Winter Refit – Replacing the Windows

As soon as we arrived in Brest early in August we had started looking closely at our options for sorting out the leaking windows. The leaks were in no way catastrophic but, for us, it was clear that Blue Velvet was not properly ready for an Atlantic crossing. We had last had the windows refurbished in 2011. Later models of Rustler 42s have a new window frame design in which the seal is less prone to UV damage. We looked at fitting that new design of window in 2011 but there was a 3 month lead time to make them and we realised that we might have to cut larger apertures in the GRP to fit them. So instead we had the old windows removed and sent off to be taken apart and the sealant around the glass replaced. On our passage towards the Azores we had had the same symptoms again; UV degradation of the sealant was allowing water to track around the edge of the glass and drip inside. It seemed sensible this time to properly investigate replacing our windows with the new design which does not have this weakness cropping up after 12-14 years.

Our old design of widow frame with visible bolt heads (and strips of sponge inside the frame to catch the drips!)

Seaglaze are a UK based company that make the windows for Rustler 42s and their team were very helpful. I asked for a quote for a set of the new design of the windows they supply to Rustlers and confirmation of the aperture dimensions. The response prompted a bit of head scratching and a lot of design work. The more recent design had a more substantial aluminium frame that clamps onto the GRP. It had 6mm toughened glass with a 65mm radius at each corner and I thought would be a relatively easy swap for our old design of windows. Unfortunately Seaglaze could no longer supply the 6mm toughened glass. The thicker 8mm glass they would use for future orders would need a heavier weight aluminium frame and 80mm radius corners. When I asked to see the drawings for the 8mm glass windows they supply to Rustlers, they replied that this was a new change and no Rustler 42s had been built yet with the new 8mm windows. Blue Velvet would be the first one and the windows hadn’t been designed yet!

On the left the later clamp frame with 6mm glass and 65mm radius corners. On the right the first design of the
new 8mm glass with wider frame and 80mm radius corners which we felt was too rounded at the ends

The 80mm radius corners meant that we would definitely have to trim the GRP on Blue Velvet to fit the new windows. So during our first days in Brest I made up paper templates with 80mm radius corners, slightly longer than our current apertures, to prove the concept. The Seaglaze design team then produced proper engineering drawings based upon this sizing. Those drawings gave me the full dimensions and profile of the heavier weight aluminium frames the 8mm toughened glass needed and that exposed an issue. With thicker frames and using the existing height of the apertures, the visible glass was going to be much smaller than our current windows to the extent that it would change the look of the boat from the outside. I described them to Nicky as narrow letterboxes of glass with rounded ends rather than the more rectangular windows that you expected to see on a Rustler42 (see Right above).

The only solution was to accept that we would need to open up the apertures to increase the heigh of the frames and therefore the visible glass. With the new design of frames clamping onto the GRP there is a much larger frame on the inside of the boat in comparison with our existing screwed on frames. Balancing the space inside for this larger internal frame and minimising the increase in size of the aperture, I was able to come up with a new size of window that I hoped would look right from the outside of the boat and not compromise the general look of the boat. The Seaglaze design team turned these into another detailed set of engineering drawings. After checking everything carefully, we confirmed the order. Manufacturing time was expected to be 12 weeks and the new windows would come with templates that we could use to help to accurately cut larger apertures in the GRP.

The first window removed

So now moving on to the end of November, we were back in Guernsey and were delighted to take delivery of a large wooden packing case. Inside were our 8 new windows all beautifully packaged up and protected. The male templates in hardboard arrived a few days later. The new windows looked very good; Seaglaze had done their part and it was now up to us to fit them. The first task was to make up female plywood template for each of the 3 sizes of window which we would use to enlarge the apertures.

Seaglaze supplied male template of the aperture and from them we had made up a female plywood
templates for each of the 3 sizes of window

Cutting the large aperture in stages using a router

Knowing the job would be a messy one, we hired a storage unit and took everything that we could off the boat. The first window we tackled was the aft heads one because it had a clear area all around it inside. Using the same technique we had used for the hatches and a new supply of small wooden wedges, the old window came out remarkably easily. Once the surround was cleaned of sealant, we carefully lined up and clamped the plywood template in position so that the ~10mm that needed to be cut away to enlarge the aperture was exposed inside the template.

Nicky and I wore eye and breathing masks and we had a vacuum cleaner nozzle in position inside ready to catch the dust, but even so it was a very messy job. The GRP was neatly cut away using a router which I ran around the edge of the template in short lengths moving the clamps as needed to allow the router access.

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Inside the boat was a bit like a snowstorm and the dust seemed to get everywhere even with the vacuum cleaner running. However, it was worth the mess because the router did produce a very neat and accurate cut. GRP is tough stuff though and it quickly blunted the router bit. Fortunately I had bought half a dozen bits in anticipation of that issue but based upon the first window, I expected to be ordering some more.

Left: Making sure the sealant gets into the corner before applying a much thicker bead around the flange.
Top Right: progressively tightening the clamping screws which were then (Bottom Right) neatly hidden
with some black rubber trim

The templates should ensure that the enlarged aperture was the perfect size but nonetheless it was a relief when the dry fit of the new window was just right. After the surrounds were cleaned with some acetone, we squeezed several rounds of marine sealant onto the flange to ensure that we had a healthy excess that would squeeze out to make a coherent seal. The frame was then clamped with 12 bolts which were progressively tightened to pull everything in. A wipe or 2 with a solvent soaked rag cleaned up the outside whilst a strip of black rubber trim was pressed in to hide the screw heads. There was a much larger aluminium frame inside with the new design but we felt it had a cleaner look. This larger frame would mean a bit of extra work trimming the deck head to fit around it in the forward cabin and heads but if I had got my measurements right it would just be those 2 windows needing that attention.

The first new window fitted

Looking from the outside the window looked very clean and smart without any screw heads visible…

… and when compared to the old window next to it, even with the larger frame and thicker glass, we felt that the size we had ordered maintained the proper look of a Rustler 42. The only issue was that we now needed to fit 7 more windows and 4 of those were extra long… it was time to order some extra router cutting bits!

St Peter Port, Guernsey

Winter Refit – The New Generator (Part 2)

Deciding which new generator to buy took some detailed research which had started as soon as we had arrived back in Guernsey at the beginning of October. Several factors needed to be taken into account. Most importantly the new generator would need to fit into and be strongly secured inside the available room in the machinery space. As a second consideration, the size of the generator would be constrained by what would fit through the narrow doorway into the aft heads. As well as the physical size of the generator, there was also the generating power to consider. Our old generator was 4kVA which ran everything we needed but it was working at its maximum capacity to power the compressor that we use to fill our scuba dive tanks. A 5kVA generator would be able to cope with that power demand much better but was likely to be bigger and heavier than our old generator.

After many hours studying generator speciation data, engineering drawings, and taking lots of careful measurements, we finally settled on the Fischer Panda 5000i Neo PMS. There were other manufacturers models that potentially would have worked but Fischer Panda UK were able to supply and ship the 5000i quickly and all of the exhaust system, header tanks etc already fitted to the boat were Fischer Panda and I knew would be compatible and wouldn’t require a complete redesign of the machinery space layout.

Using the Spinnaker halyard set up Nicky and I were able to 
lift the generator onto Blue Velvet and into the saloon without 
 needing any extra manpower – note that the casing is wider 
than the doorway into the aft heads

The 5000i Neo PMS is a remarkably compact unit which produces a high voltage that is then brought down and regulated to 240 volts 50Hz by a separate inverter unit. Aside from very stable power supply, one immediate huge bonus of this setup is that the generator unit only weighs 67kgs and the inverter unit an additional 9kgs. Much easier weights of equipment to manhandle into the machinery space than our old 100kg generator. From the engineering drawings and careful measurements inside machinery space I was confident that the 2 components would fit and that, even with the cockpit moulding encroaching above, the 2 parts of the soundproofing capsule would be removable for access.

The headache was that the 5000i capsule was cuboid and wider than the doorway into the aft heads. After many more hours poring over the engineering drawings and studying the various photos of the 5000i (several with different ancillaries changed over the years!) I finally hatched a plan as to how we were going to get a 5000i through a doorway seemingly far too narrow to fit it through. Confirming the order was a bit of a leap of faith. With the order placed the Fischer Panda team kicked into gear and a couple of weeks later we had a brand-new generator sat in our hallway at home.

The new generator secured onto the bearers and ready
to be connected up

The first priority was to make up new aluminium bearers which the generator’s flexible feet would be bolted to. A wooden template was made to assist in designing the bearers and spacers so that the new shape of generator could be properly secured. Once cut to the right lengths, the aluminium flat bar was drilled and tapped, and then bolted to the bearers which are part of the hull moulding. The generator’s inverter was also secured to the bulkhead.

A wooden ramp was then built so that, once the generator had been lifted into the heads area, it could be slid up the ramp and into the machinery space. Next came the tricky job of getting the new generator from the saloon and through the narrow doorway into the heads. By temporarily removing the bracket supporting the coolant pump, the iControlled box, and several hoses, the generator was made narrow enough but the sound capsule tray was still too wide. However, by turning the generator on its side the capsule could be hooked around the doorframe 

The finished installation ready for testing

and with the coolant pump bracket removed there was just enough clearance to rotate the generator through the doorway. The plan hatched whilst studying the engineering drawings and photographs had worked which was a huge relief.

The generator was then slid up the ramp into the machinery space and then along 2 wooden beams to move it outboard over the new aluminium bearers. The mounts were then bolted to the bearers to secure the generator.

The next 2 days were spent connecting up the fuel, coolant header tank, exhaust and electrics. A separate electric fuel lift pump also needed to be fitted close to the diesel tank under the saloon sole.

With everything checked and double checked in accordance with the manual, we finally came to the moment of truth and pressed the start button. It was extremely satisfying to hear the new generator fire up first time and settle into very quiet idle speed. The iControlled adjusts the speed of the motor to match the electrical load and we found that the new generator is much quieter than the old one; we are hoping for many years of trouble free service from it.

St Peter Port, Guernsey