Broken port hole latch.

[steve brown]

The party that took my boat NUNKI has had two failures with the porthole latches. The ears that hold the latch knob broke off in two locations. I was so upset that I ordered a whole new porthole assembly for him. Has anyone had this problem before? Can a plastic weld cement be used to glue the latch ear back on?  Thanks for anyones input on this. Steve

[BobK]

If you are talking about the hatch on the cabin roof that opens those levers are called dogs. They are available at defender.
BobK

[skip1930]

Snapped off cast bronze [?] porthole dogs ... hummm. Short of TIG'ing them not much to be done.

You might want to drill a hole in each broken surface that has been vee'd around it's edges. Maybe a third of each broken diameter. Insert a steel rod that size into the holes filled with an epoxy paste, also filling the vee'd areas ... next day DREMEL the repair smooth.

Just an idea.

skip.

[DanM]

Hi- I'm the guy who was lucky enough to buy Steve's NUNKI. I'm touched by his concern and his generosity in ordering an expensive new porthole for us.
Let me explain the issue:
  The  broken parts in question are on one of  the cats-eye portholes. The three plastic spinners that dog down the window are the problem. When you open the window, the three spinners each swing down out of the way on a tiny steel hinge pin that is captured between two plastic "ears" or bosses that stick out. On two of these latches, one of the ears has been broken. Looks to me as if the spinners may have received some kind of accidental blow. Steve has no recollection of such an event. Perhaps something that happened in the factory 4 years ago and just failed now? Whatever, mysterious stuff happens. I'd rather think it an accident than a design or manufacturing  failure. Has this part failed in anyone else's boat?
   I don't believe it is worth trying to repair it, no cement or glue will hold against the force of dogging down the port. My plan is to replace the whole assembly (which includes the outside SS trim.) I spoke to Gerry at Com-Pac and found out what sealant they use (Sikaflex 291.) I thought it best to use the same thing, and I ordered some from Jamestown. Removing the old parts will be a bitch, but I think it's the only option. Will report back after the job is done.

[nreamer]

Good luck!  Take your time removing the sealant.  If you start getting aggravated, take a break / drink a beer.  You sound like you know the drill. 

My only experience is with dreaded 5200, but if you take your time and do it right, it will look even better after you are done!

[Christopher]

  My left (port) portal has the same problem.  The middle dog is broken off.  I'm not pleased with the performance of these portals.  They leak and with the way they are designed water lays against the plastic because the outside lip tilts up instead of down.  My Suncat is a 2003 model.  I don't know if the same portal is still being used in production today or not.
  Please keep us informed on how difficult it is to remove and replace yours. I may do the same some day. 

Thanks,

Chris

"Second Wind"

[Tom L.]

These cat eye ports are really a bad Idea, they just plain are hard to keep from leaking. But that is what the design calls for and anything else would look well it would look different. I am seriously thinking of changing someday to oval ports that are either totally flush so water doesn't sit in the frame or some have a drain in the bezel. But that's down the pike for me. The best ports I ever had were Lewmar ports no leaks ever.

Tom L.

[rogerschwake]

A 2004 Suncat owen's me. Have had 2 of the dogs break on my ports, one on each port. I was lucky to find the pieces and glue them back in place with supper glue. This was 2 years ago and I have had no more problems with them since. Now I dog down the ports with great care, just snug. Have not had any problems with  leaks so fare. What do new ports cost to replace?

ROGER

[Craig]

Good advice Roger! Overtightening the port dogs does not help in preventing leaks. Quite the contrary, it only over-compresses and distorts the gasket making the port even more leak prone. A simple fix that those of us who have that style port is to affix a small "wick" to the outside that will help keep the water from collecting in the low area. Actually the ports on Suncats & Horizon Cats have a tendency to leak not from the port seal gasket on the inside but from the outside seal. I found a water-thin sealant at West Marine designed to penetrate and seal the leaks from the outside. I was amazed at how much was sucked up and penetrated the sealant voids! After several treatments the seepage is gone, that despite the torrential rain we have had here in SW FL! The product is called "Capt Tolley's Crack Cure". It is a Brit product (who know a lot about rain & leaks!) and really works. Read the reviews on the WM site The reviewer's experience is the same as mine.