Raritan Boat Cleaning Products Distributors Talk About the Benefit of Keeping Portlights in Good Condition

Darrell Nicholson

Raritan Boat Cleaning Products Suppliers Share Tips on How to Keep Your Portlights in Good Repair

Raritan Engineering your boat cleaning products manufacturers are excited to share with you this week information regarding the benefit of keeping your portlights clean.
Leaky portlights and hatches are one of the more frustrating projects to face on an old boat.
The best case scenarios are easiest to deal with, and these are usually the ones in which bedding has dried out and a simple removal, cleanup, and re-bed game plan is all it takes. When an acrylic (Plexiglas) or Lexan (polycarbonate) lens is removed, be very careful with solvents used to clean away old bedding because they can destroy the surface of once clear plastic.

Raritan Boat Cleaning Products Experts Discuss Further How Easy Portlight Maintenance Can Be

Your boat cleaning products suppliers talk about how to reattach the mechanically fastened lens, use a thick, adhesive butyl-rubber tape or equivalent bedding material instead of conventional tube-type sealants. (Practical Sailor testers have had good luck with Bomar hatch mounting tape.) Place the ¾-inch-wide bedding on the lens like thick tape, and squeeze in the mechanical joint between the lens and the cabin house. It acts like a compressed grommet as well as an adhesive seal. 
In all too many cases, the leak is a symptom rather than a problem. The underlying cause likely is that the holes in the monocoque structure create a loss of stiffness, resulting in excess cabin house flex. Rig loads carried to chainplates, mid-boom sheeting arrangements, and genoa track-induced flex can cause significant deflection. 
In some cases, the problem can be solved by reinforcing the inside perimeter of the aperture with a stiff metal surround or additional laminate. Without addressing the structural problems that led to the leak, the drip, drip, drip will no doubt start again.
Are spares available for my hatch or portlight?
Spare parts can be supplied for all our current hatch and portlight ranges. For older hatches which are no longer manufactured a selection of the most frequently requested spares is available. It is necessary to identify your hatch/portlight to determine which spares you will need.
How to identify my portlight?
There are some small differences between the Mk1 and the Mk2 hatches. Please have a look to see which one you have on your boat. This is very important for when it comes to ordering spare parts for you hatches.
My hatch/portlight is leaking. What should I do?
If a Lewmar hatch or portlight does start to leak it is important to establish the leak path. Where the water finally appears in side the boat is not always a good indication of the leak path. 
Possible leak paths are:
Under the lower frame. This is caused by insufficient bedding compound between the low frame and the deck, or the compound breaking down over time.
Between the lower frame and the rubber seal (gasket). This may be caused by the upper frame being distorted or a loss of seal pressure. Lay a straight edge along the sides of the hatch and also diagonally across the lid to check for twist. 
Between the acrylic and the upper frame. (Not Standard portlights and Concept hatches.) This is caused by a breakdown in the adhesion between the sealant and the upper frame or acrylic. 
Visit us at http://raritaneng.com/ and see how Raritan Engineering always has more information regarding your marine sanitation supply needs. 

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