[Rhodes22-list] Gasket For Opening Port Screen

[Lloyd Crowther]

Many thanks to all who replied to my original query about reinstalling the
gasket that came out one of the opening ports on Uhuru II.  I also asked
Stan (later, off the list) if he still sold replacement gaskets.  He said my
only source would be Beckson in Bridgeport, Ct. (Thank you, Stan.)  I found
them at www.beckson.com and they still sell the ports along with replacement
parts.  For you owners of '86 Rhodes22s, my port size is listed as 414
(which apparently stands for 4 inches by 14 inches) and the 'GK 414
Replacement Port Gasket 4x14' is Code  317, price $6.25 (plus shipping?).
They carry Trim Ring, Screen, Lens, Gasket, and Latch replacements.

Their web site is very informative - they also say that Frames can be
special ordered.  The spigots can be cut or extended to the proper depth.
Contact them for assistance.  They also had a page of Beckson Port Gasket
Installation Instructions, I assume they have pages of instructions for the
other parts also.

After this little search, I tried cleaning off my existing gasket with warm
water, putting it in a warm room for a few days and voila, I could bend it.
Using the installation instructions (a little tricky) I was able to
reinstall both the screen and the gasket and close and reopen the port
several times with no indication of any problems.

I recall several discussions on the list in the last two or three years
about replacing or installing opening ports on Rhodes22s.  These people may
be able to help.

Lloyd














----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lloyd Crowther" <lcrowther at cox.net>
To: "List, New Rhodes22" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 12:33 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Gasket For Opening Port Screen


Today I discovered the corner of the screen on one of the forward opening
ports on Uhuru II had somehow popped out of the front of the port.  I took
the gasket the holds the screen off and removed the screen itself from the
port hole.  The screen and gasket remove from inside the boat after the port
glass itself is opened , i.e., the screen is outside the glass but inside
the port frame as you all know.  The screen and the material that forms the
screen's shape look to be in good condition, not bent in any way.  My
problem, if you care to address it, is that the screen has been in place for
twenty years ('84 Rhodes22) and the retaining gasket is not as limber as it
was when originally installed.  It has some flexibility, but not enough to
stretch over the curved corners of the molded lip on the port's frame which
holds the screen in place when the port is open.  As a matter of fact, it is
like trying to stretch a piece of wood although it is flexible enough to
flop around when I tried to put it back.  Does anybody know of anything I
can paint or spray on the gasket material or soak the gasket in that will
convince it that it is again young without destroying the gasket material,
the material that forms the screen's shape, the screen mesh, or the port
frame?

Lloyd Crowther
s/v Uhuru II
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