Portlight removal
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:23 pm
To remind, I'm in slow process of refurbishing a LeComte NE38. One task has been the aluminum portlights1/. So far, I've only removed them, but plan to clean the frames and repaint, cut new Lexan panes, bed and install.
The boat has three small and two large portlights per side. They weren't easily removed. Bronze screws securing portlight frames to cabin trunk for the most part were not difficult, but the stainless machine screws that hold retaining ring to frame were very time and patience consuming. Heat (butane mini-flame, MAP gas), solvent (PB Blaster), and a hammer-driven impact driver were used. The impact driver was most effective; the others less obviously so.
The small portlights mount through the trunk from inside the cabin and were fastened with six bronze “wood” screws. The pane fits into a depression in the frame inside the cabin and is secured by a flat aluminum ring that covers the frame inside the cabin, fastened to the frame by six machine screws.
The large portlights also have a frame and a ring, and the frame mounts in the trunk from inside the cabin. But the pane is installed from outside the cabin and the ring that secures the pane mounts from outside the cabin and fits inside the frame. Fourteen bronze wood screws hold the (aftmost) frame to the trunk, and 19 machine screws secure the ring to the frame.
The large portlight rings are screwed vertically to the frames, unlike the small portlight rings screwed horizontally. Almost all ring screws on the topside of the large portlights were easy to remove—a good thing as there was limited room to use an impact driver. But the other ring screws, after many years in retained saltwater, were effectively “welded” in. (Once removed the screws had only a faint coating of white powder, but this was enough to frustrate their removal.)
A couple machine screws per large portlight were unable to be unscrewed and had to be drilled out. A succession of drill bits was used—titanium, colbalt, carbide. Only the latter worked, beautifully in fact. Seeing the carbide bit chew through a screw head that resisted (and had been work hardened) by all other methods was especially heartening. Not inexpensive though—about $15 per from MSC Industrial Supply.
I probably should be embarrassed to admit the removal took weeks of effort and months of elapsed time. A final frustration was that two large portlight rings were broken (into three pieces…) during the removal. It remains to be seen whether they’ll be reinstalled in pieces, with at least one screw per piece, and the gaps epoxied over and painted. Or new rings fabricated in aluminum or stainless or cast in epoxy. Or I revisit New Found Metals’ website...
Before reinstalling the portlights, the cabin trunk openings will need to be filled and faired, and the interior paneling refinished.
If of interest, here are several shots of the removed portlights and what remained:
Funnels, small portlight frame, charley noble base, grab rail, small portlight ring
Port aft large portlight frame
Port small portlight frame and paneling backside head
Port aft large portlight
Port small portlight main cabin
Port small portlight head
Port small portlight fwd cabin
Stb small portlight fwd cabin
Stb small portlight fireplace
Stb small portlight main cabin
Port aft large portlight exterior
Port small portlights exterior
Stb small portlight charley noble
Stb main cabin fwd large portlight
Any comments welcomed.
Brian
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1/ Regarding terminology, my understanding is that boat windows are portlights and boards that cover portlights are deadlights, which seems sensible. But I believe I've also seen portlights to mean boat windows that open, and deadlights to be those that don't, which seems less so. In any event, all the NE38's windows are non-opening, except for one in the head.
The boat has three small and two large portlights per side. They weren't easily removed. Bronze screws securing portlight frames to cabin trunk for the most part were not difficult, but the stainless machine screws that hold retaining ring to frame were very time and patience consuming. Heat (butane mini-flame, MAP gas), solvent (PB Blaster), and a hammer-driven impact driver were used. The impact driver was most effective; the others less obviously so.
The small portlights mount through the trunk from inside the cabin and were fastened with six bronze “wood” screws. The pane fits into a depression in the frame inside the cabin and is secured by a flat aluminum ring that covers the frame inside the cabin, fastened to the frame by six machine screws.
The large portlights also have a frame and a ring, and the frame mounts in the trunk from inside the cabin. But the pane is installed from outside the cabin and the ring that secures the pane mounts from outside the cabin and fits inside the frame. Fourteen bronze wood screws hold the (aftmost) frame to the trunk, and 19 machine screws secure the ring to the frame.
The large portlight rings are screwed vertically to the frames, unlike the small portlight rings screwed horizontally. Almost all ring screws on the topside of the large portlights were easy to remove—a good thing as there was limited room to use an impact driver. But the other ring screws, after many years in retained saltwater, were effectively “welded” in. (Once removed the screws had only a faint coating of white powder, but this was enough to frustrate their removal.)
A couple machine screws per large portlight were unable to be unscrewed and had to be drilled out. A succession of drill bits was used—titanium, colbalt, carbide. Only the latter worked, beautifully in fact. Seeing the carbide bit chew through a screw head that resisted (and had been work hardened) by all other methods was especially heartening. Not inexpensive though—about $15 per from MSC Industrial Supply.
I probably should be embarrassed to admit the removal took weeks of effort and months of elapsed time. A final frustration was that two large portlight rings were broken (into three pieces…) during the removal. It remains to be seen whether they’ll be reinstalled in pieces, with at least one screw per piece, and the gaps epoxied over and painted. Or new rings fabricated in aluminum or stainless or cast in epoxy. Or I revisit New Found Metals’ website...
Before reinstalling the portlights, the cabin trunk openings will need to be filled and faired, and the interior paneling refinished.
If of interest, here are several shots of the removed portlights and what remained:
Funnels, small portlight frame, charley noble base, grab rail, small portlight ring
Port aft large portlight frame
Port small portlight frame and paneling backside head
Port aft large portlight
Port small portlight main cabin
Port small portlight head
Port small portlight fwd cabin
Stb small portlight fwd cabin
Stb small portlight fireplace
Stb small portlight main cabin
Port aft large portlight exterior
Port small portlights exterior
Stb small portlight charley noble
Stb main cabin fwd large portlight
Any comments welcomed.
Brian
-----------
1/ Regarding terminology, my understanding is that boat windows are portlights and boards that cover portlights are deadlights, which seems sensible. But I believe I've also seen portlights to mean boat windows that open, and deadlights to be those that don't, which seems less so. In any event, all the NE38's windows are non-opening, except for one in the head.