Installing the Windows

Finally the windows are done and ready to go in.
The 10mm plexiglass is alot thicker than they were used to so the radius was not as tight as it needed to be so there were a few extra trips for tweaking.

 The old caulk in the frames had to be cleaned out.  Some of the failure areas in the old windows were where the bonding adhesive had pulled the gelcoat off of the fiberglass and water was leaking through the delamination.

The cabin headliner was installed, wrapped around the edge and foam tape used to fill the gap and give a clean appearance.

The window was then bonded to the frame with Bostik 940a Glazing Adhesive.

This is really quite amazing stuff.

Then aligned and held in with wood blocks and screws.












After a week of curing, the blocks and screws are removed and the screw holes plugged with thickened epoxy.

Unfortunately there was a steel trawler being sandblasted next to us so we were not able to do the final sealing for another week because the dust would stick all over the surface.

Final Product

The gap around the edge of the window is then filled with Dow Corning U-428.

This Dow product dries at 1mm/day so it will take 7-10 days to cure.  The windows will expand and contract up to 6mm from the heat of the sun, that's 3mm on each end so they have to be covered during the curing process to keep the sealant from squeezing out and pulling away from the plexiglass.

Seal around edge of window

Here is a detail of the bond between the plexiglass and fiberglass


DONE!