Nice job, Derek. Let me add to your post.
When I installed new ports in a 26 footer (non C&C) couple weeks ago I had similar thoughts and concerns. I dry fiitted ports in place and held them with tape. I then traced the outline of the inside of ports on the protective film and removed film from adhering surfaces. Then took them to local glass shop where they applied a special black paint on the adhering surfaces. Don't know any details on the paint but they said it actually improved adhesion. It was matte and slightly rough. With the paint, I didn't have to worry about bubbles or gaps in the sealant showing through. After taping the outside of the port landings and the inside of the ports, I applied a generous bead of black LifeSeal and installed the ports flush wiith the cabin sides. I had several pieces of wood furring or filler strips precut. I placed the strips against the ports and clamped them to the lifelines with clamps to hold pressure on the ports. Note: the key here is to apply one large bead of sealant. If you apply two adjacent beads, you may trap air between the beads which will show if you don't do the paint. While the sealant was still fresh, I ran the backside of a plastic spoon around the gap between the port lens and cabin side to create a nice concave look. Note: run the spoon in ONE direction only. I didn't use any spacers. Just made sure the lens was uniformly flush with the cabin side and that I got lots of "squeeze out" around the gap. Next day I removed strips and tape. Any stray sealant was removed with a pencil eraser. Didn't want to use an adhesive remover for fear of damaging the concave seal. Done. Nice job. Pat on back. Furring or filler strips are about 1.5 inches wide x 1/4 inch thick and can be bought in 8 foot lengths at a big box store for about $1 each. The clamps were the 4 inch pony spring clamps that are about $4. Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA
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