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T O P I C R E V I E W
C25BC
Posted - 05/15/2019 : 20:26:54 Cracked my dead light last weekend , going to replace it this weekend if the weather cooperates. I checked out the search mode and found boat life seal is recommended so that's on the way . I've been searching online to find out the best way to clean old sealent off and prep for new seal without much success . Any tips ?
11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Akenumber
Posted - 05/30/2019 : 18:46:46 Life caulk is no good for the deadlight. Found that out. I used uv 4000. Worked great.
C25BC
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 16:20:20
quote:Originally posted by islander
quote: mine has no screws, it has quite a bit of clear sealent
Goes to show you that no two boats are identical. Actually the drawing shows sealant holding the interior lens in place. Catalina called it Sili-Glaze. You could leave it in place and just clean out the debris off the top of it before you install the exterior lens. You'll have to remove the old exterior lens from the outside. Maybe pry it up or cut a hole in it to get a finger in to pull it up. Since its already cracked it shouldn't be to difficult to get out.
i It's cracked down the middle at the moment so getting the plexi out shouldn't be a problem ( we will see I guess ) The acetone tip helped , I was trying to find out the best substance to remove residue after scraping that doesn't affect the bond of the new seal What to do about the inner piece ? I'll see how it goes I guess . Either way I'm sailing this weekend
sethp001
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 13:28:58
quote:Originally posted by Stinkpotter
quote:Originally posted by C25BC
...I was thinking of leaving the interior lens since it's in tact and a extra layer of protection in the event of a passing showers...
I would suggest that if "passing showers" get past the outer lens, you don't want water secretly accumulating on the inner one and then soaking into the the wood core around it. Properly installed, the outer lens should be the most water-tight item on the boat. I didn't install the inner one when I replaced mine.
In the ten years I've had my boat it has never had the interior lens. This was helpful in alerting me to the lens leaking when the cushions started to get wet.
Stinkpotter
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 12:10:11
quote:Originally posted by C25BC
...I was thinking of leaving the interior lens since it's in tact and a extra layer of protection in the event of a passing showers...
I would suggest that if "passing showers" get past the outer lens, you don't want water secretly accumulating on the inner one and then soaking into the the wood core around it. Properly installed, the outer lens should be the most water-tight item on the boat. I didn't install the inner one when I replaced mine.
islander
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 08:28:56
quote: mine has no screws, it has quite a bit of clear sealent
Goes to show you that no two boats are identical. Actually the drawing shows sealant holding the interior lens in place. Catalina called it Sili-Glaze. You could leave it in place and just clean out the debris off the top of it before you install the exterior lens. You'll have to remove the old exterior lens from the outside. Maybe pry it up or cut a hole in it to get a finger in to pull it up. Since its already cracked it shouldn't be to difficult to get out.
C25BC
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 08:09:49 Points taken , mine has no screws, it has quite a bit of clear sealent , hence my theory on keeping interior dry . I imagine when installing new one I could keep it in place with painters tape .
islander
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 07:30:47 The reason I removed the interior lense was so I could push up on the old lense to remove it. Also debris will sit on it and the risk of the LifeSeal dripping on it. Also you may need to tidy up the LifeSeal on the interior side if it squeezes out. It's not a big deal to remove the screws and take it off. You will put it back on when your done. On my boat the screws we're the only thing holding it in place. The interior lense is only cosmetic. There is a gap between the two lenses. The exterior lense is fixed to the deck. The interior lense is fixed to the liner. The interior lense does nothing to seal out water.
C25BC
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 07:09:56 I bought the life caulk first by mistake ( in a hurry and no glasses ) then when I figured out the error picked up the life seal , not sure what was used previously as far as removal goes , I will try the above mentioned technics . I was thinking of leaving the interior lens since it's in tact and a extra layer of protection in the event of a passing showers . Thanks, Angus
Stinkpotter
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 06:33:34
quote:Originally posted by Voyager
Is the caulking LifeSeal (polyurethane and silicone) or LifeCaulk (polysulfide)? Big difference. The former is devilishly resistant to any means of removal while the latter peels off with a putty knife...
But I prefer Life Seal over regular silicone sealers for removability, and it's compatible with plastics, while Life Caulk "attacks" most plastics. And Life seal is clear, while Life Caulk is white or black.
islander
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 04:33:17 I just scraped any old sealant off then used acetone to clean the residue. The dead light is made up of two pieces of plexi. One external and one inside. I Removed the interior one that was held in by some screws then pushed the old exterior one out. You may need to run a razor knife around it to help loosen it. After getting it all cleaned up I roughed up the flange that the exterior lens sits in with sandpaper. The new lens may not fit perfectly in the flange and may need to be shaped a little with sand paper. I taped the deck and lens with painters tape so as to make a nice neat bead. After setting the lens in the LifeSeal I smoothed the bead with my finger. I carefully removed the tape after it had set up a little then put a small rock on top to to keep a little downward pressure on it. The next day it was all cured so I reinstalled the interior lens.
Voyager
Posted - 05/16/2019 : 04:19:07 Is the caulking LifeSeal (polyurethane and silicone) or LifeCaulk (polysulfide)? Big difference. The former is devilishly resistant to any means of removal while the latter peels off with a putty knife.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.