Portlight Plastic Replacement

Thistle just celebrated her 28th birthday and the plastic in the hatches and portlights was really showing its age, so when we were in California we cut new plastic for all the openings. The Captain was graciously allowed to use the CNC router at our old sign shop which made the job super easy.

The process of replacing the plastic is quick and easy too, but messy. And potentially VERY messy if you don't mask thoroughly and carefully contain the silicone adhesive.

First we removed the old plastic by cutting out the adhesive. Then we scraped the aluminum frames with a dull chisel to remove all the old silicone. We also masked off the outer edge of the aluminum frame.

To protect the plastic we left the masking paper on both sides, but trimmed it where the glue had to go. To do that, we prefit the plastic, drew a line around the framework from the bottom, and cut away the masking paper where the silicone needed to go. (In the photo above, the plastic is upside down, but you can see the black strips where the masking paper has been removed.) Then we applied the silicone and set the plastic in place, pressing it down firmly. On this large Bomar hatch, we also had to reinstall the four latches.

 On the portlights, there was only a 1/2" strip around each edge, and on the smaller hatches there was only the edge and one piece of framework to trim around. Only after the silicone dried did we peel off the masking paper.

The difference is amazing! Before, the plastic was so cloudy we couldn't see anything, but now we can actually see out. The plastic is tinted, but they look so clear and bright that I sometimes think they're open when they're closed. This was a very worthwhile project.