Removed deadlights and discovered gap between the inner liner and outer side deck.

[MarkusK]

Replacing our deadlights. There is a gap between the inner liner and outer side deck. What is the best way to cope with this?

The factory solution was to just fill the gap with silicon. The inner aluminium frame is purely cosmetic…it does not touch the outer aluminium frame.

One of the issues with these long windows (~74” long) is deck flexing due to that long unsupported gap. I will be adding some vertical posts to the outer frame, but what can I do to further strengthen the actual opening?

[roverhi]

If they filled the gap with sillycone you are basically screwed. It will be nearly impossible to get the sillycone off the interior of liner and cabin side. Without removing all traces of the sillycone nothing will stick in the gap. You'll be stuck with two separate pieces that don't lend any structural strength to each other.

On my Pearson 35 one of the ports openings had been cut oversized in one corner so there was less than a 1/4" overlap of the window frame. By all the different types of caulk I found in the area, assume it had leaked since the boat was new. Before I glued the cabin side and liner to each other I resealed the port with butyl and it never leaked again.

Eventually reglassed the cabin sides and installed 3 opening ports in place of the two fixed ports which was when I epoxied the liner to the cabin side.

[mlydon]

I would suggest:
Pull all the silicon - aggressively. Use 202 solvent cleaner
Grind aggressively both interior walls of the gap - lots of ‘tooth’
Fit some wood in the gap, SLIGHTLY below edge of cutout
Glue in with thickened epoxy - total coverage, right up to the cutout
Countersink in non-visible band around the opening under the flanges for #8 or #10 flat head screws long enough to grab the wood in the gap. Shot of epoxy in each hole as you drive the screws.
This should tie the doghouse and liner together pretty well.

Matt