Trojan Boat Forum

I was just reading the post on the 73 tricabin hardtop and can relate to many of the concerns he listed. I call my 73 tri cabin more of a journey that has ups and downs. So far I wouldn't trade that journey for anything ( ok maybe that 's a bit exaggerated).

Anyways, the mounting holes that secure my windshield frame allows water to leak into the aft cabin. Forum member Tim was nice enough to send me windshield reassembly instructions that came with the boat when Trojan shipped it from the factory - thank you Tim!. That info shows where all the mounting bolts are as well as wiring harnesses.

The instructions call for Butyl to be used to bed the windshield frame. I'm concerned butyl might not seat well in this Michigan cold weather and I don't want to wait until it's warm to finish the job. I was thinking of black 4200 at each hole and a small bead along the water entering edge or maybe even marine weather strip made for windshield frame mounting sold at HD between the mounting holes.

Any one ever done the job this way?
Thank you indvance for your input.

I haven't pulled the frame off and rebedded, but I have recaulked around outside edge. Every few years I get a bit of water finding its way in and following voids in the layup to finally 'appear' out of the fibreglass near my salon doors on. Anyways, recaulking the outside edge makes the problem go away for a few more years.

Consider 4000UV instead of 4200 though if it will get a lot of sun. Less likely to break down or shrink/crack.

captainmaniac wrote:Consider 4000UV instead of 4200 though if it will get a lot of sun. Less likely to break down or shrink/crack.

After a bit of thought, I decided to standardize on the 3M 4000UV for caulk on my boat. There are a few things it is not perfect for, but it is good for just about anything and one of the best for many tasks. The other one I was considering was Lifecaulk and even though it was close, I went for the 4000.

Great point on the 4000, for the uv. I will look at seeing if I can stay away from lifting the whole frame up to caulk it. Sometimes I get carried away and and may not be able to help myself, but we'll see. I can also seal the mounting nut/washers from underneath.

Thanks guys for the input.

Sealing from the back side does not always work well, partially because the water is getting down the shaft of the fasteners. You are much better sealing from the outside.

One option that Aaron recommended here and I have had success with is Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure. It is a water based sealer that flows like water into a crack or crevice, then dries out leaving the acrylic sealer. You have to use multiple coats to be effective. I have used it on my stanchion screws and bases, as well as around my window seals. My personal opinion is that it is a great temporary fix until you can repair the underlying problem. I believe Aaron used it every year to prevent leaks.

I saw that captain tolley's stuff when I did a search on this topic. I think that might be good for the window to frame seals too, so I will look into getting some.

Before I wrote this topic on the forum I thought to myself, what would Aaron answer with, since I believe his dad had the same 73 tri cabin. I'm sure he'll send me some tips when I'm in the barn working on this in a few weeks.

Thank you for that one.