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Window sealants


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Just bought a 30 year old family cruising yacht, very exciting for us. Few jobs to get sorted before we get out there. Windows have small leaks and have stainless surrounds, was going to remove surrounds only and put new sealant under. What is best sealant for this job?

Cheers

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Congrats on the new boat! What is she?

Windows, the best sealant IMO is quilosa ms35 from the glue guru.

What are the windows made from? Generally the best method is to completely remove a leaky window, clean up and re seal. Note that mostly the old method of fastening windows (through bolts) is no longer needed - the adhesive is strong enough by itself. Old windows often leaked through the bolt holes after a while and a bit of movement, so leaving them out is good!

Welcome aboard!

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Having done a whole lot of windows in the last year I can say from my perspective that prep is important - the existing frame area needs to be cleaned up really well which is a messy job if the previous sealant is silicone based which I assume it is . Use a dam rubber and get a good bed of sealant - I did away with screws which had been in the windows previously and as mentioned above started to cause a few leaks. As long as the bed of sealant is sufficient it will hold the window fine without the need for screws.

Ideally it is a 2 person job depending on the size of the window - having someone to hold it while you guide the window into place is preferable .

Good luck

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From experience, if the windows are acrylic then you need to calculate the amount of expansion/ contraction for their length and height and then ensure that the sealant bead is sufficient to allow for this without shearing.

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Your windows stuck on the outside or rebated Paul?

They are rebated which allows for a good solid bed of sealant . Previously when they were screwed as well - the pressure from the screws had squeezed the sealant bed too thin . Being acrylic windows it also caused pressure points from expansion and contraction which shortened the lifespan of the windows

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Sailor Jerry - if you are just going to do a temporary job I would try and identify the source of any leaks which are likely to be either from screw movement or places where the sealant is too thin . If a leak is from the screw and you are comfortable the window would be secure without that particular screw I would remove and fill the hole with sealant - for the rest of the outer area of sealant I would dig out as much as poss with the window in place so when you fill again the likelihood of a good seal is maximised . One of the tricky things is getting a good finish in the keying off - you can get a small cheap tool from somewhere like Mitre 10 , or just use some water on your finger ( have plenty of rags) , or a method I discovered after I had done my job - use a fresh slice of potato - this keys off really well as long as you don't have too much excess. Good luck !

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when my (tempered glass)windows were done I'm pretty sure this was the schizel stuff. One word of warning though.. make sure you have really good

covers arranged because taking the windows out is an open invitation to every rain laden low pressure zone in the hemisphere to rush on in to Auckland (or wherever you may be). Took mine out and it bolted down for 3 weeks.

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We bought Cheers from down in Mana, will defiantly be out in the gulf over summer, boat will be moored at herds bay Coromandel.

Will keep an eye out. If you come across a 9.2 Sweet Chariot don't hesitate to make yourself known. Looks a bit different to a standard 9.2 as has a stern scoop.

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