BC26 : Leaking Window

[AndyB]

Well its been raining hard recently and a drip ( slow) has started on the main window. You can see it in the picture attached.

The proper answer is to remove the window re-seat but I don't really want to do that. I thought if I just re-seal the outside again because it is such a slow small drip it may keep the place dry and give me time to decide what to do.

Does anyone have any experience of this and does anyone know what type of sealant I should use?

Has anyone removed the window....
Thanks in advance....

[Sea Simon]

Maybe try a little "capt tolleys creeping crack cure" for now, may keep you going until winter refit?

On amazon prime at a good price.

Just used some on a household weepy wc waste pipe joint...worked well.

[Nick Orchard]

Hi Andy
Leaky front windows - yes common problem on early BC26's unfortunately. Easily solved though: I put the plastic fruit bowl under the left side and the casserole dish under the right side.

Seriously though, SY have realised that they made a mistake on the early boats (fixed a couple of years ago I think) because they didn't apply a U/V screen before fitting the window. Without this screen, (called a frit), the sealer degrades in U/V light and loses its stick.
I've had a couple of attempts at re-sealing a couple of areas on the outside and all the way round on the inside using Sikaflex 291i with variable results. It seems to work for a while, but water has an ability to find its way around most attempts to stop it getting in, so I still have small drips in the corners, hence the bowls. One of the problems of applying the Sikaflex is masking everything to avoid getting the stuff everywhere.

I was a little worried about the possibility of the whole window coming out while at sea, so I've put a bolt through it at each corner. This has its own drawbacks in that you're drilling four more holes for the water to get in, but I'd rather live with the leaks than be permanently worried about having no window at all.
The only real solution is to take the window out, apply a frit and put it back again. Matt tells me that this is not a difficult job and is perfectly feasible for a DIY'er, but I haven't been brave enough to have a go yet.

[AndyB]

Hi Both,
Thanks for your advice. I do have both products. I will try creeping crack on the outside and put some sikaflex  on the inside.

Nick I have what looks like a rubber seal around the outside of the window. I thought it was bolted on already so that is a concern as I have been in some waves coming in and out of Portsmouth. Next time I am at the boat I will take a picture of the rubber seal to see if it is what you have. I am going to the boat show in Southampton so maybe have a chat with Matt. Still waiting for the correct angles for the rudders.
It seems to me that you take off the current Sikaflex and replace it by 295UV which is weather resistance. I suspect the taking off will be frustrating.

Thanks both

[Nick Orchard]

The window surround certainly looks like a rubber seal, but when I tried to take it out I found that it was all adhesive/sealer. Somehow SY have a method of making a very neat job of finishing the sealer surrounding the window so that it looks very smooth and even, so appears to be a rubber seal, but it's not.

As you correctly suspect, getting the old sealer out is b*** difficult. It's quite thick and you need a very sharp knife, and it's easy to slip and scratch both the window and the frame, with the ever-present risk of a serious amount of blood. Adding more sealer around the inside edge of the window is easier to do neatly provided you mask everything well, but it would be better to find a way to seal the outside better without having to remove the existing sealer. Perhaps there's a liquid product that could be applied around the edge that would find it's way down where the water goes, but then sets solid. This is basically how I sealed a leak between the deck and hull join using epoxy, but the potential for making a mess if tried on the windscreen is much greater.

Attached is a photo of my rather messy attempt at resetting the right hand end of the window, and also shows the bolts I used. (Zoom in to see the detail better). You can also see the blacker areas under the acrylic where I don't think it's sticking properly. An additional advantage of the bolts, apart from stopping the window falling out, is that you can tighten them up and apply more pressure to the window/sealer/window frame interfaces, so hopefully improving the sealing.

By the way, the bolt that you see from the outside is actually the nut, it's a barrel nut which looks reasonably neat I think. You need to make sure that you drill a reasonable clearance hole through the acrylic to avoid the barrel of the nut putting sideways stresses on the acrylic and potentially cracking it. Also if I did it again I'd use a drill guide to make sure the hole goes through at right angles to the screen surface. I did it by eye and not very well, so the undersides of the washers aren't quite flat on the screen so the rubber washers don't seal so well.

[Sea Simon]

Nick,

"Perhaps there's a liquid product that could be applied around the edge that would find it's way down where the water goes, but then sets solid."

That'll be Capt. Tolleys then!

[Nick Orchard]

I'd not heard of Capt. Tolley's before - looks ideal, I'll give it a go, thanks.

[Sea Simon]

I don't  know what's  in it, but it seems to result in reasonably  priced (temporary?) Fixes...


"Capt. Tolley's Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure
About this product
This penetrating water based, co-polymer sealant is formulated to be so thin that it finds its way INSIDE fine cracks by capillary action, and sets to a clear flexible seal. Compatible with wood, rubber, glass, metals, perspex, glass fibre, ceramics, concrete, brickwork and old sealants. Will not disolve polystyrene. Uses about the house Leaks in flat roofs and conservatories; cracks in slates; brickwork & concrete."

https://captaintolley.com/

[AndyB]

I taped off the window to find where the water was leaking in. I found that the window actually sits on top of the Sikaflex though presumably when wet it was pushed in hence the lovely edge. So the water seems to leak in where the window joins the Sikaflex not where the Sikaflex joins the boat.

This is all theory. So I have now put on 4 applications of creeping crack and they seem to disappear into the very small cracks in the join. It is amazing to watch. But will it work.

I am ( for the first time when it comes to sailing) praying for rain! Then see if it has worked.

[Nick Orchard]

I spoke to Matt at the Boat Show and asked him which sealer/adhesive they now use for fixing the windows. The answer is either Sikaflex 295 UV or Bostik Construction Adhesive. When I did my repair I used Sikaflex 291i but looking at it closely now it's not looking too good after a couple of years, with shrinkage and discolouration, so don't use that. He didn't wasn't sure which particular Bostik adhesive they use but the one they sent me after I had a problem not long after the boat was new was the Bostik Simson MSR sealant/adhesive from the Marine Special Range, so it's probably still that. He also said that they apply the UV masking frit on the outside of the screen.
I've got my bottle of Capt Tolley's but haven't had a chance to get to the boat recently, so not tried it out yet. I'll be interested to hear how it's doing on your boat Andy, now that you've had some rain.

[Sea Simon]

Now I know what a "frit" is (had to look it up) my boat has 4 windows, no frits...at all...

One side window leaked, v badly. Fixed with 291i, I because I had one open at the time.

How do the yard apply the Frit?

[AndyB]

I went down to the boat today and there were no leaks so it appears to have worked but it is early days. I shall apply a few more applications and then keep a close eye.

I am not sure how heavy the rain was but there were thunderstorms. A good result so far but will wait a bit longer before I am happy with result.