I finished installing the new hatch lenses this weekend. Thanks again Fred for the effort you went to getting these made and shipped! Here are some before + after photos showing how great they look:
https://goo.gl/photos/JZBXFFRNyUYRhWAD9 It took me 8 hours, about 4 for each window. But if you're not an OCD perfectionist it might take you half that time. And a few tips for those who haven't installed yet (sorry this turned out very long): - Surprisingly, dis-assembly went quite quick - I expected some seriously corroded / stuck fasteners, but brute force (no breaker bar needed) got them all apart without breaking. Used PB Blaster on one, not sure if it made a difference. - The lenses were about 1/8" longer than my current ones, and didn't quite fit - so I had to sand down a few corners with a Dremel sanding drum. I'm not sure if there were slight variations in the frame size from year to year, or if it's just a cutting inaccuracy (it's hard cutting to within millimeter precision, so I don't blame the fabricator!). I used a coarse sanding drum, then medium, and finished hand sanding with 180 or 320 grit. - The biggest time sink comes down to how your hinges are done. The original hinges have a cast aluminum tapped (threaded) cylinder attached to the hinge, which an SS bolt was screwed into. It's a neat design (no penetrations above the hinge means fewer things to seal) but obviously dissimilar metals corrode. There are basically two options: - My head hatch already had the hinges thru-bolted (drill 1/4" and mount a hex bolt through it from the top). One hinge I had done myself when the aluminum disintegrated last year, and the other had already been done. However I still had to dremel down the remaining cast aluminum cylinder - in order to get the hinges to seat flush with the new acrylic, because I don't want to drill a 5/8" clearance hole like the lenses originally had. A 1/4" hole is much easier to drill (but then the cylinder can't seat in that). - Reuse the existing tapped aluminum. My galley hatch ones were in surprisingly good shape. After some cleanup with mineral spirits, the original bolts threaded into the aluminum just fine. So I decided to save the trouble of cutting them of, and reuse them (with lots of Lanocote or TefGel). However drilling 5/8" holes in acrylic is hard, so that created some trouble. The fitting is 1/2" but the original holes were 5/8" - you need some clearance for expansion. Plas Drill bits max out at 1/2", and I didn't have one that size on hand anyway. I did a test drill on the old hatch acrylic with a 1/2" standard bit, and it took a big chip out of the surface when it exited the other side. 1/2" drill bits are hard to use even on wood without chipping. I bought a 5/8" Forstner bit and a 5/8" cheap hole saw and went to the shop to use the drill press. This page has advice, including on forstner bits for acrylic: http://www.bcae1.com/plexi.htm The Forstner was very slow and required a lot of pressure on the drill press. It didn't melt, but I wouldn't use it again for acrylic this thick. The Forstner chipped the edge on the exit. And broke the drill stop collar on the drill press. But I didn't have a plywood backer, I was using a doubled-over cardboard Amazon box (because I couldn't find my drilling backer at the time) - so this was my fault for a dumb idea. On the next hole, the hole saw with the aggressive teeth did melt the acrylic, but went much faster. Water didn't really seem to slow the melting, but the melted bits were not really a problem. The acrylic is so thick and the 5/8" hole quite large, that a little melting on the perimeter caused no noticeable damage. - 1/4" Plas Drill bit worked great. I used that for the knob latch screws and for the two thru-bolts on the head hatch. The thru-bolts I used were 1/4" I think, so I jangled the bit around to enlarge the hole so I'd have a bit more clearance for heat expansion. If I were to redo the 5/8" holes I think I'd get a 1/2" Plas Drill and then enlarge the hole with a Dremel. I did all this while we had two gales blow through Seattle this weekend. The one on Sunday winds peaked at 57 knots. Finishing the install with a 5 to 8 degree heel to the boat was fun. :) -Patrick 1984 C&C Landfall 38 Seattle, WA On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 9:00 AM, <cnc-list-requ...@cnc-list.com> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Frederick G Street <f...@postaudio.net> > To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com > Cc: > Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2015 09:22:35 -0600 > Subject: Re: Stus-List little A&H hatches on a LF38 > Okay, here’s what I’ve got so far for replacement lenses for the small > galley/head hatches: > > Paul Eugenio (maybe x2, but not sure) > Patrick Davin x2 > Dan Sheer x2 > Don Harben x1 > Doug Mountjoy x2 > Jim Schwartz x2 > > > That gives me a total of NINE for sure; I can get them for the > previously-quoted $65.00 each. I should be able to ship in the US via > Priority Mail for $20 (large flat rate box); Canada, I’m not sure of costs > and will need to quote separately. > > Please email me OFF-LIST at f...@postaudio.net with your confirmation, as > well as shipping address. Assuming everyone’s still onboard, I can get the > order in as soon as payment is settled. > > Thanks, and Happy New Year all! > > — Fred > > > Fred Street -- Minneapolis > S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( >
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