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From Fred C. Moor [ fmoor3@aol.com ] - Aug '99 . . .

Our 77 Pearson 26 had leaky cabin windows which seemed to get much worse after we had the cushions inside redone. I used all of the quick fixes I could find and nothing worked. It was hard to tell whether the leak was coming from the frame to hull joint or from the glass to frame joint.

After consulting a glass place I removed the frames and glass assembly from the hull. This was done by first removing the trim from around the window inside the cabin. After that, a great deal of careful work with a putty knife and pushing, allowed the assembly to pop out of the fiberglass. This takes a lot of pushing and grunting and careful prying with the putty knife.

I then took the entire assembly to the glass shop who resealed the glass in the frames. I had to talk to several shops before I found on willing to do the work. They said they had done a number of boat windows.

The original installation was made with a black sticky tape between the frame and the fiberglass hull. I removed as much of the old stuff as possible before re installation.

I eased the window opening in the hull in a few spots to help in putting the windows back. This was done with a file and rotary sander on my cordless drill (the boat was in the water and no power was available).

Clear silicone sealer was used to seal the frame to hull joint and the things popped back in after more grunting. Installation of the inside trim finished the job and now we have a dry cabin.

From Byron Thomas [ thomasrcnr@hotmail.com] - June '00 . . .
My 26, No 1112 built in 1975 was always damp in the bottom end and after resetting all the lifeline stantions, deck fittings, etc., was still damp. The only other source of water entry was the ports,or windows to the landlubbers. Before tackling a solution,I did some research into who made the aluminum extrusions that hold the glass in place but no luck and most likely any such company would be out of business after 25 odd years. The last thing I wanted to do was break a piece and end up being hung out to dry. The ports consist of tempered glass surrouded by an aluminum extrusion. This extrusion is held in place by an interior aluminum trim piecew secured to the exterior extrusion with self tapping screws. As far as I could tell, the ports are held in place to the cuddy sides by a foam gasket tape that is bonded to the exterior extrusion. The interior piece is more for decoration as it is impossible to draw in the exterior extrusion tightly due to the floating interior fiberglass liner and the resulting space between the exterior fiberglass cabin sides and the liner. I took off the interior trim and carefully used a flat bladed screwdriver to break the foam tape bond. Actually, the ports came free very easily as the foam gasket had lost most of its "life". The only swearing came as a result of the openings in the interior liner being cut on the small side. Something like trying to get a 1" diameter ball through a 15/16" hole. Once out, I used a 1/2" wide wood chisel to remove the foam gasket and lots of paint thinner on a ray to remove the adhesive use to hold the gasket to the aluminum. Once clean, I used a good quality exterior grade clear silicone and put the ports back in. I put masking tape around the fiberglass port openings to prevent the silicone being smeared on the cabin sides. The result is no more leaks. I have since noticed that automotive supply stores sell adhesive backed foam gasket material in rolls but my repair method worked. I used the silicone versus a polyurethane type sealant because if one used such a product, you would break the ports getting them out in the future. The modern high tech sealants are indeed wonders to behold but they are not for everything. I did the four ports in about three hours. You will need an extra pair of hands to hold the ports in place while someone goes down below to install the interior trim pieces. Try it. It worked for me.
Byron Thomas #1112 Bonnie T

FromByron Thomas [ thomasrcnr@hotmail.com] - June '00 . . .
The patterned deck and cabin top areas on my Pearson 26 were painted a buff colour and while the paint was in good condition, the colour was bleached out from the UV light. Since I had a dark green sail cover, I decided to spruce the old girl up and wanted a colour to complement the sail cover. I decided to use International, "Brightside" polyurethane paint in a teal colour. It has a reputation for flowing on well while providing excellent UV and wear resistance. I cleaned all the deck areas with a good detergent using a bristle scrub brush followed by a good wash down with clear water. After drying, I touched up the odd area with a filler and applied the first coat of paint using a foam paint brush. Ensure that you stir the can well before using as the pigment will have settled. Of course, I masked off the areas as required but use a painters grade of tape to ensure minimal bleeding under the tape. The paint went on very smoothly and covered well although a second coat was needed. "Brightside" has a high gloss finish and I use some flattening agent sold by International to reduce the gloss by 50%. The second coat was applied and "voila"---almost a new boat. My only suggestion is to apply the paint on an overcast day as during the heat of the day towards the bottom of the paint pot, the paint got pretty thick. The foam brushes do a great job and they are cheap. I didn't use any thinner as the thinner required is almost as expensive as the paint. To do my boat, I used 1 1/4 liters. The big thing here is start from the top and work down, use a good quality masking tape with a clean edge, ensure that the surfaces are clean, etc. and take your time. I used a liquid cream hand cleaner made by Permatex called Parr paint and resin remover. It also works on the fiberglass to remove any paint splatters.

If you used some cotton work gloves, one wouldn't need the hand cleaner! My wife says that getting paint on everything is a man thing. Oh well. A new coat of paint works wonders for an old boat. You can do it. Just take your time. And above all, if anything fails, read the instructions on the label.
Byron Thomas #1112 Bonnie T

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