Most of my port glass went south over the last couple of years . .
.Wandering Star is a 79 . . . so I needed to replace the glass in all 13
ports. . . it is an ugly job . . . getting the replacement safety glass is
easy though expensive finding, extracting, replacing the small brass screws
difficult . . . On mine the screws were an odd size and I could only find
them via the internet . . . use the best bolt release product your auto
store sells . . . and soak the screws in the port repeatedly for several
days . . . you will break off significantly less screws . . . be sure when
you wire brush that you don't grind down the screw heads. Be sure and wear a
mask when if using a wire wheel on the brass . . . it seriously upset you
respiratory system

I popped the pins and removed each of the ports . . . you will need a long
thin punch

Each port is unique . . find a way to be sure that all the parts from each
port stay with that port . . . they are interchangeable but work
significantly better if you keep each port together . . . be sure and make
the replacement glass large enough . . . the ports on WS were all slightly
different in size and shape .. . . a single pattern worked for all but be
sure and base your replacement pattern on the one of the largest . .

Naval Jelly and 00 steel wool will bring the ports to a nice shine and then
you can coat the inside of the port with a clear acrylic 3+ coats and they
will stay nice and shiny
I used 5200 . . . then I used an exacta knife to clean up the glass after
they the ports had cured for several days . . . -

I would recommend getting tinted safety glass as replacements . . .
___________________

Years ago I installed round ports in the V berth . . . they are the best
thing I ever did to the boat . . . huge improvement in ventilation . . .
just wonderful . .
___________________

This winter I am going to make up some emergency patches for the regular
ports, circular V berth ports, and Butterfly hatches . . . They have to be
able to be installed from the interior . . . by one person . . . anybody
have any design ideas?????

Paul Braschi
Wandering Star Baba 35

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Received on Fri Sep 15 09:20:42 2006