I have a 2002 38 Prout cat and a few of my bigger GEBO hatches have spider like cracks in the glass. They have never leaked but I am sceptical about sending them out for glass replacement. Does anyone have experience with this and if new hatches are in order for offshore is Lewmar the best choice?
Annette
Is it glass or lexan? Spider like crazing on lexan or arcylic is from cleaning and wiping them with rags. Doesn't hurt anything, you can get a good fiberglass polish and a buffer wheel and get those out if they aren't really old and deep... but if it's glass-glass with timey cracks, I'd replace them with lexan even if it's thicker.
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the perfect dive boat is one you're on...
Gebo says they are Lexan but the star pattern looks like tempered glass. I have never used a rag or chemicals on them and this is only affecting a few of the hatches. this suddenly occured this spring - after the rough winter.
Take some very fine abrasive, like tooth paste and a cotton tee-shirt rag material and rub the corner of one and see if you can shine it up. If you can, and it appears the surface glazes over then you can easily make these look like new.
Give it a try... then search for some acrylic polish at a hardware store or marine supply and give em hell...
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the perfect dive boat is one you're on...
I'm told that household glass cleaners containing ammonia cause crackling in lexan windows. If you look at them closely you can see if the cracks are deep. I have not heard of anyone stepping through a badly crazed window, so you can live with them, but you will eventually want to replace at least the lenses. Unfortunately, the few places that do this charge enough to make buying whole new ports a consideration. It may have something to do with the labor of cleaning off the old mastic. A place in Annapolis offered a considerable discount If I brought the old lens and a thoroughly cleaned frame to them. If they can't find a solvent that will clean that goop off, I probably won't either!
The following is shamelessly purloined from an older post by Gord:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...hes-13246.html
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Gord May
~~_/)_~~ (Gord & Maggie - s/v"Southbound")
"If you didn't have time/$ to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
I agree totally with Sandy (and am in the process of replacing all of my portlights/hatches). The new Lewmaroffshore hatches have lenses that can be replaced by the owner as they utilize a replaceable gasket and the hatch frame is in two pieces.