Hatches and port lights

[Cabtrack]

Hi all
       I started rebeding the hatches and port lights on my Bavaria 33 Cruiser. They were leaking so I removed the hatches. What I found was the hole cut from manufacture was to large. Half the screws that were meant to hold the hatch in missed the fibreglass foam deck. The port light screws were not even finger tight. Lucky they never fell out and no wonder they leaked. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

[Happysailor]

In fact it is quite strange you are not having sufficient “meat” to fix the windows in. And correct me if I am wrong, but Bavaria has been using cnc milling for a long time to make the gaps to exact size to fit the windows in. Could it be the windows have been removed by a previous owner and damaged the original hull gaps by doing it? Or do the gaps look like missing laminate, are the windows still the original ones or replaced by look a likes which did not match the dimensions.

As said it is a bit weird and not to the standard I am used to with the Bavaria production

[Cabtrack]

Hi Happysailor
                     It is a 2005 model and it appears to be original hatches and port lights. The original pieces of scrap head liner and ply were still there holding the headliner together. The only seal was foam tape that sealed the port lights. I shall take some photos when I fit the aluminium flange I have made to hold the hatch in. Would you know if Bavaria used foam tape as the seal on the port lights and hatches.

[Happysailor]

Hi Cabtrack,
Our previous boat was a Bavaria 300 of which I dismounted all the “Gebo” windows to remove this foamtape and refitted them with a putty which has same specifics as Sikaflex but less viscose.
Kept the windows watertight untill we sold the boat 4 years ago. Quite a job, but worth it.

In 1989 the tolerances where not that tight, so the putty neatly closed off the frames being tightened with stainless nuts in aluminum backdraft. So also make sure these do not get stuck in future to apply some lubricant…

I guess with later Lewmar windows it will work the same… nice job indoors or during good summer weather..

[Cabtrack]

Hi Happysailor
                   I am removing the foam tape and replacing it with white butyl tape. I don’t know how the foam tape sealed it as there is less that 5mm coverage of the port light flange in some spots and the screw only finger tight at best.

[IslandAlchemy]

Can I suggest that rather than using tape, you use Abromast BR butyl sealant.

It's messier, but you are more likely to get a sound seal, especially if you don't have mush "meat" to seal between.