CD 30 Mk II Cabin Window Replacement

[Khaos13]

Hello,
It seems the 30 MkII is the only CD with these "windows" for lack of a better term. Mine are completely opaque and need to be replaced. It seems that these windows are sealed from the inside behind a teak frame that does not have any fasteners. Maybe the frame is glued in? Has anyone replaced these windows? I really don't want to damage any of the teak by prying on it. Thank you in advance for ANY help you can provide.

[Frenchy]

Hi there - if those ports aren't leaking, you have nothing to lose by trying to clear up the lenses by
abrading with fine sandpaper and polishing. In the video below, the ports were removed, but you could
do the same thing with them in place. It's just not as easy. - Jean



https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+ ... t3q74wYx6M

[Khaos13]

Aah, but they ARE leaking and have been for a while it appears. They are also "crazed" with fine lines all through them. I'd like to change them (along with the Bowmar hatches) to a bronze tinted Lexan or other plastic with strong UV protection. Thank you for the reply!

[Cathy Monaghan]

Are you sure there aren’t any bungs covering up any fasteners in the trim around the windows?

[Khaos13]

Well, I will certainly take a much closer look tomorrow but I'm pretty sure there are no plugs. I looked for small "pins" that might have been used. I believe they are glued in. I really don't want to damage the frames OR the surrounding teak. I may try a heat gun. Thank you for the reply Cathy!

[gonesail]

looks to me like you would have to remove the interior teak frame to see exactly how Cape Dory did it. i see what you are saying .. it looks like there are no visible screws or bungs.

[Khaos13]

Thanks for the confirmation Gonesail. Hard rain and wind are keeping me off the boat today. Time for some reverse engineering. Any thoughts sincerely appreciated.

[gonesail]

i was on the boat today and confirmed what we know. it looks to be glued. and I'm not sure why they did it that way. maybe to prevent owners from being able to maintain their boats without destroying property

[bottomscraper]

I have no direct knowledge but it would not surprise me if they used some version of 3M VHB tape. Even if it was not used originally it might be an attractive alternative.

[gonesail]

i have seen evidence of other manufacturers using hi tech adhesive to attach the port lights from the outside. if that is the case then you would not need to remove the interior trim. maybe there are some old guys around that worked at cape dory in the late 80s?

[gbernard]

I replaced these windows a few years ago. The entire job was done from the outside - no need to remove the teak trim.
- Removed old caulking from the perimeter (outside) to remove old windows. This was not a fun job. All of the old caulking had to be cleaned up, sanded away etc.
- Had windows replicated
- VHB tape around perimeter of outward facing flange
- Lay in new windows and re-caulk

[gonesail]

how much curve is in these windows. i wonder if you could replace with tempered glass? probably expensive.

[Khaos13]

No curve that I can see. Cannot see a way to replace from the outside. No caulking to remove. From the outside, it appears to be a solid fiberglass border/flange. Anybody with actual experience working on this issue? Thanks, Dan

BTW, Happy New Year!!!!!!

[gonesail]

from what i can gather .. the ports are glued to outside of the flange face. so once you remove the caulk .. you can pop them out. maybe a heat gun would help. i believe several manufacturers did this in the late 80s and early 90s.

[gbernard]

Interesting - mine were not glued. After I removed the caulking, I found 4 screws affixing each window to the flange at roughly the location of the arrows. As mentioned, I decided to go with vhb tape instead. Sounds like this construction is different.

Happy New Year!