws, 18/8 Stainless
> Steel
> 4 5-1/2" X 1" X 3/4" Pressure Treated Wood
> 4 15" X 1" X 3/4" Pressure Treated Wood
> 1 10.3 oz Tube Dow Corning RTV Silicone Caulk, White
>
>
> Remove the old ports and clean away any old caulk from the inside and
> outside of the cabin. Use the outer trim ring from one of the new ports as
a
> template to determine where the opening in the cabin wall will have to be
> enlarged. Position the trim ring so that it is aligned with the other
ports
> and mark the outer cabin where material must be removed. You may find it
> convenient to use masking tape to establish a line from the other fixed
> ports. The safest way to enlarge the hole is with hand wood rasps, round
and
> flat. However, before you start, tape a garbage bag over the port inside
the
> cabin to catch the shavings. Take your time and insert the port in the
hole
> from time to time to check the fit.
>
> When the port fits properly, try to fit the pieces of wood around the hole
> in between the outer cabin wall and liner. If your boat is like mine, you
> will find blobs of resin on the backside of the outer wall and liner.
These
> must be removed before the pieces of wood will uniformly fill up the space
> between the outer wall and liner. A Dremel mototool [tm] is handy here,
> although the job can also be accomplished with your hand wood rasps. When
> the pieces of wood will slide in and out with no tight spots, glue them in
> place with silicone RTV and clamp the whole sandwich together with blocks
of
> wood and C-clamps.
>
> After-the silicone RTV cures use your round wood rasp to clear away the
wood
> in the spigot drain slots. Then, insert the port into the hole. Mark the
> locations for the through bolts onto the cabin liner. Remove the port and
> drill 1/4" diameter holes through the liner, wood, and outer cabin wall on
> these marks. Enlarge the holes through the cabin liner to 5/1611 diameters
> to permit the barrel nuts to fit. Assemble the port dry to check fit and
> alignment. You are trying to achieve a solid sandwich of outer trim ring,
> outer cabin wall, wood, inner liner, and port all held together by the
thru
> bolts. You may have to slightly enlarge the holes or trim the machine
screw
> lengths to get everything to fit properly. When you are satisfied, clean
the
> inner liner and outer cabin wall with isopropyl alcohol or acetone, apply
> silicone RTV, and assemble the port for real.
>
> Even in the sternmost port position, there is still a slight amount of
> curvature to the cabin walls. It is important not to torque the thru bolts
> up to the point where you warp the frame of the port as this may cause the
> port to leak. The best procedure is to lay a straight edge on the frame of
> the port inside the cabin as you are tightening the thru bolts. Tighten
the
> thru bolts, a little at a time, in a criss-cross pattern. When the ends of
> the port frame are touching the liner and the remainders of the thru bolts
> are snug but not so tight as to cause the frame to warp, the port is fully
> seated. At this point, the middle of the port frame will be not quite
> touching the liner and the gap will be filled with RTV. If your straight
> edge shows you have torqued the center thru bolts too much; then, slightly
> back them off until the frame of the port is straight again. On the
outside,
> the much more flexible trim ring will have bent to uniformly conform
itself
> to the curvature on the side of the cabin. Wipe off the excess RTV, which
> has squeezed around the inside and outside of the port and you're done!
>
> In October 1988 this project cost me about $150.00 and was accomplished
over
> a weekend.
>
> Beckson Marine sold me the ports and barrel nuts direct. Their address is:
>
> Beckson Marine Inc.
> 165 Holland Ave.
> PO Box 3336
> Bridgeport, CT 0660
> 203/333-1412
>
> I'd be happy to give advice to anyone who tries this project.
>
> Roger K. Pihlaja
> 5326 Sanford Lake Road
> Sanford, MI 48657-9327
> 989/689-3757 (Home)
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <steadilsr at verizon.net>
> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 8:51 PM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Lou's portlights
>
>
> >
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
>
> > Name: Wide #3 ext pre epoxy320.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 18842 bytes
> Desc: not available
> > Url:
>
http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200411/29/Wide3extpree
> poxy320-0001.jpg
> >
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
>
> > Name: my bilge, cap & pump 320.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 28672 bytes
> Desc: not available
> > Url:
>
http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200411/29/mybilgecappu
> mp320-0001.jpg
> >
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
>
> > Name: FInished #1 thru bolt 320 .jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 20164 bytes
> Desc: not available
> > Url:
>
http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200411/29/FInished1thr
> ubolt320-0003.jpg
> >
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
>
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
More information about the Rhodes22-list
mailing list