The next major project in Circe's rehabilitation was replacing the windows in the main cabin/salon. There are 6 large ones in the cabin sides, 2 more in the rear cabin bulkhead (flanking the companionway) and 2 smaller ones in the front ceiling. In addition to those windows there are two more in the companionway doors for a total of 12. There are also two see-through hatches in the cabin roof. The large, almost panoramic, window design gives a very light, airy feel to the main cabin and, combined with over 6' 6" headroom, was a big part of our initial attraction to the Freeport.
While we really liked the Freeport window layout we were not impressed by the actual window units installed by Islander. To our eyes, the plastic framed windows with thin acrylic panes were more suited to a cheap travel trailer than a quality sailing yacht......but then, that's us!
The 3 port side windows in Circe's main cabin had been replaced sometime in the past and were in fair shape but all the rest were badly fogged and crazed from general wear and tear. It appeared that all the other 7 salon windows were original. On closer inspection we also found signs of UV decay in the plastic frames. Age cracks were evident on the outside of most of the frames where they had become oxidised and brittle. Also, during moderate rainfall, we were experiencing leaks in both the replaced and the original windows. Spot caulking the frames didn't do much to help so, with the summer weather approaching, we decided to replace the lot. Easier said than done, as we would soon discover.
Here is an inside shot of the forward port side window, one of the three that had been replaced (badly as it turned out) and were nice and clear. Unfortunately they leaked, even in moderate rainfall. We tried re-caulking the frames from the outside, but with no significant improvement.
We had previously noticed that the padded vinyl (hereafter known as the 'naugahyde nightmare') on the inside cabin wall around the port side window frames had numerous small cuts and scuffs. We assumed they were a result of the previous window replacement job (we were right!).
Here is another shot of the splits and cuts in the vinyl around the frames of the aft port side window.
As this was obviously going to be a major, once in a lifetime job we elected to go for better quality windows rather than just another set of plastic ones. Replacement plastic windows, produced to OEM patterns, are readily available for the Freeport from Mark Plastics in S. California, but they share all the shortcomings of the originals. There are also a well priced range of plastic framed glass windows available but after seeing the effects of UV exposure we felt that we wanted a 'no plastic' solution.
After researching several window manufacturers and their products we went to Bomon Marine (Quebec, Canada) for ours. Bomon has a very good reputation as a custom window builder and has really clean and solid designs using safety glass held in extruded aluminium frames. They mount and seal very simply and positively, without the need for huge gobs of sealant. A further benefit was that the Bomon design allowed us to change the back window on the port side from fixed to opening. This will give us some additional galley ventilation without having to open the entry hatch or doors, thus solving another little peeve we have.
This screen capture and the one below it are from a previous Freeport job done by Bomon. They show the window aperture variations from one side of the subject boat to the other.
The Boman windows are made with heavy, anodised aluminium frames with the option of either 1/4" or 3/8" toughened safety glass set in permanent EPDM seals. The windows have a clamping feature that allows for a single face seal against the cabin sides. All very clean and simple with no caulk needed. We chose 1/4" grey tint safety glass, which will be more than adequate for our (coastal cruising) needs. The 3/8" glass is a little stronger but it adds a lot more weight above the waterline and, in the grey tint, results in a bigger drop in light transmission.
A little detour here!
Curtains coming off, those rods and brackets will not be missed either. We will go with something a bit more modern and functional.
To replace the curtains we chose custom cut, horizontally pleated, semi-rigid shades from OceanAir, a UK company who distributes in the US through Zarcor in TX. The OceanAir shades are a standard fitting on several new US and European production boat models and they have a good reputation for durability.
Because the spring weather was too bad to start work immediately on the window replacement project, we measured and ordered the shades ahead of time. When they arrived we couldn't wait to see how they looked so we mounted them anyway, knowing they would have to come down right away when we started on the windows.
We had seen OceanAir shades on several other boats (standard fitting on newer Catalinas) and liked both the overall design and the way they stow away clear of the windows, allowing full light to come through.
(Note the duct tape temporary 'seals' to combat leaks pending the new windows)
OK, enough about shades, back to the windows!
As soon as the weather started to stabilise we took the shades down to start the window removal and templating. It was very windy so we began with the windows at the back of the salon, next to the companionway, where we could work under the dodger as we 'cut our teeth' learning the best technique for getting the windows out.
From a casual inspection, the starboard side back window seemed to be in fair shape, although it had a couple of big scrapes on the inside where something had dug into it. We suspected it was almost certainly an original factory installation so, because there was no vinyl wall covering to worry about, this was our choice for our first 'extraction'.......our 'guinea pig' so to speak. And what a pig it turned out to be!
The first step, removing all the screws from the inside clamping/trim ring went well. That however was the only thing that went well! Once the screws were out we couldn't pull the ring off. After a lot of prying it finally came off.....revealing why removal had been so difficult. Islander must have got a great deal on silicone window sealant, there was enough goop on this one window to seal two or three more.
So much silicone caulk had been used that it had extruded out all round the bulkhead, completely filling the inside flange of the clamping ring and covering most of the clamping face. The ring was sealed on almost as tightly as the window. If the other windows were like this we could see how the vinyl on the side walls had been nicked up. It would be impossible to remove all the sealant without damaging something.
We couldn't believe how much caulk had been used but, as we started cutting it away, we soon discovered why! There were huge gaps between the window frame and the aperture in the cabin wall, almost 3/4" in this corner. (Evidently Bomon were dead right about window fit)
Here is the gap along part of the edge.....a mere 7/16" at this point. Now we knew why there was so much caulk and why Bomon recommended a template for each individual window.
Our first strategy to cut the caulking out was to use a selection of box cutters, a Stanley knife and an Exacto knife. It worked but it was a long, difficult job, especially under the outside lip of the frame. When we thought we had cut all around the lip of the frame...we hadn't....so, as we tried to push the window out, a piece of the frame cracked and split the window. First lesson learned; make absolutely sure the caulk is FULLY CUT ALL ROUND the frame before trying to pry it out. Such fun......and this is just the first window.
Destroying the first window we had worked on was a bit discouraging but there was worse to come as we found when we started to clean up the aperture.
From this angle the aperture doesn't look too bad but when we finally cleaned it up we were shocked to see its shape. No wonder there were 10 pounds of caulk used to seal it up. It looked like it had been cut by a blindfolded drunk on an acid trip! Also, there was gelcoat damage in a couple of spots. This would have to be repaired because the Bomon windows seal on the outside face of the cabin wall.
A close-up shot from inside shows the full extent of the horror! If this is representative of all the window apertures....with 9 more to go..........what can of worms had we opened up here?
Obviously this aperture needed some work before we could make a template but, as we had busted the window we had to improvise a temporary cover from a piece of Home Depot 1/8" clear acrylic sheet.
Here we are duct taping the acrylic in place. What a great start to the project....not!
At this point, after all the problems we had with the starboard back window we decided to leave the bigger one on the port side until we had our 'extraction system' down pat! Instead, we decided to work our way forward down the starboard side of the cabin to see what new delights Circe had in store for us.....she had plenty!
After all the problems with the first window we knew we needed some changes in our MO, so we brought out the Dremel Multi-Max with the scraper attachment. It cut the caulk more easily and things went a lot quicker....at least on the inside.
Having solved the cutting of the inside caulk we were still struggling with the outside. Getting at the caulk between the lip of the window frame and the cabin wall was a problem. We tried a couple of hook-blade glazing knives and spatulas but they didn't work well, especially at the bottom of the side windows. In that area there isn't much room to work, with the turn of the deck and the closeness of the genoa car track. Eventually, in a moment of creative madness we clamped an old hook-tip sheet metal scriber in a small pair of vice grips and....voila!
Not very elegant but it ripped the silicone out like a champ, speeding things up considerably. Just as we felt we had the window removal technique down, we ran slap into our next disaster....well it is an old boat, right?
While cutting the interior caulk around the centre window on the starboard side we found soft spots in the interior plywood along the lower edges. The window had obviously been leaking for ever, causing a major case of rot, hidden under the naugahyde nightmare! We pulled off the hand rail and stripped the vinyl back to see the extent of the cancer. It was bad, and the aft window was also affected.
(check later in the post for an 'after' shot of this area, left)
And so we plodded on, all around the cabin. Every window had excessive amounts of sealant and most of them had loose vinyl all round due to rusted and disintegrating staples. (Don't get us started on the subject of staples!) As we were now committed to replacing the vinyl covering the side walls we ripped it all out, but we did try to preserve the vinyl on the front ceiling.
Erratic weather slowed things down for a few days here and there but eventually we pulled all the windows out. We cut each one out in turn using the Dremel on the inside goop and the Scriber on the outside then we cleaned up the edges of the apertures.
Fortunately, none of the other apertures were quite as bad as the first one, although one had bad gelcoat damage around the edges. As predicted by Bomon there were a lot of size and shape variations. The biggest adjustments will be modifying the corners of the apertures to accept the corner radii of the Boman window frames, which are a bit smaller than the factory frame.
The next step was making a heavy paper template for each aperture and then shipping them all off to Bomon. The new windows were promised in 6 weeks so we had to temporarily re-install the old ones while we waited.
To re-install the old windows we first had to clean up the frames. With all the silicone we cut out during removal plus the stuff we scraped off the edges of the apertures plus what was left on the frames, we guesstimated Islander must have used more than a dozen tubes of caulk to install the 10 windows. It was ugly!
Finally, after everything was cleaned up, we replaced the windows. We temporarily held them in place with duct tape and kept our fingers crossed for fair weather until the new windows came from Bomon. We had originally thought we would have a few weeks time for other projects while waiting for the new windows to be built but, having found the rot in the starboard cabin wall, we were right back at it!
The first job was to cut out all the rotten plywood from the cabin side walls. Out came the Dremel again, along with a hammer and chisel, to rough out the worst of the rot. As soon as we started work we found that the handrail reinforcing wood, behind the plywood cladding at the turn of the cabin sidewall, was totally rotted away. This wood anchors the handrail that runs the length of the main cabin. (which explains why it was a bit loose!)
As we opened up more of the problem area we found more rot....both wet and dry varieties.
Thanks to the highly efficient wicking capabilities of the naugahyde nightmare, the rot had extended further than we first thought.
We considered using Git-Rot to try and save some of the original wood but in the end, to be safe, we chopped everything out back to the fiberglass cabin wall.
Once again the Dremel shines! The Multi-Max was ideal for getting into the corners where the rotted wood had been epoxied on the back side. The epoxy had formed a perfect seal at the back of the reinforcing wood, thus helping to hold the water in.
What a mess.....well, its an old boat right!
After all the rotten wood had been removed we started to replace it. The reinforcing beam was the first to be replaced. It was a custom triangular section that we had to have reproduced in mahogany by Rutherfords Boat Yard a local shop in Point Richmond. Here are the first few pieces of new reinforcement being epoxied back in place.
Another view of the new pieces going in.
All the new handrail reinforcing wood epoxied in place. Next will be replacement of the cabin wall cladding.
Here is the first new piece of 1/4" Hydrotek high performance marine plywood cladding going in. We got ours at a local supplier, MacBeath Lumber in Berkeley.
A shot of a test fitting of the new cabin wall liner and the bracing boards outside the cabin. (Note the gelcoat damage all around the starboard aft window aperture)
Second piece of cladding going in.
We used the same technique for clamping but added another board to clamp the bottom edge because the cabin wall starts to curve in two directions under the middle window.
Same for the last, forward corner. Because of the compound curves in the cabin wall we had to section the front piece, which required some creative clamping.
Here is a shot of the stbd middle and forward cabin wall liners clamped to the bracing boards. The aft liner has already cured and the braces have been removed. Note the penetrating epoxy applied around the outside surfaces of the wall liners before assembly.
All cladding epoxied in place, ready to trim and re-cut window apertures.
We used the Ryobi laminate trimmer to cut the apertures, using the edge of the window as a guide.
No, its not a blurred photo.........this shot shows how much dust we made....a real mess. Oops, no particle mask.......my bad! It took two hours to clean up the results of 10 minutes spent cutting out three apertures!
First window aperture cut out, two more to go.
All starboard side apertures cut and old windows temporarily re-installed (again) until the new Bomon windows arrive.
This 'after' shot and the one below were taken from the same position as the 'before' shots earlier in this post. They show the area of worst rot between the starboard centre and aft windows with all the wood now replaced.
Good as new.....probably better! The angle of this shot really shows the severe deterioration of the old plastic window panes Now, where are those new windows?
We moved over to the port side windows wondering what was in store there but we got a lucky break....finally! As we noted earlier in this post the windows on the port side had been replaced some time in the past and, although they had some small leaks, there was very little rot in evidence under the vinyl. There were only a couple of bad spots in the plywood cladding around two corners of the aft window and a bit around the sides of the forward one, but nothing like the disaster on the starboard side.
The handrail reinforcing wood on the port side was rot free and solid.....Yeah! As we went round preparing for the new windows we ripped out the naugahyde nightmare completely, including the underside. We will build something more appropriate once the new windows are in.
A small area of moderate rot was localised in the plywood cladding at the back edge and lower corner of the aft window..........
........and around all the edges of the forward one, but nothing too terrible.
Thanks to the trusty Dremel, a hammer and chisel we quickly chopped out the bad plywood cladding and replaced it with Hydratek, using the same clamping technique we 'invented' on the starboard side. This is the port forward window, it needed fresh wood all round.
This is the port aft window, it's problems were limited to the rear edge and the back half of the top edge.
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With all the plywood cladding replaced we were ready to start putting things back together. The first step was to re-attach the edges of the headliner. No way were we going to use staples, not even stainless ones! We screwed a thin batten along the top of the cabin walls on both sides to capture the vinyl.
The new windows finally arrived from Bomon.....! They were delivered on a wooden pallet in a very rugged package that weighed over 200 lbs. We had to break down the skid on the sidewalk and then round up some muscle on the dock to help carry them down to the boat. With all that glass and metal they were heavy!
This shot shows the port side back window made with a hinge so that we could get some ventilation into the galley area without having the companionway open all the time. Here it is, on the right.....hope it works! We had both the hinged window and the window on the starboard side of the companionway made from clear glass for improved lighting of the nav station and galley plus better visibility between cockpit and cabin. All the rest of the windows are 40% gray tint.
We decided to install the small windows on the front ceiling first. We had ripped out all the 'naugahyde nightmare' on the cabin sides while fixing the rotten wood but we were very careful removing the front widows so we could save the vinyl in that area. Here is the Bomon template positioned to mark the aperture areas that need to be reprofiled to suit the new windows.
Here is a pic of the corner of a typical window aperture showing one of the corner areas marked from the template and ready to be opened out for the smaller corner radius Bomon windows. Also visible is the ragged, freehand factory cut-out and the resulting gelcoat damage. This boat was not carefully built!
Here is the Bomon supplied neoprene seal being applied to the window flange.
And here are the windows in place. It all worked out very well and the windows look really good, although the vinyl still carries some slight traces of the excess silicon slathered on at the factory.
Externally the new windows look fantastic, 1000% better than the plastic frame originals. 2 down, 8 to go.
One little problem we overlooked with the two small ceiling windows was that we couldn't re-use our existing Peek-a-Booo shades. The Bomon windows are all made with a different radius in the corners so the Peek-a-Booo's don't fit. We will have to buy new shades.
The Admiral dumping the old windows, and good riddance to them!
Next up are the port side windows. They also needed some work on the corners of the apertures due to the difference in radius between the Bomon windows (2"R) and the plastic originals (2.5"R).
Whenever the wind picked up we had to build a windbreak and a tent to capture the sanding dust, so that we didn't get a nasty-gram from the Harbourmaster for polluting the marina!
Here is a shot showing all the port side windows installed. Sharp! When the trim is re-varnished She'll look even better. 5 down, 5 to go.
Port side again, this time a long shot. The Old Girl is really starting to look quite presentable.
Here is a shot of the heat treated glass stamp on each Bomon window.
Same routine for the starboard side, except that some gelcoat repair will be needed around the edges of the aft window. This shot shows the 2" drum sander that we were using to re-profile the corners of the apertures to suit the Bomon windows. We used a 110v pistol drill to drive the sander because it requires a lot of power and we couldn't keep up with all the battery re-charging for the cordless drill.
Here is the starboard forward window installed, 6 down, 4 to go.
Here are all the starboard windows installed. 8 down 2 to go.
(The stbd aft window will have to come out again later to repair the damaged gelcoat around the edge of the aperture. That job will be detailed in a separate post)
Back wall of the cabin, starboard side. 9 down, 1 to go. We plugged the hole for the auto pilot control head. It will be covered by a decorative trim plate, the Autohelm will be replaced by a CPT or Raymarine and the control will be relocated to the steering pedestal.
10 down, 0 to go. Last, but definitely not least, the back wall of the cabin, port side. The opening feature is great, no more standing in a cloud of steam while cooking spaghetti! It also makes for a convenient pass-through between the galley and cockpit.
Here is a shot of the window open. Ideally we would have liked the hinge at the top but Bomon couldn't engineer it due to the curvature of the top edge of the window. No matter....it still satisfies our primary goals; fresh air in the galley without the companionway open and a convenient pass through between the galley and cockpit. Wait a sec you say.....what about the two plastic windows in the companionway 'bat wings'?
Good catch we say, but they will also soon be history. The bat wing door/hatch board set up has been an irritation ever since we moved aboard. It just isn't practical for the frequent live aboard traffic. So, we're ditching the hatch boards and getting new full length doors from Zarcor with interchangeable window panels; opaque, mesh vent or see-through to suit every condition.
This was a big project that turned into a mega project. It burned up several months of time, not because the window installation was particularly difficult but because of all the collateral problems with wood rot detailed above. Also, living aboard while doing it all was another complication. However, now its done we're just tickled with the results and feel that all the pain was well worthwhile.
The 10 new Bomon windows were quite expensive at approx. $3500.00 delivered but they are very rugged, they look great, they are not affected by UV, they don't scratch, they don't fog, they seal reliably without needing 10 lbs of caulk, any one of them can be removed and replaced in less than 30 minutes without destroying the cabin wall covering and they will last the life of the boat! One more item off 'The List'.
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