Our First Major Boat Project: Rebuilding 40 Year Old Portlights and Hatches (Episode 26)

[@jackdumas8838]

Could you make a Playlist of all your videos with repairs in them?

[@CruisingMaya]

I'll see what I can do- most of the videos have some elements of boat repair in them.... because I'm always fixing the boat 😀!

[@AfterDeath1986]

Nicely done guys, looking forward to the water tank video. Mine are 42 years old and pretty much kaput. I am interested in seeing what you do.

[@CruisingMaya]

Thank you so much! The water tanks were another big project. Have you looked inside your tanks recently? I was horrified when we looked in ours.... you'll see in the next video. Thanks again for watching and commenting! We should have weekly videos coming for at least the next month or so! Cheers!

[@AfterDeath1986]

@@CruisingMaya yep we looked inside and amazing the amount of crud in them, quite disgusting! We installed a 2 stage water filteration system.. I have a 4yr old and 7yr old so clean water is very important to me. I'll be looking forward to the next one! :)

[@ridemydirt2005]

Great and informative video. I am in the early stages of rebuilding our portlights. We have 16 to do. We need new smoked glass cut for ours. Where did you get your replacement glass at?

[@CruisingMaya]

Glad the video was helpful! The portlight glass I sourced from a window company- they called it "safety glass". If you are looking for other materials, Tap Plastic in Seattle is a good source. I bought the hatch glass from them and they cut it into my pattern right then. Good luck!

[@adventurousboat8724]

My only feedback, in time butyl tape will lead to black streaks on white fiberglass. I believe a UV sealant is far superior although messier.... and who doesn’t love playing with balls of excess butyl..... FUN.

[@CruisingMaya]

Do you know if white butyl tape will cause black streaks on fiberglass? Like a dummy, I used black butyl tape for the first two portlights, but used white tape for the rest of it. A year later the tape seems to be holding up well. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@adventurousboat8724]

It may take awhile to oxidize and begin to streak. You followed rule #1: keep the water out of the boat. Everything else is makeup. I only notice my streaks when I wash my boat once a year....😄

[@CruisingMaya]

@@adventurousboat8724 I actually have to rebed one of the portlights I did with black butyl tape, so I'll inspect the fiberglass when I do. That job is not on the top of my priority list at the moment. What kind of boat do you have?

[@edhowe6443]

A big job for sure. Nicely done. I noticed at one point that you have what looks like insulation on the exhaust vent for your heater, I am wondering what the reason for that.

[@CruisingMaya]

Thank you! Oh, that insulation is actually just aluminum foil that we wrapped around the pipes because we were having trouble with back draft. Smoke was coming down back into the boat, so that was our temporary bandaid (that didn't work very well). We really need to swap out the top piece of chimney to a proper solid fuel one- we are using a propane stove one at the moment. Hoping to update that this winter. Thanks for watching and commenting! Really appreciate it!

[@jeffbrantley6120]

Nice job on your portlights and hatch, What sealant did you use to bed the new hatch "glass" to the aluminum frame? Thanks

[@CruisingMaya]

Thank you! Ya know, I looked back and couldn't figure out what sealant I used for that!!! I'm sorry I can't provide that info. I want to say sika 291, but I'm not positive. Definitely recommend using the surface activator and primer as this is a job you only want to do once! It's been several years now and the sealant is holding up great. Thanks for watching!

[@jthis20]

Thanks for the informative video - we’ll be rebedding a hatch and replacing the plexi soon. We’re in Bellingham - where did you go for your new clear hatch glass? And now, a year later, are you still glad you went with clear?

[@CruisingMaya]

We're so glad to hear the video was helpful! We got our glass from Tap Plastics in Seattle. Still very happy with the results- many more leak free years ahead I think. And yes, we are happy with our decision to go clear. Living on the boat in the winter we welcome any and all sunlight. Would recommend the same for the any boats in this area. Thanks for watching!

[@macdaddy507]

Great job ,guys...electric stowaway Mac Canada 🇨🇦 C.C.R real wood boat Co 🏁🏴‍☠️⚖🎶🇨🇦🎤

[@CruisingMaya]

Thanks so much, Mac!

[@billhutton9185]

Great job! (You had to buy new glass too?) It seems your water tank in the bilge is where my holding tank is. My water tanks have a white epoxy-like coating on all the inner surfaces which made it easier to clean (1976).

[@CruisingMaya]

Thankfully we only had to buy new glass for two windows. I briefly looked into coating the interior of the tank with an epoxy.... your comment makes me wish I had!