Windows on a Catalina 30

[Grrr...]

A couple years ago I redid the exterior of my Catalina 30.  In the process, I made new windows out of smoked acrylic.  I cut them the same size as the outside edge of the Olde aluminum frames and glued them in place.  However that resulted in windows that looked much too large and out of proportion for the cabin top.  Now I'm replacing the windows again, but would like to return to windows that are the same size as the old windows.  Ideas? 

 

[andykane]

Paint some faux frames! I had the exact same problem and very happy with how it turned out.

 

[Grrr...]

I considered that, but what type of paint did you use that will stick to acrylic and weather well outside? 

 

[phill_nz]

No direct experience of painting acrylics, but they are easy to roughen/prime with a ketone - MEK certainly works, acetone may well do so - and the surface should then be ready for your paint schedule of choice. Easy to do a test piece.

this

should work .. both are mixed to dissolve acrylic ( acrylic syrup ) although we warmed it to around 80c

 

[Zonker]

Any cheap Krylon sticks to it very well. Rough up the surface with 120, wipe dry (no alcohol or other solvents)

 

[Grrr...]

Thanks guys.  This answers some questions I've had kicking around in my head the last month or so.

 

[Marcjsmith]

Absent paint, vinyl decal tape would work as well 

 

[Bull City]

@Grrr... Ya know, you should post some pics of the windows as they are, so the Peanut Gallery can weigh in as to how they look. 

 

[yoyo]

Mark Plastics makes custom retrofit vinyl frame window replacements for boats and has been around a long time.  I've seen a few over the years and they look nice.  Might be worth a call.  Photo Gallery (markplastics.com)

 

[Grrr...]

@Grrr... Ya know, you should post some pics of the windows as they are, so the Peanut Gallery can weigh in as to how they look. 

I think they are already on home birthes thread.   I'll see if I can find them. 

 

[blurocketsmate]

@Grrr... Ya know, you should post some pics of the windows as they are, so the Peanut Gallery can weigh in as to how they look. 

Some old boats look great with oversized, frameless "glass" bonded on - Cals, Alberg 30, etc.

Pretty or not, the Catalina 30 has an iconic look, which might be weird to mess with. Still, I'd like to see it!

 

[Hike Bitches!]

I think they are already on home birthes thread.   I'll see if I can find them. 

Must have been some awesome autocorrect, or maybe whiskey going on here, but I think I translated correctly.

Here are my windows re-done with smoke acrylic in the original frames that were powdercoated.

Grrrr, below, is the only picture with windows of your boat I found in my thread. I agree. I am personally not a fan of the oversized 'frameless look' on our older boats. Did you save the frames? You can cut the acrylic to fit in the frames. 

 

[Grrr...]

Must have been some awesome autocorrect, or maybe whiskey going on here, but I think I translated correctly.

Here are my windows re-done with smoke acrylic in the original frames that were powdercoated.

Grrrr, below, is the only picture with windows of your boat I found in my thread. I agree. I am personally not a fan of the oversized 'frameless look' on our older boats. Did you save the frames? You can cut the acrylic to fit in the frames. 

View attachment 479414

No - I didn't save them because I couldn't ever picture myself using them.  Those aluminum frames leaked no matter what you did.  However, Painting them as shown way above in this thread seems like an awesome option.  I need to pull them off because I got some overspray on them (you can see that in the picture above) and buffing out the overspray was a major fail.  No matter how many times I tried to buff them which any progressions of chemicals they ended up looking sandblasted after a couple a months.

But pulling them off will let me change the shape of the cutouts inside the boat.  I'm going to make them square so that I can make simple straight pieces of wood frame to go around them rather than curved pieces that are a nightmare.  Much more similar to my S2.  Sometimes being simple and straightforward is by far the best choice as compared to fancy and pretty.  Right now, each surface of the window opening has enough of a curve that you can't just make a straight piece of trim.

Then I'll use the old windows above as a template to cut the new ones on my new router table, and I'll paint the faux frames to match the new cutouts in the hull itself.

 

[Grrr...]

No - I didn't save them because I couldn't ever picture myself using them.  Those aluminum frames leaked no matter what you did.  However, Painting them as shown way above in this thread seems like an awesome option.  I need to pull them off because I got some overspray on them (you can see that in the picture above) and buffing out the overspray was a major fail.  No matter how many times I tried to buff them which any progressions of chemicals they ended up looking sandblasted after a couple a months.

But pulling them off will let me change the shape of the cutouts inside the boat.  I'm going to make them square so that I can make simple straight pieces of wood frame to go around them rather than curved pieces that are a nightmare.  Much more similar to my S2.  Sometimes being simple and straightforward is by far the best choice as compared to fancy and pretty.  Right now, each surface of the window opening has enough of a curve that you can't just make a straight piece of trim.

Then I'll use the old windows above as a template to cut the new ones on my new router table, and I'll paint the faux frames to match the new cutouts in the hull itself.

THEN I'll get the foam so I can make the new cushions, and this boat will be almost done.

 

[Hike Bitches!]

I am still not done with my cushions...at least the ones we never use.  h34r:

 

[Grrr...]

I am still not done with my cushions...at least the ones we never use.  h34r:

I feel it man.  We made dinghy chaps as practice and they came out fricken amazing, then we never finished them and then I had to work from home so now I'm refinishing my basement because I kicked my kids out of their room so I could have an office.  It never ends.  But thats why life is fun