Looking for idea's to hide window screws

[Sailor96]

Hi everyone,

I have 4 windows in my sailboat which were covered with wooden boards.
Over the last decade these boards have been starting to rot and this year they started falling apart.
I removed the wood yesterday.


The windows are screwed through the hull, into the wooden boards. So right now I have the points of the screws sticking out of the hull:


Right now I am looking for options to hide the points of the screws.
I don't want to place back wooden board, instead maybe something foam or vinyl like. All I want is to cover the screws and leave the area around it white. This white area used to be covered by the wooden boards.

Does anyone have some idea's? Would be happy to hear them.

I considered myself to grind the screw points away and cover it up with polyester putty/filler but with the sparks from the grinding i'm worried about potential fire hazard.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Nip the screws, make a PVC surround trim, cover with your favorite upholstery fabric/vinyl

 

[Grub54891]

Apparently the windows are leaking or something for the wood to rot inside. Perhaps you could remove the window and re-seal it, use stainless bolts and crown nuts on the inside.

 

[Chris1956]

You can buy self stick foam weatherstripping. Some of it is 3/8" thick, which could cover the screws.

 

[Scott Danforth]

based on the core rot that Grub pointed out, those windows need to come out, the core rot taken care of, then the windows re-bedded. then worry about trim.

 

[Sailor96]

I think the windows have been leaking too but it could be condensation too.
In the winter when its freezing outside and I turn on the heater it gets 21 degrees inside, when I turn it off when going away the boat cools down and the roof will be soaking wet with I guess condensation. I thought that might've caused it.
It's gonna rain quite a bit the oncoming days so I'm gonna sit at the boat as I can actually see if it leaks now since the wood is gone.

I really hoped they didn't leak, it seems like quite a big job to re-attach them with sealing. Am I looking at a days work or a weekend? Or even more? If the windows end up leaking after all I can at least put some epoxy filler on the edges of the hull too.

Thank you for all the suggestions on covering the screws. Might make new boards/panel with waterproof foamlike stuff and then put vinyl or something over that.

 

[flashback]

It's very common when a boat has some age for the ports to leak, deck fittings also.

 

[Sailor96]

Ive been watching some youtube videos how people replaced their windows.
Most use sillicon.
Would sillicon be better or should I use something like Sikaflex 291?
Sikaflex 291 is very water tight and sticks very well too.

 

[flashback]

If you're ports are framed I would use butyl tape if you're ports are plexiglass. May be some new stuff on the market these days. I don't know. I would stay away from anything that dries hard. The plexiglass needs to be able to expand and contract with temperature variation..

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would use butyl tape and calk the seam if there is a flange.

 

[Sailor96]

They are framed and if I'm correct it's plexiglass


Thank you, I know what to get. I will update here once it's done. Might be a while haha

 

[flashback]

The space between the outer hull and the inner lining will need to be made stable. If there is a rotten core all the work you put into rebeding the ports will be wasted.so be sure you have something solid between them. And have fun..

 

[Scott Danforth]

The second pic in post #1 shows core material that looks iffy

 

[silverbul]

On a lighter note, if you replace all the windows, you get free window tint. lol

 

[Grub54891]

Do one at a time. Fix the core as stated, make sure everything is solid between the hull and inner wall. The sicaflex is a good sealer, I use butal tape on my even, it works perfectly to seal up the vents and windows. Don’t ever run a bead of silicon around the edges of anything. Silicone does not need to be around a boat. Running my propane heater in my camper will cause condensation till it gets warmed to 70* or so, then it dries up. You need heat to stop that. A small vent helps to move the damp air out.

 

[airshot]

Ive been watching some youtube videos how people replaced their windows.
Most use sillicon.
Would sillicon be better or should I use something like Sikaflex 291?
Sikaflex 291 is very water tight and sticks very well too.

I would not use silicone, I hate the stuff, never lasts and once you use it, nothing else will ever stick there again. Many superior sealants today !!

 

[Sailor96]

The "core rot" does not seem to be actually rotting.
I don't know why there is a crack, maybe it's 2 pieces being bundled like the hull and the inner wall as Grub stated?
I do know that it is solid fibreglass, there's no wood in there, can it even rot?
Before I seal it off with some filler I need to be sure there isnt any rot. What would be the easiest way to check if the screwdriver test fails?
My boat is one of these older boats (1978) that has a solid fibreglass hull. There's no wood in the hull or in the inner walls.
I tried the screwdriver test to see if the material is soft but it's rock hard.
It does look like its cracked maybe? The odd part is that all 4 windows have the crack all the way around and none of them seem to be actually rotting. What could be going on?

On a lighter note, if you replace all the windows, you get free window tint. lol

I was actually planning on getting tinted windows for aestethics and making it harder to look inside from outside. Seems like a perfect oppertunity to do it. I doubt I'll be getting new windows though as the windows self seem pretty good still. And I think they will be expensive considering they have to be made for my boat specific. I could just put these window tint foil on there when I take them off.

 

[Scott Danforth]

In the winter when its freezing outside and I turn on the heater it gets 21 degrees inside,

Running my propane heater in my camper will cause condensation till it gets warmed to 70* or so, then it dries up. You need heat to stop that. A small vent helps to move the damp air out.

70F = 21C

campers are a bit easier to heat than a boat hull.

@Sailor96, if you still have condensation and moisture inside the boat after warming it up, you may have trapped moisture in the core material. you will find out when you pull the first window

 

[Sailor96]

My bad, 21 degrees celsius indeed.
The condensation doesn't happen when its warm inside. I often sleep at the boat a few days in winter and I used to turn the heater off when I went to the store for example, coming back to a damp/wet interior. When the heat is turned on again it doesn't take long to get the boat dry again. I have a very powerful ( probably for my small interior overpowerd ) 5kw diesel heater. Let's say it's not hard to get it the temperature too hot inside. I do however have bilgewater occassionally but only when it rained outside. I also have some leaky parts where cables go into the boat and perhaps some stuff on the deck. on the stern the electric cables from my windmill etc. I have some leaks to take care off. If it rains non stop all week, I'll get at least 1 10liter bucket out the bilge every week. I try my best to keep it dry but thats hard when it's raining. Sad part is I work so much so sometimes project tend to last long as I don't have alot of time.

I would not use silicone, I hate the stuff, never lasts and once you use it, nothing else will ever stick there again. Many superior sealants today !!

What would be a good alternative? Initially I thought sikaflex 291 but I don't think that's ideal.
I was told that it gets such a strong bond that I probably never get the windows off anymore if I use sikaflex. I think the sealant they used is also black sillicon. It lasted about 13 years, that's not very long.

 

[Grub54891]

Yeah, C/F* I don't do metric much. lol. Agreed boat hulls are harder to heat as the water and hull itself are robust and non-insulated.