Leaking Portholes 2000 396

[RussL]

I just picked up my "new to me" 396 Carver! Runs well, and is in reasonably good condition throughout with the exception of a couple thing I notice when I took her out. The portholes in the front birth leak when they are hit with spray. It appears that it is coming in between the seal and the glass. I did some web searching and can't seem to find the seal or exactly what the porthole unit would be called for after market. Carver site calls it PRTHL:Oval SS w/Deep Ring, Part Number 7330900. Is there a place for me to cross reference their part numbers? Has anyone replaced these Ring seals before? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Russ

[bud37]

Welcome to the forum.....is the glass tight against the seal ?

[RussL]

Thanks! It seems to be. I did adjust the set screws to tighten them, but I didn't see any significant improvement.

[RussL]

I did a little work on this yesterday. I took the gasket out and found water and salt inside the stainless channel that it sits in. It appears that it is leaking around the gasket and not actually between the glass and the gasket. There is some residue of silicone in the channel. Not use if that is original or someone's attempt to fix it before. Should the gasket be bedded in? If so, what do you recommend? 4000? 4200?

[AaHubb]

The portlights were made by Bomar/Pompanette. You should be able to find parts at many boating suppliers.
..Aaron

[RussL]

Thanks AaHubb. I would still like to have an answer to my last question. Does anyone know if the know if the gaskets are supposed to be bedded in silicone?

[km1125]

Pics might help. The gaskets on mine (different boat) are a self-adhesive rubber. You could buy it buy the foot from Pompanette or general retailers. I replaced all mine several years ago and it was pretty straightforward.

[RussL]

[RussL]

After looking at these. the screen is attached to the deep gasket with silicon and then inserted into a channel roughly 1/2" deep. I went out on a limb and put a thin bead of silicone in the channel and then shot the windows over night. The leak around them appears to be solved.

One however, has a minor leak coming out from under the stainless flange in the front stateroom. Has anyone ever re-bedded these? Anything I should look out for before I start unscrewing things?

[chpsk8]

I haven't rebed the portholes yet, but it looks fairly simple. Unscrew, pry them out, clean it up. Use lifecaulk for the seal to the hull, screw them back in.
You can also apply some mineral spirits to the rubber seal to make them more pliable. They will puff up a bit and seal better. Good for dried out seals.