I have leaks on some of my Lewmar portlights. I've narrowed it down to the dogs themselves, it's not the gasket, or the seal around the aluminum frame, and all of the dogs fit very tight. I've taken a couple apart and found an O-ring that sits around the shaft where it goes through the port from the outside. I picked up an assortment of small O-rings from the hardware store and had some success with stopping a couple of the leakers. But none of the O-rings I've had on hand are a proper fit (thickness and diameter).
I've seen that Lewmar sells rebuild kits for the [I]hatch dogs[/I] (Catalina Direct), but haven't seen them for the [I]ports[/I], other than a full rebuild kits, which includes the dogs themselves (Lewmar part # 36000399Z, 36000299Z).
Anyone have any suggestions?
To clarify, mine are the older, more rectangular ports with the rotating dogs, not the current version.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Gary,
I have the same Lewmar portlight problem with leaks. I have investigated to determine the cause/leak spot, but haven't thought about the dogs themselves. Since our boats are the same age, can you give any tips on how to get these portlights apart, and either replacing the gasket, or those o rings you are referring to?
Thanks.
Bill
Bill Taylor
Heel'n Good #1612
Washington, NC
To clue (to me at least) that it's the dogs and not the gasket, is that I have water at the forward end on a couple ports, and in the aft end on another. The area in the trim ring below the dog would have water. In both cases, the water had collected in the area below the dogs in the trim ring. I also noticed that there was an unbroken 'ridge' of pollen along the bottom of the gasket where it meets the portlight. If it was leaking, I'd expect the water to create a gap in that pollen. I cleaned the gasket and even put a thin coat of waterproof grease on it, no change.
To get the dogs apart, you have to pry off the inner ring that covers the screw head. It took some doing and it's hard to do without marring the plastic a little bit. Then just back the screw out and the dog comes apart in two pieces. You'll find the O-ring in the part that comes through the port from the outside.
I tried to attache the Lewmar document, but it's too big. Send me a PM and I'll email it to you. The exploded view on page 32 helped me figure out how to get it apart.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
If you search on Lewmar ports, I have posted the size and type of o-rings you need. I purchased mine from Mcmaster Carr, an online hardware store.
I eventually gave up and replaced my old ports with the new ones. That story is in a thread called "Leaky Lewmars"
If you can't find the posts, I will get back to you in a few days. I am a little pressed for time today.
Dave
Dave
Ballena 1995 Mk II #1445
Gary,
Here is the information on the O-Rings for the Lewmar ports. Please tell me how they work for you, and whether you recommend the 013 or the 014.
I purchased:
Double Seal Buna-N O-Ring AS568A Dash Number 013
McMaster Carr part number 90025K139(Same as 90025K12)
I thought that the 013 size fit around the knob shaft a little too tightly, so I would suggest buying a bag of the Dash Number 014 seals as well and use the ones that fit better.
Dave
Ballena 1995 Mk II #1445
Thanks a lot for the info.! I'll give them a try and post the results. My hardware store has about a thousand different O-rings, so narrowing down the choices is a big help.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay