Aluminum Ports - Life Seal or Life Caulk or ??

The plexiglass is coming loose from my aluminum ports to the point where almost half of them are useless. I had seen previously on some site that either Life Seal or Life Caulk was best for re-attaching them to the aluminum but I can't remember which. I'd guess the seal but I don't want to do this twice so if anyone has any experience I'd appreciate it . . . or if there is something even better I'm all ears. Also the plexiglass(?) or whatever it is, is all hazed. Can headlight polish be used to clean them up? If so, will it affect the adherence of the Life ______ if I do the whole piece while it is out and easy to get too or should I wait until it's reinstalled so I don't accidentally polish over an area where the Life _____ will be? Any other suggestions / ideas / comments? Thanks in advance - Paul West Adventure Kwest

Paul, We did this with the original Bomar hatches, but I just had Tap Plastics cut out some new lexan and we installed with Dow 795 caulking. It is UV proof and stays flexible in the marine environment. I can't give you a long term report because the aluminum ended up failing soon after we did this and we needed to replace the hatches anyways. But the new lexan and sealant looked great while we had them in. Greg From: "pw… [at] aol.com [Cal_Boats]" <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, June 1, 2015 9:43 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Aluminum Ports - Life Seal or Life Caulk or ?? The plexiglass is coming loose from my aluminum ports to the point where almost half of them are useless. I had seen previously on some site that either Life Seal or Life Caulk was best for re-attaching them to the aluminum but I can't remember which. I'd guess the seal but I don't want to do this twice so if anyone has any experience I'd appreciate it . . . or if there is something even better I'm all ears. Also the plexiglass(?) or whatever it is, is all hazed. Can headlight polish be used to clean them up? If so, will it affect the adherence of the Life ______ if I do the whole piece while it is out and easy to get too or should I wait until it's reinstalled so I don't accidentally polish over an area where the Life _____ will be? Any other suggestions / ideas / comments? Thanks in advance - Paul WestAdventure Kwest -- {border:1px solid #d8d8d8;font-family:Arial;margin:10px 0;padding:0 10px;} hr {border:1px solid #d8d8d8;} {color:#628c2a;font-size:85%;font-weight:700;line-height:122%;margin:10px 0;} {margin-bottom:10px;} .yiv9202758491ad {padding:0 0;} .yiv9202758491ad p {margin:0;} .yiv9202758491ad a {color:#0000ff;text-decoration:none;} {font-family:Arial;} {margin:10px 0px;font-weight:700;font-size:78%;line-height:122%;} .yiv9202758491ad {margin-bottom:10px;padding:0 0;} {font-family:Verdana;font-size:11px;padding:10px 0;} {background-color:#e0ecee;float:left;font-family:Verdana;font-size:10px;padding:10px;} span {font-weight:700;} span:first-child {text-transform:uppercase;} span a {color:#5085b6;text-decoration:none;} span span {color:#ff7900;} span .yiv9202758491underline {text-decoration:underline;} .yiv9202758491attach {clear:both;display:table;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;padding:10px 0;width:400px;} .yiv9202758491attach div a {text-decoration:none;} .yiv9202758491attach img {border:none;padding-right:5px;} .yiv9202758491attach label {display:block;margin-bottom:5px;} .yiv9202758491attach label a {text-decoration:none;} blockquote {margin:0 0 0 4px;} .yiv9202758491bold {font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;} .yiv9202758491bold a {text-decoration:none;} dd.yiv9202758491last p a {font-family:Verdana;font-weight:700;} dd.yiv9202758491last p span {margin-right:10px;font-family:Verdana;font-weight:700;} dd.yiv9202758491last p span.yiv9202758491yshortcuts {margin-right:0;} div.yiv9202758491attach-table div div a {text-decoration:none;} div.yiv9202758491attach-table {width:400px;} div.yiv9202758491file-title a, div.yiv9202758491file-title a:active, div.yiv9202758491file-title a:hover, div.yiv9202758491file-title a:visited {text-decoration:none;} div.yiv9202758491photo-title a, div.yiv9202758491photo-title a:active, div.yiv9202758491photo-title a:hover, div.yiv9202758491photo-title a:visited {text-decoration:none;} div p a span.yiv9202758491yshortcuts {font-family:Verdana;font-size:10px;font-weight:normal;} .yiv9202758491green {color:#628c2a;} .yiv9202758491MsoNormal {margin:0 0 0 0;} o {font-size:0;} div {float:left;width:72px;} div div {border:1px solid #666666;height:62px;overflow:hidden;width:62px;} div label {color:#666666;font-size:10px;overflow:hidden;text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;width:64px;} {font-size:77%;} {font-size:77%;} .yiv9202758491replbq {margin:4px;} div a:first-child {margin-right:2px;padding-right:5px;} {font-size:13px;font-family:Arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;} table {font-size:inherit;font:100%;} select, input, textarea {font:99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif;} pre, code {font:115% monospace;} * {line-height:1.22em;} {padding-bottom:10px;} p a {font-family:Verdana;} p span {color:#1E66AE;font-weight:700;} {color:#ff7900;font-weight:700;} {margin-bottom:20px;padding:0px;} li a {font-size:130%;text-decoration:none;} li {font-size:77%;list-style-type:square;padding:6px 0;} ul {margin:0;padding:0 0 0 8px;} {font-family:Georgia;} p {margin:0 0 1em 0;} tt {font-size:120%;} ul li:last-child {border-right:none !important;}

If you are going to the trouble of re-sealing the lens I suggest you replace the lens. Removing the old sealer is an awful job that takes quite a while. There is no BoatLife sealant recommended for bedding plastic – arcylic or polycarbonate. There are silicone sealants that are recommended for the task. Don’t remember them all, but a GE product is one of them. Here is a note I found that was purportedly obtained from Bomar -0 but I don’t know if it is true. I got this from Bomar: INSTALLING REPLACEMENT LENSES IN BOMAR HATCHES TOOLS: replacement lens tube of silicone (GE Ultra Glaze) old spoon old butter knife or hanger masking tape blunt tool 1. Cut away old silicone and remove old lens. 2. Place a two inch strip of masking tape around the top/outside of hatch lid in order to make the removal of excess silicone less difficult. 3. If you have a cast hatch disregard this step. If you have an extruded hatch and wish to replace your gasket, do so now, making sure to place lip of the gasket on top of the flange (the underside of the lens will sit on this portion of the gasket). 4. Peel off the paper on the underside of the lens. 5. Place a moderate bead of silicone on the flange and any crossbars where the lens will set. 6. Float the lens into the silicone bead. (If your replacement lens has holes in it for your latch dogs, place the holes away from the hinge. Allow a 1/8” space between the front edge of lens and the frame so your handles will be properly aligned. If your replacement lens does not have holes in it simply center the lens in the silicone.) 7. After the lens is floated, apply a generous bead of silicone in the gap between the edge of the lens and the frame. 8. Using the back side of an old spoon, place the tip in the silicone at 45 degrees and trowel off any excess silicone. 9. Check for air bubbles (swelling in the silicone). To remove air bubbles; drag an old butter knife through the swollen area three inches before and after the swollen area. Apply a new bead of silicone to the disturbed area and trowel off excess silicone with your spoon. 10. Allow the hatch to sit for two days. 11. Peel off the masking tape and lens paper carefully use a blunt tool to remove any silicone, being careful not to scratch the lens or the hatch frame. 12. The silicone will be totally cured in 7 days. Ted Wrobel Cal 33 Celebration Newport, RI From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] Sent: Monday, June 01, 2015 12:43 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Aluminum Ports - Life Seal or Life Caulk or ?? The plexiglass is coming loose from my aluminum ports to the point where almost half of them are useless. I had seen previously on some site that either Life Seal or Life Caulk was best for re-attaching them to the aluminum but I can't remember which. I'd guess the seal but I don't want to do this twice so if anyone has any experience I'd appreciate it . . . or if there is something even better I'm all ears. Also the plexiglass(?) or whatever it is, is all hazed. Can headlight polish be used to clean them up? If so, will it affect the adherence of the Life ______ if I do the whole piece while it is out and easy to get too or should I wait until it's reinstalled so I don't accidentally polish over an area where the Life _____ will be? Any other suggestions / ideas / comments? Thanks in advance - Paul West Adventure Kwest _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com> Version: 2015.0.5961 / Virus Database: 4354/9887 - Release Date: 05/28/15

I used LifeSeal on my plexiglass to wood joint and it is still doing the job with no leaks after almost 10 years. LifeCalk will not work. I bought blank windows from Tap and used double sided tape to secure my old ones and then cut new ones to match perfectly with a router. If you replace them, you won't have to worry about scratching them getting them out. I replaced mine with blue Plexiglas just like the ones I took out. http://l-36.com/mast_step/windows.jpg Allen On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 11:11 AM, 'Ted Wrobel' tw… [at] tacticaltech.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > > If you are going to the trouble of re-sealing the lens I suggest you > replace the lens. Removing the old sealer is an awful job that takes quite > a while. > > There is no BoatLife sealant recommended for bedding plastic – arcylic or > polycarbonate. There are silicone sealants that are recommended for the > task. Don’t remember them all, but a GE product is one of them. > > > > Here is a note I found that was purportedly obtained from Bomar -0 but I > don’t know if it is true. > > > > I got this from Bomar: > > > > INSTALLING REPLACEMENT LENSES IN BOMAR HATCHES > > > > TOOLS: replacement lens > > tube of silicone (GE Ultra Glaze) > > old spoon > > old butter knife or hanger > > masking tape > > blunt tool > > > > 1. Cut away old silicone and remove old lens. > > > > 2. Place a two inch strip of masking tape around the top/outside of hatch > lid in order to make the removal of excess silicone less difficult. > > > > 3. If you have a cast hatch disregard this step. > > If you have an extruded hatch and wish to replace your gasket, do so > now, making sure to place lip of the gasket on top of the flange > > (the underside of the lens will sit on this portion of the gasket). > > > > 4. Peel off the paper on the underside of the lens. > > > > 5. Place a moderate bead of silicone on the flange and any crossbars where > the lens will set. > > > > 6. Float the lens into the silicone bead. > > (If your replacement lens has holes in it for your latch dogs, place > the holes away from the hinge. > > Allow a 1/8” space between the front edge of lens and the frame so your > handles will be properly aligned. > > If your replacement lens does not have holes in it simply center the > lens in the silicone.) > > > > 7. After the lens is floated, apply a generous bead of silicone in the gap > between the edge of the lens and the frame. > > > > 8. Using the back side of an old spoon, place the tip in the silicone at > 45 degrees and trowel off any excess silicone. > > > > 9. Check for air bubbles (swelling in the silicone). > > To remove air bubbles; drag an old butter knife through the swollen > area three inches before and after the swollen area. > > Apply a new bead of silicone to the disturbed area and trowel off > excess silicone with your spoon. > > > > 10. Allow the hatch to sit for two days. > > > > 11. Peel off the masking tape and lens paper carefully use a blunt tool to > remove any silicone, being careful not to scratch the lens or the hatch > frame. > > > > 12. The silicone will be totally cured in 7 days. > > > > Ted Wrobel > > Cal 33 Celebration > > Newport, RI > > > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] > *Sent:* Monday, June 01, 2015 12:43 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [Cal_Boats] Aluminum Ports - Life Seal or Life Caulk or ?? > > > > > > The plexiglass is coming loose from my aluminum ports to the point where > almost half of them are useless. I had seen previously on some site that > either Life Seal or Life Caulk was best for re-attaching them to the > aluminum but I can't remember which. I'd guess the seal but I don't want > to do this twice so if anyone has any experience I'd appreciate it . . . or > if there is something even better I'm all ears. > > > > Also the plexiglass(?) or whatever it is, is all hazed. Can headlight > polish be used to clean them up? If so, will it affect the adherence of > the Life ______ if I do the whole piece while it is out and easy to get too > or should I wait until it's reinstalled so I don't accidentally polish over > an area where the Life _____ will be? > > > > Any other suggestions / ideas / comments? > > > > Thanks in advance - > > > > Paul West > > Adventure Kwest > > ------------------------------ > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2015.0.5961 / Virus Database: 4354/9887 - Release Date: 05/28/15 > > >