Sliding window screens

trpsurf · Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:33 pm Post subject: Sliding window screens

We spent last weekend at Catalina Island and had a wonderful time.
My wife and two daughters (ages 3 and 6 mo.) are hoping to play hookey in August and meet up with the other C-Brats in the first week of August

The only downside to our island adventure last weekend were the hoards of flies that seemed to attack the boat upon anchoring in coves near the west end of the island. The only option was to close all of the windows or leave that area.

It then dawned on us that those empty sliding window frames in our side/ front windows must be for screens.

Has anyone replaced the screen material on their sliding window frames? I did a search and found lots of resources and ideas (screen for bomar hatch, front pop out window, rear windows, etc) but have come up empty handed on something that describes replacement of the material on the side windows.

Does anyone have any tips to share?

Sea Wolf · Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:42 pm Post subject:

I've never had to repair mine, but it would seem the options are:

1. Re-screen your own frames with material from a hardware store.

2. Have the hardware store do it for you, if you prefer.

3. Buy completely new frames with screens from Diamond Sea Glaze, the OEM supplier to C-Dory over the years:

http://www.diamondseaglaze.com/index.asp

Hope this helps!

Joe. Teeth

lloyds · Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 10:38 pm Post subject:

Re-screening is easy. Buy a kit at Lowes or somewhere similar.

trpsurf · Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 11:53 pm Post subject:

Sorry, I should have clarified.

How do you remove the sliding frame from the window so that I can replace the screen material?

Tim

lloyds · Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 12:56 am Post subject:

Mine just slide toward the stern till they fall out.

JamesTXSD · Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 12:57 am Post subject:

Captains Cat · Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 7:58 am Post subject:

trpsurf · Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 8:42 am Post subject:

I would have started by taking the window apart... Man I love this site!

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 4:51 pm Post subject:

I'd like to ask a question on this same topic: How to remove the screen and its frame from the sliding side windows on my 22.

I figured that - as is mentioned here - I would simply push upwards, compress one of those flat metal spring-arms until the bottom of the frame cleared the track, and then pull it out. But mine don't seem to work that way. Well, they start out seeming like they will, but when the upper "springs" are fully compressed, the bottom of the frame does not clear the lower window track. And I mean, it's not like it's really close and just a bit of "English" will get it to squeeze past. It's not even that close. My buddy is one of those "big and strong" dudes, and he had no luck either, so I don't think any amount of lifting and compressing is going to work (unless it's a really huge amount of force needed)

I have two reasons for wanting to know this:

1) Just in case I ever need to repair or replace one of the mesh screens (they are fine now).

2) On my port side window, the forward vertical edge has to be slightly "encouraged" to slip into the vertical track (i.e. to close the screen the last 1/4"). I can see that if I removed that whole screen frame and "bent" it very slightly that then it would slide closed easily, like the starboard one does.

I considered that the window frame might have been compressed slightly (i.e. be made "shorter") upon installation, hence trapping the screen frame; but I don't think that's the case as both windows and both screens slide easily - it's just when the port side one gets to the forward vertical track that it is slightly out of alignment. And, using a straight edge I can see that it's that vertical edge of the screen frame that is ever so slightly not perfectly straight. So upshot is I can't see any "good" reason why the screens should not come out.... but they don't. (Both sides are the same in this respect.)

There is a clear piece of something - perhaps tubing or a U-shaped profile - that sits in the bottom track (so the screen frame rides on it when sliding). Perhaps one has to remove this and then the screen actually comes out by dropping down instead of the usual "push up and compress spring" way?

I may also call Diamond Sea Glaze, but since they are in Canada and I'm in a cell-phone-roaming zone, I figured I'd check here first.

I can take photos later if that would help (but I don't see anything other than stock windows in good condition on my boat, so guessing many others are the same). These are the typical, white DSG windows used on 2000's 22 Cruisers.

Thanks,
Sunbeam

ghone · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:18 pm Post subject:

Hi Sunbeam. That clear thing in the bottom of the track comes out, then you have room to get the screen out. It just sits in there. I've had mine out a couple of times to clean the track. Easy. Thumbs Up

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:08 pm Post subject:

Sunbeam · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:14 pm Post subject:

Thought I would report back. Sorry about writing in two different threads, but when I searched again today the other one came up, and I could see that the OP in that one had the same problem I did - so I replied there too, and then found this thread again. Anyway...

I did remove the plastic "tubing" pice that the screen slides on in the bottom of the frame. However.... the screen frame was *still* too tall to remove Angry

And by then I could tell that there were definitely those "springs" at the top so it really should work the other way.

Well, finally, with a MAJOR upward force, we were just able to get the one screen (port side, which I want to adjust) to come out over the bottom lip (without scraping, but man, there wasn't even room to put protective tape on the bottom frame - it was TIGHT). (For this the plastic being removed didn't make any difference, as all the movement was upwards.)

They are much, much tighter than a house storm window (plus those are taller so you can put a little "English" on them and distort them to make them "shorter"). To the point where it seems like they must work some other way (but I couldn't make any other way work on my boat).

Sunbeam

breausaw · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 11:17 pm Post subject:

Along with new screens get one of these, two is better.

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breausaw · Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:02 am Post subject:

Wow, big picture..
This thing works on any insect that flies. When the bugs are out and we're on the hook we put one of these in the cockpit then wait about 10-15 min. It's a good idea to have two if one fails.

smittypaddler

The screens that came on my C-Dory are wire screens, just like you'd normally see on a porch screen door. The holes in the mesh work fine for mosquitoes, but are way too large to be a hindrance to no-see-ums and sand-flies, so if you're going to be in the southern states (Georgia has a town called SandFly on the ICW near Savannah) get screens with smaller mesh.