Replacing Hatch Glass

[bottleinamessage]

I have two Goiot hatches that have badly crazed glass. I have the replacement glass and am looking for a recommendation.

What would be a good sealant to use to bed them in?

[donradcliffe]

A good quality silicon will work--there are some specifically made for windows, but I have successfully used both GE and Sony when I couldn't find the glazing stuff.

Sika has a polyurethane system, but it is way too complicated, as you have to put on a blackout layer to protect the sealant from the sun.

The bedding should be at least 1/16" thick to allow for thermal expansion. The Goiot frames should have a slightly raised lip around the inside and a channel for the sealant to provide for this--otherwise, don't press lenses in so far that all the sealant squirts out.

[GordMay]

Most hatches have anodized aluminum frames, with Acrylic (Plexiglass™) or Polycarbonate (Lexan™) glazing (not glass), for which a mediun or hi-modulus neutral curing silicone sealant, such as Dow Corning 795, (NOT acetoxy* cure) is usually recommended.

You should probably seek specific recommendations (performance & compatibility) from your glazing supplier.

* If acetal cure (oxime) type silicone base sealant is used, the emitted gas causes corrosion & cracking (in plastics).

If your replacement glazing is actually glass, I'd recomment either a polysufide or apolyurethane adhesive sealant.

[delmarrey]

Boatlife works well for me!!!

[Latitude9.5]

I just did this project and used 3m 4000UV at the suggestion of the place that made the replacement acrylic pieces.

I have also been told that the Life Seal (not the life calk) which is a silicone/poly bend is a very good choice. I haven't had the 4000 on long enough to say if it is the way to go or not.

[Benjamaphone]

We use a GE Silicone (I don't know the # off hand) with the appropriate acrylic primer. Without the primer, you'll find that there isn't enough, if any, adhesion. Before we apply the primer we also clean both the frame and acrylic surfaces with a solvent to get rid of any dirt or oils left behind.