Here are two suggestions. A short one and a thorough one. However, no matter which one you choose, - if you are dealing with leaky windows there is no easy way, it is hard work!
1. From Newsletter 3 / 2002.
You don't necessarily have to dismantle or
disassemble the windows. It depends were the leaks are.
When all the old putty has been removed, clean
thoroughly between the glass and inside the frame with cloth with some
kind of solvent or thinner. When its dry make sure the window is in the
middle of the frame (use small wooden sticks) and then fill it up with
black sealant (silicone- or another suitable).
I did this about 15 years ago, and I still have no leaks (knock on wood).
Terje Dehn
2. From Moonrakers International summer 2000 edition.
Those
annoying drips had caused us to replace the
tops of the cupboards below each window,
so one of this season's jobs was to remove the windows for refurbishment.
This is a method for those of you, like me,
who felt that they couldn't face. or didn’t
want to take the frames apart.
Starting
all the screws from inside and out is easy, although you may need a
partner to grip the edges of the inside sockets if they are corroded
together. Strangely, on our boat, the
female bushes
were reversed along the top of the window, due to the difficulty in using
a screwdriver from the outside, under the overhang of the cabin
roof. Once the screws are removed it's worth running a Stanley knife round
the edges, and we found a slim bladed flexible
kitchen knife eased under one comer was enough to start the frames, with
one person applying gentle force from inside.
Obviously
you need to clean off all the old grunge using a mixture of sharp blades,
white spirit, meths and bad language! It's
worth taking the frames
to your workshop for the next bit.
Cut
out the old mastic around the window using an extremely sharp Stanley
blade, by making one cut in at a 45 degree angle, and another meeting this,
level with the window pane. and scrape out all the old sealant. A very
sharp wide chisel is a great help in this cleaning
up process, and you should pay particular
attention to getting into the comers. Repeat this process on the inside of
the window. You should now have deepish,
shaped grooves in the mastic. Cleaning off with meths is advisable,
and ensure you remove all the little loose
bits!
Lay
masking tape along the edge of the aluminum on the outside of the window,
and another line along the glass, leaving 1/4
inch parallel gap. This is the gap for you to squirt your gun
sealant into, and we used black silicone,
although translucent or any other would do. Before starting, squirt some
into the comers, and smooth in and when you work
along the grooves, just go over it. At this stage the quality of your work
is not that important because the purpose of the masking tape is to help
you get a really smooth finish. We now use an old butter knife, slightly
wetted, and run it along the grooves at
about 30 degrees, forcing the mastic into the groove, and lifting off the
surplus. You'll need to clean the surplus off the knife fairly often
because you want as little left on the masking tape as possible. You can
now strip off both the tapes, pulling it in
a direction away from the mastic filled groove,
and you should have a beautifully clean line. This can be then be repeated
on the inside of the window, and when dry
they can be put back in the boat.
Again,
put the windows
back in loose, and run a line
of masking
tape around the edge of the window frame, and a parallel line where the
window meets the cabin. This will save getting mastic on the -window
or the bodywork. Take the windows out and
run a line of mastic round the inside groove of the window, and then
around the inside edge, following this by short vertical lines between the
screw holes. Be generous! White or off-white
mastic looks best for bedding in.
Push
the window into place, and now comes the messy bit,
each screw must be bedded into mastic in its hole and if,
when you tighten them up, you don't clean the silicone off as you go,
you'll never get it off You have been warned!
(There is an old silicone cleaner offered on the market
now).
Finally,
ensure that you scrape the excess silicone off the masking tape.
If
the aluminum frames are a bit shabby, there's not much you can do except
give them a polish with fine stainless wire
wool and wax, or rubbing compound. Electric polishers
usually dull the finish, or worse strip
the anodizing. Any treatment of the frames
is best done before you strip out the old mastic.
And
to those older Moonraker Owners, here’s to drip free boating!
Final
tip. Before stripping it, we bought domed steel, countersunk
bolts, washers and nuts, for the top of the
windows, because those female bushes are made of brass and they don't
corrode on the outside in the salt air.
Gerry
Ezard
www.moonraker.dk / to@moonraker.dk