Hey everybody,
I have a
Pearson Triton which regularly resists whatever
maintenance project I have planned. The latest was to install new gaskets in my opening
portlights. Instead of working in a twisted position, I thought it would be easier to remove the
interior half of the portlight (with the glass) and
work on a flat surface. I tried removing the hinge pins which connect the two halves and instead of success, I broke the portlight.
I have a set of six oval
portlights, and they're all
aluminum, and all seem to be turning to dust. Chalky, dull, etc. I looked at the broken one in my hand and thought: "Well, the rest of them are probably in about as good of shape."
I ended up
buying a set of six
bronze portlights from a
salvage / "nautical decor" shop in
Newport Beach. I was extremely happy to find them. What I didn't look at closely enough is the fact that my old portlight has curvature cast into the frame to accommodate the curvature of the
cabin roof. (This is the forward facing light.) The new portlight's exterior half sits nicely in the middle but see-saws on either side with about a 1/4" gap between the
bronze and the
boat.
So, as things always do, the
project has escalated beyond initial conception. My first thought was to make wooden spacer rings that would fit to the side of the
boat and provide a flat surface for the portlight frame to sit on. The exterior dimensions of the portlight are about 8 inches wide and 6.5 inches tall. So I can't use my jigsaw to make them. I took a scrap piece of
plywood and tried hand
sanding the profile, but I won't keep my sanity that way - VERY slow. I don't have a belt sander, but I could get one or borrow one to remove the material. It seems like it might be imprecise.
I think the tool for the job is a bandsaw but I don't have one. I've been asking around to friends and acquaintances. I'll need an
interior ring as well, so the bandsaw seemed like the perfect solution because I'll get both pieces at once with one cut.
Another thought that passed my mind was to trowel in some kind of filler in the gaps but I don't know how structurally sound that will be.
Has anyone dealt with this, or a similar challenge? Is there another tool that I haven't thought of that will do the job? Any other suggestions or hints?
Thanks.