Replacing Beneteau Oceanis Skylight

[@BigEasy53]

Completed replacement of the lens on my 343 three years ago. Had the vendor rough cut to size & used the old lens as a template to route to final dimension. Used 3/8" cast acrylic lens and combination of 3m vhb double sided tape and dow 795 uv sealer/adhesive. Started leaking again at the three year time period. Acrylic paint is also debonding & failing. When I redo it again, will let the tape & 795 cure longer with retention straps in place and will place a sunbrella cover to protect the lens & sealer around the perimeter of lens. May also take the lens to a vinyl shop to cover the perimeter of lens with vinyl instead of painting. One suggestion is to use a multi/oscillating power tool with a scraper attachment to remove the old sealer; much more efficient than using a chisel & scraper.

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Hi BigEasy53, that's a good idea leaving straps as long as you can. Did you router out the back for a better bond line??. Also the acrylic primer is a must before the paint goes on, although some say not necessary. The chisel for me is a quick job, I served my apprenticeship as a traditional boatbuilder so a pairing chisel us part of my hand 😁. Just remember you could probably replace it three times for the price of getting someone to do it. Best wishes

[@BigEasy53]

@@sailingmargetts4122 Yes, I did route the back of the lens to reduce the stiffness of the lens & to make it adapt to the curvature of the deck. The cost of the project here in the US was fairly inexpensive; approximately $250. for lens, Dow 795, 3M VHB double sided tape, paint, & misc. supplies. It is just a total PIA to do the project. I did sand lens prior to using krylon primer & krylon fusion paint; apparently the paint didn't bond to the primer. Just frustrating that I did two previous repairs with only cleaning sealer from recessed groove between deck & lens & resealing; those repairs only lasted one year. I was hoping for a longer lasting repair by replacing with a new lens, VHB tape, & Dow 795. It's just a bad design & we are stuck with it! BTW, complements to you & wife on a job well done & excellent video tutorial.

[@EastCoastSailing_]

Hi. Such a great video. I’m having the same problem and hate the crazing. How thick was the sheet you went with in mm ? Thanks

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Thanks for watching, the original was 10mm but I used 12mm acrylic, just a bit extra protection.

[@andrewseaman7012]

Not impressed. First of all, macrolon (polycarbonate) is the material of choice. Second, ordinary silicone is not strong enough for bonding windows on boats. Beneteau recommends, if I am not mistaken, Sikaflex 295 or one can use a dedicated Silikone like DOW 795. Third, the pane should not be pressed hard on the frame while the adhesive is curing. It needs, especially on curved surfaces, a minimum thickness which allows the bonding material to contract and expand without damage to the bond itself.

[@deanmar2000]

First of all, polycarbonate has around 10-20yrs exposure to uv, as opposed to acrylic (as used by beneteau) with 50yrs. Secondly fixtech fs200 is specifically designed for sealing/bonding acrylic. Thirdly the pane was not hard against the substrate having a 1.5mm bead and the bond bead was routered as original beneteau specification. I hope this gives clarification.

[@BakedInMyCar]

Great video! We just did the same job on our 473, super impressed you cut all the acrylic yourself!

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Thank you! New at this video thing. Cutting the acrylic is no problem, bosch make specialist jigsaw blades and router does an awesome job, just take care 😊

[@bergilgokcin]

Hİ, Nice work..Tnks for sharing. Appreciate if you can you share current status of the Skylight? How is it performing? Any further fine touches required? Tnks (I did a repair w/o removal of Skylight using Würth products .What I have done extra was installing no.2 teak wood sticks on short sides in order to keep the short sides remained pressed down. The sticks reamined on sides and does not distort the image of deck...)

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Yes all good, no further touches needed. Not difficult as with anything in the preparation. Thanks for your comments

[@gvolos1]

Products used? Any leaks now? Was this just standard 12mm acrylic? Thanks and great job.

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Hi gvolos, yes standard acrylic, the silicon is fixtech fix 200 specifically formulated for adhering acrylic. No leaks. With the adhesive sealant you need a bead thickness for optimum adhesion, that's why I routered the groove. Unfortunately fix 200 is only in black so I let that cure before applying the white fixtech fix 8, which is also a high strength silicone adhesive/sealant which has good adhesive properties to most construction mediums including acrylic. Thanks for your comment and please don't hesitate to ask any more questions.

[@steveshanck186]

Helpful video...but I don't see any more info on your web site? I was curious about the amount of supplies required, type etc. Thx.

[@sailingmargetts4122]

Hi Steve, sorry just saw your comment, I have just replied to another comment which may answer your questions, but good advice I will put it up on sites with links. Thanks for your comment