rubber gaskets for bronze ports

BCC Forum
1

New owner with lots of questions. Does anyone have a source for the rubber gaskets for the bronze ports along the coach roof? Mine are so hard I mistook them for bronze.

2

Do a forum search for “portlight rubber gasket” at the forum. You need to check “all dates” at the search engine to ensure you search all posting at the BCC forum.

3

I ordered new porthole gaskets a couple of years ago;

SailboatStuff.com
705 Mayflower Street
Petaluma, CA 94954
Tel 1-707-766-9093
Fax 1-707-766-9094

  1. Locate “replacement gasket for round bronze & stainless steel portholes”
  2. Select size on drop down menu

Here’s the information that was on the invoice;

Porthole Gasket for 7" (178mm) Porthole
#131221 7-Inch
$10.95
7 91046 13129 1

They fit perfectly!

4

Thanks for the reply. I contacted these folks and they told me that ABI had gone out of business and they no longer stock 7" gaskets. I’ve found a source and ordered some 7" gaskets, but they may or may not be the proper shape or thickness. We’ll see.

Gene Roll

5

I replaced all my port gaskets last year, using the 1/4" square stock purchased and installed using IDUNA’s instructions (reproduced below). They are very snug, and every time we open the ports, we have to pat the gaskets back into the channels. But that’s a small inconvenience for the benefit of absolutely dry ports that can be dogged down really tight!

Here’s the original IDUNA message:

I replaced the gasket in IDUNA’s 10 portlights in 2001 for less than $20 in materials by making my own gaskets from Buna-N square O-ring cord stock. I purchased 1/4" square cord stock from Paramount Packing and Rubber, Inc. (PPR) in Baltimore -410-789-2233 . PPR will ship the material to you.

You can also purchase this material from www.mcmaster.com . Type “Buna-N square O-ring cord stock” in the search box to find the material. The current price for 1/4" square stock is about $0,85 per foot.

You will need an industrial super-glue to stick the ends together. PPR and McMaster stock this item

PPR is a small shop and the price will be cheaper.

Measure the thickness of your current gaskets. They are probably 1/4" X 1/4" in cross-section.

To make the gasket:

  1. Remove the old gasket and clean out the gasket seat in the portlight.

  2. Using the cord stock, measure the amount you will need plus 1" to 2" more.

  3. Cut one end of the measured piece square with a single edge razor.

  4. Starting at the top of the portlight, press the square end into the seat and work the material around the portlight.

  5. When the free end meets the starting end of the stock, trim the free end square, such that when seated it forms a continuous ring.

  6. Pull one end out of the seat about 2 inches, apply super-glue and fit the material into the gasket seat, such that the two ends make good contact to form a continuous ring gasket.

I used a wire brush bit in a dremel tool to cleanup the gaskets seats before fitting a new gasket.

Let’s assume it will take 20 ft to fit of cord stock to make 10 new gaskets, then 20 ft X $1/ft = $20. I used (pi X D) X (number of portlights) divided by 12"/ft to estimate how much material I need to purchase.

I also replaced one gasket for the glass port by cutting my own from Buna-N sheet stock.

You should be able to find a gasket shop in your area where you can either purchase cord stock or have them cut gaskets from sheet material. Making your own gaskets from cord stock is the least expensive approach.

Cheers,

IDUNA

Hope this helps.
Regards,
Ellen
BCC 69 Jolie Brise

6

Dawson:

Have you considered gluing the gaskets in place with super glue gel? I would not glue the whole ring but small sections at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions. If you decide to try it, test the idea on a couple of ports before doing all the ports.

Just a thought.

Cheers,

Rod
IDUNA