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Luaun patterns for seaboard panels.. This stuff stinks.

Get Back to Work, Slackboy!

OK, what's the plan with the windows and pilothouse cabin walls? Here's the general outline:

Windows:
Mark Plastics in Corona CA made the originals. They still have the patterns, can make identical replacements, and get them to me for about $2600. The window and screen frames are plastic and cannot be opened for repair when needed later. The panes are 1/4" tempered glass instead of acrylic. Gone are the days of the forward opening windows. I'll have to put a hatch in the cabin top for airflow at anchor. Dang. My other option is Bomon, who can do it for about $3100 with aluminum window and screen frames that disassemble for repair. Bomon's windows meet ABYC standards. Not sure if Mark Plastics windows do. All other marine window manufacturing companies I discovered appeared to not have 2 inch radius corner making capability. The originals are 1-7/8" radius corners. If I go with a significantly different radius, I get into a bunch of glass fabrication and gel-coat matching to build the corners of the cutouts back up (thanks to Aeolus Gulf 32 blog for posts). Also some potential scale and aesthetic differences. Big list of boat window fabricators in case you're in this game, too:

American Marine Products, Inc.
http://americanmarine.com
1790 SW 13th Court
Pompano Beach, FL 33069-4715
TEL: 954-782-1400
FAX: 954-782-1404
Email: info@americanmarine.com


U.S.A. Marine Windows Mfg Inc.
http://www.marinewindowsmfg.com
http://www.usamarinewindows.com
5937 RavensWood Road Bay-H6
Dania Beach Florida, 33312
Tel-(954)-987-7707
Fax-(954)-987-7708
Email: marinewindows@usamarinewindows.com


Ocean Dynamics USA
http://www.oceandynamics.com
18377 N.E. 4th Court
Miami, Florida 33179
Tel: 305-770-1800
Fax: 305-770-0605
E-Mail: ocean@oceandynamics.com

Bomon Marine
http://www.bomon.com
1855 boul.industriel
Laval,Qc
H7S-1P5 Canada
Phone 450-668-3113
Watts 800-300-3113
Fax 450-668-3456
info@bomon.com
sales@bomon.com


Diamond Sea-Glaze Mfg. Ltd.
http://www.diamondseaglaze.com
26995 Gloucester Way
Langley, B.C.
Canada V4W 3Y3
Phone: (604) 607-0091
Or: 1-800-770-0455
Fax: (604) 607-0092
e-mail: info@diamondseaglaze.com


Peninsula Glass, Motion Windows
http://www.motionwindows.com
6005 NE 121st Ave
Vancouver, WA 98682
360-892-2029
800-468-4323
360-892-8152 fax
Email: http://www.motionwindows.com/contact.php


Freeman Marine
http://www.freemanmarine.com
28336 Hunter Creek Road, Gold Beach OR
1-888-373-3626
1-541-247-7078
1-541-247-2114 (fax)
email: info@freemanmarine.com


Waterway Systems LLC
http://www.waterwaysystems.com
Chuck MacTavish
7010 28th St Ct E, Unit 5
Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 752-3554 1-800-952-3886
email: windows@waterwaysystems.com


B & J Aluminum Windows
http://www.boatwindows.biz
Robert Broussard
PO Box 385
Loreauville, LA 70552
TEL: 337.229.4737
FAX: 800.621.1381
Email: http://www.boatwindows.biz/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=11

Cabin sides:
So, most pictures of boats I see with interior paneling show some areas of water intrusion and rot. The manufacturers generally slap the ply on the glass hull and run on to other tasks without taking the time (that they perceive as money) to prepare it for the marine environment. This guy goes into great detail on the subject. Anyway, I'm getting away from maintenance items wherever possible. I'm going to replace the teak ply with Seaboard, which is HDPE plastic, recycleable #2. It's food safe, inert in its product form, guaranteed not to delaminate, ever, as it's an extrusion, and I'll get white to brighten up the interior. Here's an example of interior white in the new Gulf 32 demo boat. I like. I'll order 2 sheets of 56" x 96" Seaboard at World Panel Products for about $345 and tote them home on top of my truck. My concerns with the Seaboard are:

• Dimensional stability: Following the estimation formula in the fabrication guide, the side panels could be expected to contract and expand in length by about 0.432 inches. Not a lot, and I can make room for it, but what happens when I fasten the Seaboard to the FRP with the recommended epoxy glue and a few retaining screws? Does it crack when the outer surface tries to expand and the inner surface is stuck firmly to the FRP? Does the FRP expand with it? It probably does not matter, but it'll bug me as long as we have the boat
• Transport: Can I get it to stay on the truck all the way home without damaging it? Probably. I'll put it on the roof rack, use the canoe gunwale (say "gun'l") stays to hold it in place, use wood clamps to hold it together, and use various bits of line to strap it to the roof rack. But I bet it's slippery stuff.
  

OK back to work

gotta keep on chiselin' old teak ply off of the FRP. fun fun. Bob stopped by to offer me a fan. He didn't realize I was toiling in air conditioned luxury. While we were chatting, he said that I am
"tough." been thinking about that. I always thought I was a bit of a weenie. Perceptions...

Vision

So, this is not what I see as I'm puttering about. I'll post the photo of what I DO see when I get there... May be awhile...

Buddy

My little buddies have moved back in. I've been slinging mud dobber nests full of their grubs and stunned spider dins.

Zow!

Big a-badduh storm! Boat's a-shakin, lightning's a-zappin, i'm a-
drinking a beer.