Mysterious Porthole

Idon84 · Post by **Idon84** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:51 pm

OK... So I was looking over all of the Triton's in this group and noticed that many of them have Oval Portholes facing forward on their cabin tops.

On my CBCC I too have oval portholes instead of the customary ABI round portholes.

I NEED PARTS but am having a horrible time finding anyone to help me. The outer brass rings that help hold the porthole in are cracked and need replacing.

I have found the actual porthole online in several places online but each distributor can't give me any thing specific about where they came from or if there are even parts available. They simply want me to buy new ones for $300 each!

Here is the link to one of those shops. The porthole in question is the 4th one from the top and measures 11"W x 5 7/8"H; Glass 4" x 9 1/4"

http://www.yachtsofstuff.com/userpostin ... f&cexs=nt1

Link to my Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Idon84/Cosm ... 5927655762

Any thoughts or ideas? If I can't find anything my I'm thinking my only other option is to buy just 1 and see what I can find from there.

JOY!

Bryon
www.picasaweb.com/idon84

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:25 pm

Bryon,

I pulled oval portlights like these from my Pearson, except they are cast aluminum. They need some work (at least new gaskets), but out of the six I have, I'm pretty sure I have two in decent shape for a fair price. PM me if you are interested and I can send pictures.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:39 pm

Bronze and aluminum can be welded, and reshaped. If you have a decent idea of what formulation the metal is, the filler material can be the same as the part and the repair will age and patina the same as the rest.

If they are flat stock, a machine shop can turn out as many as you need. Particularly if you didn't mind doing the countersinking for screws and beveling the edges. Cost varies with the number of steps involved... The more you do, the less it costs.

A foundry an take your old parts, and cast new ones without to much fuss. Most are also capable of repairing your old parts and fixing the cracks...

You might also try calling them back asking for a foundry that they recommend to do work... and see if you get lucky and thats the one they use. Find the pattern on a shelf somewhere and life just got real easy... (Grin)

Same deal with tracking down someone that works with or worked with the guys who made your BCC and seeing if they remember who did the work originally/have a few laying around still.

Just some ideas if you can't find any used ones that fit perfectly!

Zach

Idon84 · Post by **Idon84** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:36 pm

Good Info...

Ceasar, Thanks for the offer! I think I would like to stay with the brass look to all of them though.

The Portholes are removed but the plates on the outside of the cabin top are 5200'd in. Taking one off very slowly and gently with a long thin putty knife kind of tool (actually a vehicle windshield urethane remover) caused it to just shatter... I think I may need to replace all of them. So the more I think about it, the more I think I'm just going to purchase one and use the parts to have them cast at PT Foundry. Then I can Drill and Tap etc. to fit my portholes.

On Seals... Where is a good place to start looking for new gaskets? I'm guessing they don't need to be the exact part but instead I can make them out of material from...?

Thanks again!

Bryon
www.picasaweb.com/idon84

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:40 pm

Idon84 wrote:On Seals... Where is a good place to start looking for new gaskets? I'm guessing they don't need to be the exact part but instead I can make them out of material from...?

McMaster-Carr has quite a bit of "raw" stock in various shapes. There's another place that makes seals that I have a box of samples from. I'll try to remember to take a look for that tomorrow.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:59 am

You can always talk to these guys who still make the original Pearson portlights. I thought they had two sizes of these portlights because I know Pearson made two sizes and these people use the Pearson molds from Rostand.

http://www.historicalarts.com/product.php?id=00679

Note that they make them in bronze which is what I assume you meant in the first place. I doubt very much you want brass.

Idon84 · Post by **Idon84** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:47 am

Thanks for the info.

Rachel I too found a site once specializing in that stuff but I never book marked it and now... well I'm lost.

The portholes are INDEED BRASS! I didn't think so either until I started doing a little research...

http://www.yachtsofstuff.com/userpostin ... f&cexs=nt1

There isn't anything inherently wrong with brass right? Ideally bronze would be better but I'm trying to rebuild not replace the parts.

Bryon
www.picasaweb.com/idon84

Idon84 · Post by **Idon84** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 12:02 pm

On another note. I ran into an article, on the Bristol Channel Cutter forum, about "boatlife release." Someone is trying to remove their boomkin that has 5200 on it. They said Boatlife Release made fast work of softening the sealant for ease of removal. How easy? Who knows?

Has anyone use this? If this works I may be able to remove the brass rings without damaging them!

Never heard of the stuff until yesterday

Bryon
www.picasaweb.com/idon84

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:18 pm

I don't know that product, but I have seen two others; I think they're "DeBond" and "Anti-Bond" or something like that (sorry, on lunch break and no time to look it up). I think the trick is in whether you can get the stuff in there to where it can work.

Classic Marine (UK) has brass portlights (along with bronze). I wonder if you have those? I wouldn't think brass would be so good for a water-keeping-out part on a sea boat like the BCC. I see CM recommends them only for estuary type craft.

Here are their portlights: (Note, I do see the brass ones are round, but the same mfr. may have oval?)

http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/prodtype ... =62&ph=cat

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:28 pm

There isn't anything inherently wrong with brass right?

Only that it isn't in the same league as bronze as far as corrosion resistance. It will corrode significantly more.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:21 am

While both brass and bronze are copper alloys, they are not interchangeable.

Brass is usually comprised of copper and ZINC.

Bronze is copper and tin (or silicone or manganese) and has little to no zinc in it.

Since zinc is the first to go in a galvanic reaction (with salt water), it will generally leach out of the brass over time if exposed to salt water. Bronze is a much better choice.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:54 pm

Read a cool one earlier...

Pop a mold off of one of the good trim rings...

Mix up a bunch of resin, and bronze powder. Cast the new rings, and you have something that looks like bronze, and will patina like it too.

Zach

keelbolts · Post by **keelbolts** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:28 pm

On wooden boats, people will take a paint scraper, heat it, and slide it up under items like your rings to get the 5200 to release. Basically, you melt it. I don't know how well that technique works on a plastic boat, but I'd try it if you're breaking stuff trying to get it off.

Idon84 · Post by **Idon84** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:40 pm

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to try a couple of things and get back to you on how it all went. Got other fish to fry at the moment.

Bryon
www.picasaweb.com/idon84