16 ft c dory new windows

[jndrich@comcast.net]

I have an old 1983 c dory that has glued in frameless plastic windows.
I want to replace them with tempered glass windows so that I can add a windshield wiper.
Any ideas as to the glue needed for the glass to fiberglass contact? Thanks?

[Marco Flamingo]

I had an older wooden boat that had a rubber "H" strip gasket that held the windows in place, much like older cars. I also did this procedure with a 1973 Volvo windshield. The type of gasket is shown here in picture number 5. https://www.antiquecar.com/bodyshop/bodyshop_glass_replacement.php

The inside groove of the rubber went around the window. The outside edge is then worked onto the window opening. A two person job (three even better). They used to carry this type of gasket by the foot at larger boat supply houses like Doc Freeman's in Seattle (now long gone). Locating the gasket to fit the thickness of the fiberglass lay up on the cabin might be difficult. It needs to be tight for no water to leak in. All that is necessary to seal is where the two ends of the gasket meet (if you don't get this butt to butt tight). If you get it right, no goop at all. I had great success with both boat and car.

For my boat, I ordered safety glass after a neighbor where I moored had a bad accident. His wife was on the fore deck when he started up too fast. She lost her footing and basically sat down through the front windshield. Serious cuts to her legs, fortunately not life threatening. That's when I learned that my 1950 era windows (same as the neighbor's) were just plate glass.

I ordered lightly tinted glass. Some say that you shouldn't do this because it reduces your night visibility. It probably does. But I rarely cruise at night and on the few occasions when I do, I go out on deck to glass things anyway. For the other 99.9% of the time, walking into the cabin on a sunny day was like putting on a good pair of sunglasses. Ahhhhhh.

Mark

[jndrich@comcast.net]

I have used the "H" type gasket on windows on another boat of mine and they work great. However on the c dory 16 the corners of the window make a very tight turn, not a gradual corner like the windows on my other boat. I dont think the "H " type gasket will work due to the tight 90 degree turns.
Therefore I think I am stuck gluing the windshield onto the fiberglass line the factory did. But I will be using glass I stead of plastic since plastic would scratch easily with a winshield wiper.
Thanks for your suggestion!

[Sea Wolf]

Is there room enough around the current window cutouts to round out the curves, making the windows larger, and having a glass shop make safety windows for the new shape/size, and then use the H style rubber gaskets? (Don't forget room for the window wiper motors & mounts and through holes for the shafts.)

Joe.

[jndrich@comcast.net]

Actually perhaps the framework around the window I the old 16 ft dory is not rigid enough for glass. Anyone have experience with this?
Maybe i need to stick with plexiglass like the boat came with.
But then I am stuck with an easily stretchable surface with a windshield wiper rubbing dried salt onto the windshield.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

[Sea Wolf]

Shouldn't be too hard to devise a washer system, since all you'll need is a water tank, pump, spray fitting, and some hoses, wiring, and a switch.

Joe.

[jndrich@comcast.net]

Sea wolf. Good suggestion about rounding out the corners. I think that it could be done. A little tricky since there is a indentation or recessed area 1 inch wide around the perimeter of the window. I would feel better about having glass with the h type gasket since it would allow some flexibility around the window. Thanks for the suggestion.

[thataway]

Fiberglass, safety glass, plexiglass and polycarbonate (lexan) all have different coefficients of expansion. Thus the window has to be "floated" on the sealant. For glass M Windo-Weld 08609 is often used on cars, and should work well with fiberglass.

I replaced the main cabin (Pilot house) on my Cal 46 and used a GE specific silicone for the polycarbonate (which had a non scratch coating), We set the lexan about 1/8" off the fiberglass with cork/ruber gasket material, to allow the expansion. We overlapped the fiber glass by about 2" all of the way around. The windows were a fairly dark color--and the black sealant didn't show at all. We accidentally got a "gob" of the sealant on the SS rigging. It was still there 8 years later when we sold the boat--despite over 40,000 miles of travel, and the sheets

I would do the same thing with glass: use the M Windo-Weld 08609 , use some cork gasket material to space the window slightly off the fiberglass. The glass will have to be held in place with tape until it sets up....not always easy to do.l...

The "H" rubber gasket is probably easier than a sealant/adhesive. We over drilled the holes in the lexan, and put plastic washers to avoid stressing the lexan. You could have a few holes drilled to hold the glass in place while the bond sets.

[Marco Flamingo]

I went back and looked at the windows that I replace in my prior boat. The windows certainly were not rounded off. I now don't remember gooping anything into where the H gasket had butt joints, but maybe I did. I never had a leak.

The idea of just gluing windows on a boat gives me some trouble. Weather, sun, and the cabin flexing. With the H gasket, the windows are secure and the worst that can happen is a drip of water which can be easily fixed. The first picture shows the angles I was dealing with. In the second picture, you can see that the windows are tinted (and the mahogany cabin finished bright).

Mark