Fit check - so pretty I did expect them to be a bit darker but so much better than what I had!
Also - has anyone enlarged their windows? The lexan is MUCH larger than the window cut outs. I could add about 5 inches to the forward windows and about 2 inches to the aft windows.
Here's where the forward cut out ends on the window:
The port lights look good;
not sure whether a larger opening would compromise structural integrity; most likely it would not, but others on the board might offer better insight.
When (and if) you make your structural cuts,
I would suggest first making a template out of wood with the inner section of the template cut out and shaped to the size of opening you want.
That way you could attach the template to the fiberglass with double-sided tape,
make your rough cut and then trim with a router.
Not even the MacGregor factory could manage a better cut.
Once installed, the new port lights would be enough to make even a beagle howl with delight.
Also - has anyone enlarged their windows? The lexan is MUCH larger than the window cut outs. I could add about 5 inches to the forward windows and about 2 inches to the aft windows.
I think the inner liner is laminated to the outer cabin around the window openings. Don't know how far this extends, but where the screw holes are on my D boat, it is clearly a double wall......... meaning the lamination around the window openings doesn't go very far.
I thought about doing this also, but decided not to because I didn't want to end up having to bond the two parts back together.
If I were to do this though, I would have some Epoxy and chopped strand glass on hand to mix and stuff into the void areas, after cutting the opening larger.
If you want to install the windows and have when not leak but be able to easily remove them try butyl tape. Works nice and comes off easily. Maybe not the best for permanent application around windows but would keep the water out until you paint. Check out the video of deck hardware installation on YouTube. http://youtu.be/4Upksj19lyU
At Lotus Cars we used to use butyl tape to install the windshields in the Lotus Esprit cars - it stuck nicely to the windows and fiberglass bodies and allowed the windshield to be used as a structural member, integral with the car body. That being said, we also squirted in a bead of 3M sealant around the edge of the windshield to finish the job.
I just replaced my windows on my V-22. I went to a plastic fab shop, they sold me a sheet of amber plex and the rubber seal material for $20. It was enough to make three windows in case I screwed one up. I clamped the old window over the plex and used a straight top bearing router bit to cut them out. I used "Bed-it butyl Bedding tape to seal the window.
The reason the plexi was so cheap was it was a scrap left over from another job. Silicon is hard to separate from a substrate, try using monofilament fishing line to cut it loose. DBF SS399/SS311 & SS482
Just noticed that I never finished the story. So I did make the cuts and enlarged the windows. Worked great and allows much more light inside the boat now. The downside that I didn't think about was that the curtain rods in the cabin are now a bit off as the windows are longer than before so the center of the rod is no longer the center. However the curtains do cover 100% of the windows, the material just need to be pulled taut. I'll post some photos once all the $%^@^!@# ice and snow is gone here in Northern Virginia.
Here's a photo from late summer 2015 after I finished the windows. By the way - go heavy with the epoxy. I didn't, because I was trying not to make a mess and I had a couple of minor leaks that I had to go back and beef up the epoxy.
I did expect them to be a bit darker but so much better than what I had!
