A27 Aluminum Windows

[Ambler27FC]

I founds some good posts here on re-building the wooded A27 pilot house windows, but not the aluminum ones. Just posting some lessons learned:

Used 3M Windo-Weld to mount the glass to the frames. This advertises as butyl tape, but is much stickier. It is a good match for the original material. I used 3/8" round - which worked very well - but 1/4" round might be a better match of the original installation.

The rubber seal on the outside of the window is Steele Rubber Products 70-3794-99 weather-strip.

The hair seals on the side windows appears to be Steele 70-3843-99 weather strip pile. I had to sand down the sides of the insert a little to get it in, but might not have had the right tool or technique.

I started this project because of a small but annoying leak below the side windows. The side windows on my boat don't fit perfectly, and there was core rot in the lower corners. The rubber seals on the front windows had also shrunk and hardened, but the core was in great shape around these windows - a little luck there. Removed the core around the edges and mounting holes and filled with epoxy - as you would.

A simple job, but allot of work. Getting the old silicone caulk out of the window frame crevices is more than half the job. Using a wire brush wheel in a drill sped things up. I am going to try mounting the front window frames to the hull with butyl tape, but the side windows need silicone because of the fit.