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Subject: wooden boat windows
Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998

Dr Rot,

i have a wooden grand banks. the problem i am having is that the windows leak. all the weep holes are clean and water flows. the window seam base have cracks in the plastic. in some places, the base is gone. nevertheless, the windows are moving/sliding properly. besides the moving windows, there are also stationary ones.

would any of your products, on proper use, somehow seal off the frames and stop the water from coming in?

it will be very difficult (ie: expensive) to remove the windows from the frames to replace the windows channels. i may be able to change it in sections without removing the windows. would your product(s) make my life easier?

Cecil,

I understand your problem. Ideally, as you suggest, the channels should be replaced, because most likely that's where the water is seeping through. As an alternative to doing that (or in addition), you might use some of our Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) flooded into the window channels to seal off the wood. I would apply it at least 2 times, probably three. This should be done when the wood is dry. It will also resist any rot from getting started.

Thicker epoxies would be an alternative, such as Glovit, but I'm afraid that would give you a mess, since they don't penetrate wood nearly to the degree that the CPES does. As it is, even using the CPES, you'll have to be careful you don't epoxy the sliding windows to the tracks/wood. You'll have to do it coat-by-coat, giving it about 3 days between each application, being sure that after about 4-5 hours you slide the window to make sure it is staying free.

I would say that if this doesn't solve the problem (and with leaks you never know!) then you are faced with having to pull the windows and replace the tracks. As I suggested, even then I would use the CPES as a rot-resistance measure.

It shouldn't take much CPES, unless it starts disappearing down cracks. The 2-pint kit will give you a quart of mixed liquid, or the 2-quart kit a half-gallon. We do ship within 24 hours.

Come back if you have additional questions.

Doc

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