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Beckson port leaking

Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the dogs themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set of new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on the list, just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

Beckson port leaking

Roger Long wrote:
Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the dogs themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set of new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on the list, just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

I probably have similar Beckson ports on my C&C 37.
I ordered two replacement gaskets from Beckson and they didn't fit.
Right dimensions but way too thick. Beckson never answered my email as
to why they didn't fit.
My leak has stopped so I'm not pursuing it but here are two ideas I've
had for correcting the situation.
On my ports I can see that you can only tighten them down so far and
then you have plastic against plastic. You cannot compensate for
shrinkage in the rubber gasket.
I figured I could grind away a bit of plastic so they could be
tightened further.
Other idea is to run a narrow bead of flexible glue down the center of
the gasket to build it up a bit on the surface the portlight beds
against.

Beckson port leaking

My gaskets still have plenty of rubber thickness so maybe they are
alright.

I took the screens out because my kids were kicking holes in them as
they climbed enthusiastically around the boat and it wasn't a bad bug
year. I wonder if the screens are necessary for the gaskets to stay
tight.

Have you used your ports without the screens?

--

Roger Long

wrote in message
oups.com...

Roger Long wrote:
Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the dogs
themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set of new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on the list,
just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

I probably have similar Beckson ports on my C&C 37.
I ordered two replacement gaskets from Beckson and they didn't fit.
Right dimensions but way too thick. Beckson never answered my email
as
to why they didn't fit.
My leak has stopped so I'm not pursuing it but here are two ideas
I've
had for correcting the situation.
On my ports I can see that you can only tighten them down so far and
then you have plastic against plastic. You cannot compensate for
shrinkage in the rubber gasket.
I figured I could grind away a bit of plastic so they could be
tightened further.
Other idea is to run a narrow bead of flexible glue down the center
of
the gasket to build it up a bit on the surface the portlight beds
against.

Beckson port leaking

I don't know if I have the same ports as you, but when I took
ownership of my boat the ports were dripping down the dogs a
little , as you stated. A surveyor told me to lube the rubber
gaskets. I cleaned them and smeared some Vaseline on them. That
stopped the drips.

--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
My gaskets still have plenty of rubber thickness so maybe they
are
alright.

I took the screens out because my kids were kicking holes in
them as
they climbed enthusiastically around the boat and it wasn't a
bad bug
year. I wonder if the screens are necessary for the gaskets to
stay
tight.

Have you used your ports without the screens?

--

Roger Long

wrote in message
oups.com...

Roger Long wrote:
Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the dogs
themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or
will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set of
new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little
drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on the
list,
just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

I probably have similar Beckson ports on my C&C 37.
I ordered two replacement gaskets from Beckson and they
didn't fit.
Right dimensions but way too thick. Beckson never answered
my email
as
to why they didn't fit.
My leak has stopped so I'm not pursuing it but here are two
ideas
I've
had for correcting the situation.
On my ports I can see that you can only tighten them down so
far and
then you have plastic against plastic. You cannot compensate
for
shrinkage in the rubber gasket.
I figured I could grind away a bit of plastic so they could
be
tightened further.
Other idea is to run a narrow bead of flexible glue down the
center
of
the gasket to build it up a bit on the surface the portlight
beds
against.

Beckson port leaking

That worked for me for about half the summer as well. Then, for
reasons I can't figure out, it stopped working.
--

Roger Long

"Scotty" wrote in message
...
I don't know if I have the same ports as you, but when I took
ownership of my boat the ports were dripping down the dogs a
little , as you stated. A surveyor told me to lube the rubber
gaskets. I cleaned them and smeared some Vaseline on them. That
stopped the drips.

--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
My gaskets still have plenty of rubber thickness so maybe they
are
alright.

I took the screens out because my kids were kicking holes in
them as
they climbed enthusiastically around the boat and it wasn't a
bad bug
year. I wonder if the screens are necessary for the gaskets to
stay
tight.

Have you used your ports without the screens?

--

Roger Long

wrote in message
oups.com...

Roger Long wrote:
Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the dogs
themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or
will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set of
new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little
drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on the
list,
just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

I probably have similar Beckson ports on my C&C 37.
I ordered two replacement gaskets from Beckson and they
didn't fit.
Right dimensions but way too thick. Beckson never answered
my email
as
to why they didn't fit.
My leak has stopped so I'm not pursuing it but here are two
ideas
I've
had for correcting the situation.
On my ports I can see that you can only tighten them down so
far and
then you have plastic against plastic. You cannot compensate
for
shrinkage in the rubber gasket.
I figured I could grind away a bit of plastic so they could
be
tightened further.
Other idea is to run a narrow bead of flexible glue down the
center
of
the gasket to build it up a bit on the surface the portlight
beds
against.

Beckson port leaking

Over tightening the dogs is not good, either.

SV

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
That worked for me for about half the summer as well. Then,
for
reasons I can't figure out, it stopped working.
--

Roger Long

"Scotty" wrote in message
...
I don't know if I have the same ports as you, but when I took
ownership of my boat the ports were dripping down the dogs a
little , as you stated. A surveyor told me to lube the rubber
gaskets. I cleaned them and smeared some Vaseline on them.
That
stopped the drips.

--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
My gaskets still have plenty of rubber thickness so maybe
they
are
alright.

I took the screens out because my kids were kicking holes in
them as
they climbed enthusiastically around the boat and it wasn't
a
bad bug
year. I wonder if the screens are necessary for the gaskets
to
stay
tight.

Have you used your ports without the screens?

--

Roger Long

wrote in message

oups.com...

Roger Long wrote:
Is leaking around the dogs with drips running down the
dogs
themselves
an endemic problem with 1980 era Beckson plastic ports or
will new
gaskets fix them? I'd hate to spend $250 on a whole set
of
new
gaskets for the boat and still have these annoying little
drips.

Don't bother telling me about better ports. That's on
the
list,
just
not for this year.

--

Roger Long

I probably have similar Beckson ports on my C&C 37.
I ordered two replacement gaskets from Beckson and they
didn't fit.
Right dimensions but way too thick. Beckson never
answered
my email
as
to why they didn't fit.
My leak has stopped so I'm not pursuing it but here are
two
ideas
I've
had for correcting the situation.
On my ports I can see that you can only tighten them down
so
far and
then you have plastic against plastic. You cannot
compensate
for
shrinkage in the rubber gasket.
I figured I could grind away a bit of plastic so they
could
be
tightened further.
Other idea is to run a narrow bead of flexible glue down
the
center
of
the gasket to build it up a bit on the surface the
portlight
beds
against.

Beckson port leaking

The lugs on the frame of the port right over about where your right
eye would be while lying in the forward V berth popped off. It wasn't
because it was soon after we got the boat and we never slept aboard it
the rain. I can just imagine a sleepy and frustrated person reaching
up and turning, and turning, and turning....

Fortunately, it's fairly easy to fabricate new lugs out of aluminum
angle and screw them on.

--

Roger Long

"Scotty" wrote in message
...
Over tightening the dogs is not good, either.

Beckson port leaking

I got this very prompt response from Beckson today. I asked why the
gaskets I saw in the store looked so much thicker than what is on my
boat. Read it and try your gaskets again.

Hi Roger,
As long as these are indeed Beckson ports, we have replacement gaskets
and lenses available. If you can give me the measurements of the flat
surface of the lens (length and height), we can determine which
size(s) are involved. (Endeavours used mostly used what we call
5x12's and 7x14's smoked lenses. In our parlance those are the rough
dimensions of what you can see through the closed port from down
below - to the nearest inch. Nothing on the ports measures exactly 5"
x 12" or 7" x 14".)

As for the gaskets, the new gaskets look thick and round in
cross-section while the old gaskets that have been squeezed under a
lens for 20+ years are flattened and "L" shaped. I will attach or copy
a set of Beckson replacement port gasket installation instructions
with this email. Please read through, find a good mallet, and follow
the instructions step by step. After the you get the first one to sit
nicely, you will find the rest to go in much more easily.

And finally, if you find on closer inspection that you might like to
make a wholesale upgrade of your Beckson ports - replacing all the
original ports with new ones - we have a replacement program in place
to support you. Call and I'll quote you the prices.

Thanks for contacting Beckson.

We are here answering our phones (in person) in Bridgeport CT Monday
through Friday from 8:30AM until noon; then after lunch from 12:30
until 5:00PM EST at 203-333-1412. If you call after hours, please
leave a message on our machine and we will be in touch with you before
the end of the next business day.
regards,
Matt Reed
Customer Service
Subject: Beckson port gasket installation tips

Here are the basics of installing new Beckson window gaskets. Better
keep this on file with any other Beckson literature you have
collected.
1. Clean and dry the window body grooves where both the screen and the
gasket are installed.
2. Clean and dry the screen and install it in its groove with the
smooth side facing you and the ridge snapping into the groove.
3. Find the glue-joint seam in the gasket - where we have glued this
length of extruded gasket material into a loop - and position the seam
to be about top dead center of the window body. (If you put the seam
anywhere along the bottom edge, the port might leak a drop or two at
the seam.)
4. Find a polycarbonate (hard plastic) or hardwood headed mallet. You
will need it to force the solid rubber leg of the Beckson gasket ALL
the way down into the gasket groove. Finger pressure alone on the
gasket will not force the leg far enough down into the groove. But be
careful not to damage the hinges or pin bosses or screens with the
mallet.
5. With the seam of the gasket positioned near the top middle, start
just to the right of the left hand hinge feature pushing in a 1/2" or
so section of the leg into the groove, immediately tapping on the top
of the gasket and driving it in.
6. Continue from left to right, clockwise, across the top edge of the
window, pushing then tapping in about a 1/2" section of gasket at a
time. By the time you get to the first corner - the upper right - you
will have 8 or 9 inches of the solid rubber leg of the gasket firmly
secured in the groove.
7. Here is THE KEY TO THE INSTALLATION. If you look carefully at the
gasket groove in the first (and all) corners you will see it is
narrower than the groove in the straightaways. So, in order to get the
leg down into the groove in the corners, you will need to stretch it
as you are pushing it into the groove. Again tap on it several times
with your mallet to assure that it's in all the way.
8. Here's a test of how well you did on the first corner. Look at the
surface of the gasket in the corner. Is it puckered at all, or is it
fairly flat and level? If it's puckered, stop right there and peel the
gasket out of that first corner and stretch it more this time as you
force the leg into the groove. No need to continue if there's a pucker
because you won't have enough gasket left to do the last corner. And
it makes sense. Since our lens is very flat on the surface that gets
pressed against the gasket, you would want the surface of the gasket
to be pretty flat also.
9. So, moving along still in a clockwise direction, continue around
the window body, pushing it in in the straightaways and stretching as
you push it in in the corners.
10. When you reach where you started, close the lens and enjoy your
leak-free opening port. After the first one, the others will be much
easier and take less time. It's mostly in the technique and in knowing
some of the design elements of our windows.

--

Roger Long

Beckson port leaking

"Roger Long" wrote in message
.. .
I got this very prompt response from Beckson today. I asked why the
gaskets I saw in the store looked so much thicker than what is on my boat.
Read it and try your gaskets again.

Hi Roger,
As long as these are indeed Beckson ports, we have replacement gaskets and
lenses available. If you can give me the measurements of the flat surface
of the lens (length and height), we can determine which size(s) are
involved. (Endeavours used mostly used what we call 5x12's and 7x14's
smoked lenses. In our parlance those are the rough dimensions of what you
can see through the closed port from down below - to the nearest inch.
Nothing on the ports measures exactly 5" x 12" or 7" x 14".)

As for the gaskets, the new gaskets look thick and round in cross-section
while the old gaskets that have been squeezed under a lens for 20+ years
are flattened and "L" shaped. I will attach or copy a set of Beckson
replacement port gasket installation instructions with this email. Please
read through, find a good mallet, and follow the instructions step by
step. After the you get the first one to sit nicely, you will find the
rest to go in much more easily.

And finally, if you find on closer inspection that you might like to make
a wholesale upgrade of your Beckson ports - replacing all the original
ports with new ones - we have a replacement program in place to support
you. Call and I'll quote you the prices.

Thanks for contacting Beckson.

We are here answering our phones (in person) in Bridgeport CT Monday
through Friday from 8:30AM until noon; then after lunch from 12:30 until
5:00PM EST at 203-333-1412. If you call after hours, please leave a
message on our machine and we will be in touch with you before the end of
the next business day.
regards,
Matt Reed
Customer Service
Subject: Beckson port gasket installation tips

Here are the basics of installing new Beckson window gaskets. Better keep
this on file with any other Beckson literature you have collected.
1. Clean and dry the window body grooves where both the screen and the
gasket are installed.
2. Clean and dry the screen and install it in its groove with the smooth
side facing you and the ridge snapping into the groove.
3. Find the glue-joint seam in the gasket - where we have glued this
length of extruded gasket material into a loop - and position the seam to
be about top dead center of the window body. (If you put the seam anywhere
along the bottom edge, the port might leak a drop or two at the seam.)
4. Find a polycarbonate (hard plastic) or hardwood headed mallet. You will
need it to force the solid rubber leg of the Beckson gasket ALL the way
down into the gasket groove. Finger pressure alone on the gasket will not
force the leg far enough down into the groove. But be careful not to
damage the hinges or pin bosses or screens with the mallet.
5. With the seam of the gasket positioned near the top middle, start just
to the right of the left hand hinge feature pushing in a 1/2" or so
section of the leg into the groove, immediately tapping on the top of the
gasket and driving it in.
6. Continue from left to right, clockwise, across the top edge of the
window, pushing then tapping in about a 1/2" section of gasket at a time.
By the time you get to the first corner - the upper right - you will have
8 or 9 inches of the solid rubber leg of the gasket firmly secured in the
groove.
7. Here is THE KEY TO THE INSTALLATION. If you look carefully at the
gasket groove in the first (and all) corners you will see it is narrower
than the groove in the straightaways. So, in order to get the leg down
into the groove in the corners, you will need to stretch it as you are
pushing it into the groove. Again tap on it several times with your mallet
to assure that it's in all the way.
8. Here's a test of how well you did on the first corner. Look at the
surface of the gasket in the corner. Is it puckered at all, or is it
fairly flat and level? If it's puckered, stop right there and peel the
gasket out of that first corner and stretch it more this time as you force
the leg into the groove. No need to continue if there's a pucker because
you won't have enough gasket left to do the last corner. And it makes
sense. Since our lens is very flat on the surface that gets pressed
against the gasket, you would want the surface of the gasket to be pretty
flat also.
9. So, moving along still in a clockwise direction, continue around the
window body, pushing it in in the straightaways and stretching as you push
it in in the corners.
10. When you reach where you started, close the lens and enjoy your
leak-free opening port. After the first one, the others will be much
easier and take less time. It's mostly in the technique and in knowing
some of the design elements of our windows.

Roger
Thanks for the information.
Some of that installation information came with the gaskets but I don't
recall them mentioning the use of a mallet.
I still have my doubts they will work due to the thickness. It just did not
look like the port would close without breaking the hinges.
By the way, you asked about taking the screens out. I've not done this and
don't know if it would have any effect. They seem to be pretty well
recessed so I doubt it.

--

Roger Long