Lady's Window Gasket Solution

By Macy Galbreath and Bill Rothert, Lady 37VT08

The following text originally appeared on the LNVT Forum, 30 July 2007

There have been a number of articles in Tuggers about various
materials and procedures, and on the website a couple of owners have offered their solutions. Bill and I looked at all of them and even tried 3 of the different materials. We have finally made a decision and have completed one window on LADY, hull 8. For us, it seems to be the easiest and cheapest and offers the best chance for windows that move easily.

What we found in researching materials for our boat is this:

1. There are NO window channels made for 3/8-inch glass. So
whatever you select is a compromise.
2. The channels and glass must vary slightly from boat to boat
since some materials seem to work fine on one boat, but not on ours. You may want to try samples before deciding.

We selected AS1340, flexible flocked lining all rubber, made by
American Standard. It was made to accommodate glass thicknesses from 3/16 to 7/32 inches. Nan Mader and Ted Leader had used it on MIKFIN, hull 51. Nan and Ted live nearby and we went over and looked at their completed windows. We found that the material relaxes and flattens out to accept 3/8-inch glass. You can look at the specs for it at www.stanpro.com, then select window channels. It comes in 96" lengths enough to do one window and runs about $15. We ordered it from our local glass company.

Nan and Ted did not even take their windows apart, nor glue it in
they just slipped the material around in place. You can read about it in Tuggers Spring 2005.

We, however, took our window apart. First, we cut the seal on the fixed window so it would slide giving access to the screws that hold its frame in place. We took the frame and window out. The frame for the sliding glass on LADY is not held in with anything and slides out easily. Be careful, the glass is heavy. We cleaned all the frames and glass to remove dirt, silicone, and rust. We then worked to put the channel in beginning and ending at the end where the frame opens to allow us to put the glass back in. We took pictures as we went along and they are posted in a gallery on the website. We put two small notches on the inside of each corner and cut away the front rubber at the two drain holes. We glued it in place with 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive 08008.

Final result is still to be determined. Our window barely moves we are hoping with time and use that it will relax like MIKFIN's. Our problem seems to be that we have very little play top to bottom and that is where it is too tight using this material. If this does not loosen up, then we may only put the channel on the two sides and bottom on the rest of the windows that we want to move easily.

We tried an edge-felt for between the windows and it is not thick
enough. We will replace it with household closed cell foam
insulation which is what we took off the window.

For those of you who want to look at other materials, these are the ones we know about, who used them, and our feelings about them:

1. AS1264 (same window dimensions) was used by Ken Smith on POLAR MIST (49), hull 7 and written up in Tuggers, Fall 2006. Bill and I purchased it and had no success grinding it down to fit, although Ken did and his windows look terrific. It can be viewed at www.stanpro.com. Since we purchased enough for 11 windows, we have 8 or 9 lengths left which we would make a deal on to an interested party. It can be ordered from most local glass companies.

2. Y57796 was used by Andy Mutch on LOON, hull 57, Annapolis,
MD. It is a C. R. Laurence Co. product, CRL Marine Glass Run Channel with polished stainless steel wrap. A 96-inch piece runs about $65, which is why we did not get a sample. Andy says their windows move easily, even though it is made for �-inch glass. You can look at it on line www.crlaurence.com. Enter part number in search box. If you are in the Chesapeake area, you may want to take a look at LOON's windows. It can be ordered from local glass companies.

3. 21114541901C was used by Jay Sterling on CRUZ-IN, hull 74,
Sanbornville, NH. It, too, is a C.R. Laurence product and can be
viewed on their website. It comes in a 100 ft. roll for about $150.
It has electrogalvanized steel core with black poly-pile cover and
fits 5/16 glass. However, it is not recommended for marine
environment, and was still too tight for our window. You may want to see Jay's windows.

Bill and I have samples of the two StanPro products. I can also
provide people with copies of the two Tugger articles if you don't have them. Call or email us.

window1.jpg
Loosen fixed window and remove screws

window2.jpg
Take out screws on fixed frame

window3.jpg
Cut drainage notches in front

window4.jpg
Insert channel with glue

window5.jpg
Allow glue to dry (use forms in corners)

window6.jpg
Gentle help as tracks are hard to get in
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