Ready to put the large side portlights back in, the frames had broken off screws in them and lots of goop on everything where they had continued to leak. I am thinking I will through bolt these....ideas, suggestions.
Thanks. Ang
portlights
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windrose
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:50 am
- Location: Shady Side, MD
portlights
s/v Wind-rose
Pearson Triton #215
West River, Chesapeake Bay
Pearson Triton #215
West River, Chesapeake Bay
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Figment
- Damned Because It's All Connected
- Posts: 2846
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 9:32 am
- Boat Name: Triton
- Boat Type: Grand Banks 42
- Location: L.I. Sound
I'm facing a similar situation. I don't have any broken screws, but a number of the threads in the frames are stripped.
I have this hare-brained fantasy that I could drill through and tap the "reciever" half of the frame with new threads all around, and then get the protruding ends of the screws to lie flush with careful use of a mill file.
"It's only bronze, after all, and once it develops a patina, who will really see?" says the little devil on my shoulder.
I think I'll give this a try, but I'll have a box of acorn nuts on hand for when I give up on the file-them-flush fantasy.
I have this hare-brained fantasy that I could drill through and tap the "reciever" half of the frame with new threads all around, and then get the protruding ends of the screws to lie flush with careful use of a mill file.
"It's only bronze, after all, and once it develops a patina, who will really see?" says the little devil on my shoulder.
I think I'll give this a try, but I'll have a box of acorn nuts on hand for when I give up on the file-them-flush fantasy.
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kaynee30
frames
I got real paranoid about the security of the big windows after reading any number of sailboat sinking stories: the boat gets smacked and the things pop out....boarding waves......water pouring in...glug, glug.
So I took J Baldwin's idea and duped it: bored the frames to accept #10 screws with acorns on the opposite side...lots of flange to keep the frames from parting. (as well as 10mm Lexan and bodging up the cabin sides with another 3/16ths of glass to take up the added thickness...no headliner in the oldies) I also tightened the fit in the openings, cuz the boys at the factory were kinda generous with the clearance. A little flex and..."twang".
I reckon it'll take an RPG to shake 'em out, now. Overkill, yeah. (even Tim thinks so, I think) Someday I might be thankful, though. If there's a rogue wave out there, I'll find it. Who knows...I might take this boat way offshore someday .
Jeff
PS : Interesting that the small ports are built to withstand atomic blasts, and the big windows are as secure as porch sliders. No?
So I took J Baldwin's idea and duped it: bored the frames to accept #10 screws with acorns on the opposite side...lots of flange to keep the frames from parting. (as well as 10mm Lexan and bodging up the cabin sides with another 3/16ths of glass to take up the added thickness...no headliner in the oldies) I also tightened the fit in the openings, cuz the boys at the factory were kinda generous with the clearance. A little flex and..."twang".
I reckon it'll take an RPG to shake 'em out, now. Overkill, yeah. (even Tim thinks so, I think) Someday I might be thankful, though. If there's a rogue wave out there, I'll find it. Who knows...I might take this boat way offshore someday .
Jeff
PS : Interesting that the small ports are built to withstand atomic blasts, and the big windows are as secure as porch sliders. No?
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Tim
- Shipwright Extraordinaire
- Posts: 5708
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 6:39 pm
- Boat Name: Glissando
- Boat Type: Pearson Triton
- Location: Whitefield, ME
- Contact:
Let's not forget that the Triton was never designed or built for offshore use. The fact that people have taken Tritons offshore is all well and good, and speaks well for the general sturdiness of our boats, but there's no reason at the production stage to build or engineer a port (or any portion of the boat) to withstand brutal conditions for which the boat was not originally intended.
The Triton was a slapped-together, inexpensive, for-profit production boat and was never intended for offshore work, nor for 40+ years of service. No one knew. By good fortune, the boats ended up being generally overbuilt and of such good design that they managed to remain worthy of new owners along the line. Of course there is ample opportunity to question some of the original construction practices--many of which left something to be desired--but everything fit in with the intended use of the boat.
Therefore, the original deadlight construction and installation was--and is--just fine for the intended service of the boat. That said, beefing up the installation makes sense if there is truly offshore work in the cards. Throughbolting the existing frames and fitting proper storm shutters seem a prudent call for any longer passages. For coastal sailing, there's no need to take these steps, unless the condition of the port frames dictates finding a new solution--such as in this case.
I'll be interested to hear how the new tapping and flush screw ends works out. Seems like a fair plan to me, and will be plenty strong enough--and make installation far easier than with those annoying dead-end holes and location-specific fasteners of the original installation.
And the acorn nuts look "industrial chic" if you end up going that route in the end.
The Triton was a slapped-together, inexpensive, for-profit production boat and was never intended for offshore work, nor for 40+ years of service. No one knew. By good fortune, the boats ended up being generally overbuilt and of such good design that they managed to remain worthy of new owners along the line. Of course there is ample opportunity to question some of the original construction practices--many of which left something to be desired--but everything fit in with the intended use of the boat.
Therefore, the original deadlight construction and installation was--and is--just fine for the intended service of the boat. That said, beefing up the installation makes sense if there is truly offshore work in the cards. Throughbolting the existing frames and fitting proper storm shutters seem a prudent call for any longer passages. For coastal sailing, there's no need to take these steps, unless the condition of the port frames dictates finding a new solution--such as in this case.
I'll be interested to hear how the new tapping and flush screw ends works out. Seems like a fair plan to me, and will be plenty strong enough--and make installation far easier than with those annoying dead-end holes and location-specific fasteners of the original installation.
And the acorn nuts look "industrial chic" if you end up going that route in the end.
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Forum Founder--No Longer Participating