Window leaks

[waybomb]

Just a quick reminder - use tape on both sides of the caulk joint. Once done cauliking and bedding, use your finger or a tool to run along the exposed caulk and make it look nice, then simply pull the tape up and you'll have a pro looking finish.

BoatLife does not come off easy. Very messy to work with. But great stuff.

[Seif911]

Thanks, I definitely would not have remembered. The sills and wood are very clean right now and the 1st treatment applied.

[Jab]

Some "before" pictures...
1978 Santa Cruz 2866, starboard windows

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[Seif911]

So how's the progress coming along Jab? I have a few good coats of epoxy and fill the corners with a epoxy filler. The weather is killing my progress! Very cold so things aren't drying properly and the rain is getting inside w/o any windows. Not too bad but enough to have water fill the tracks a little. On the plus side, I get to see how the water is flowing

[Seif911]

Man, that boat caulk is some nasty stuff. It sticks everywhere! So I have the sills ready, applied the caulk and dropped the new tracks in. Looking good.

[Jab]

I also found the epoxy a bit difficult. Partly my inexperience with it, partly the cold damp climate, partly the location.

I bedded the new track with 3M-4000UV. That seems to be working pretty well. I'm going to drill through the drain holes from the outside to restore the drainage from the track.

I'm considering sealing the forward window from the outside. I'm happy just having the small, rectangular rear portion able to slide forward. Since the larger forward window rides in the outer track, it would be simple to seal the window along the exterior teak. This would completely prevent water from entering about 2/3 of the window. Of course, any water entering the track from the back can potenially run forward the entire length of the track, but hopefully the smaller volume of water would drain more effectively.

At this point I've done the forward windows on both sides. I haven't decided if I'm going to use epoxy in the bottom of the rear window tracks, or try a different sealer...........

JB

[Jab]

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Under the old 2 channel track. Sealant (looks like clear silicone) gone in places, but tenacious in others. A bitch to remove. It had completely released from the plastic track, though, which simply lifted out once windows were removed. Obviously no longer providing a water seal.

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New track bedded. Windows replaced.

[Seif911]

Morn',
I am still on one side for the windows. I am just finishing up by protecting any and all of the exposed wood with Cetol. This is great stuff. It looks great and it seals and protects the wood. I like the Marine Light color tint. I'll take some pics soon. Great job with your windows. They are looking good.

[Jab]

Probably my last post on this thread. I'm 95% done and have moved on to other more pressing things before launch.

Sorry for the huge pix. I guess I should resize those before uploading.

In the "for what it's worth" department for anyone taking this on in the future, here are a few things to consider- (remembering I'm NOT an expert in boats, wood care, or etc. just 1 guy's experience....)

If you have an older Carver with window design similar to mine ('78 Santa Cruz 2866) and have a "window leak", the real problem is not your windows leaking. Look carefully at how the windows are seated at the bottom. They ride in a 2-channel track that rests in a wooden trough. The windows and track are designed to shunt most of the water into the track/trough, and out the exterior drain holes. It is inevitable that water will escape the track and enter the "trough". If/when the seal between the floor and interior board breaks down, you will have a leak. Fixing this means clearing the drain holes, maintaining/replacing the track, and maybe repairing the "trough" through some combination of wood care (replacement, sanding/restoring, sealing, epoxy, etc).
I don't know if the track I removed was original (I think it was). It was not 1 long piece in the bottom. There were separate tracks with gaps at the drain holes. In my opinion, this only increased the opportunity for the wood to break down. I installed the track as one long piece, but cut-out a 1" notch from the side at each drain hole. This allowed me to seal the base of the track to the floor of the wood trough along it's entire length. I think this will help.

I'm going to take the additional step of sealing a large portion of the window from the outside to limit water entry into the "trough". My windows have a large and small pane, and both can slide. I will mount the large panes in the outer track, and seal the pane along the exterior teak. I will also put some of the adhesive/sealant into the track (I'm using 3M 4000UV), allowing the small pane to slide, but preventing water from running up the track.

Good luck to others who take this on. Like most projects, if I had to do it again I could do it in about half the time. It came out fine, but was a bit of a "learn as you go" experience.

[Mariner]

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