Newbie - Question

[John Dinnewell]

Good morning  all ...... My name is John Dinnewell ....totally new to boating and to this forum so hello to everyone.... I have a small 30ft Narrowboat in need of some attention.

I have a few questions and I apologise in advance as no doubt the questions have been asked before .....had a search but couldnt  find the answer tbh.

I am hoping to strip and repaint the boat over the summer.......and replace the mushroom vents and portholes, sounds a silly question I know but in terms of sizes of portholes to get new ones is the size governed by what the hole size is in the boat or the outside measurements of the existing fitted porthole?

If anyone could also give guidance of best makes etc I really would appreciate it, same applies to the mushroom vents.

 

Thanks in advance

[Tracy D'arth]

13 minutes ago, John Dinnewell said:

Good morning  all ...... My name is John Dinnewell ....totally new to boating and to this forum so hello to everyone.... I have a small 30ft Narrowboat in need of some attention.

I have a few questions and I apologise in advance as no doubt the questions have been asked before .....had a search but couldnt  find the answer tbh.

I am hoping to strip and repaint the boat over the summer.......and replace the mushroom vents and portholes, sounds a silly question I know but in terms of sizes of portholes to get new ones is the size governed by what the hole size is in the boat or the outside measurements of the existing fitted porthole?

If anyone could also give guidance of best makes etc I really would appreciate it, same applies to the mushroom vents.

 

Thanks in advance

Both really.

Find the make of the originals and try to get like for like.  Those are not strictly speaking porthole but round windows from a window maker like Caldwells, Wesley Marine, Channelglaze etc.

 

You could always go bigger and enlarge the holes.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Tracy D'arth

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, John Dinnewell said:

I am hoping to strip and repaint the boat over the summer.......

 

May I enquire why? Paint looks fine in your photo!

 

Point is, don't underestimate the sheer volume of work in what you describe. You're not going to get much (or any) cruising done this summer if you're stripping and painting. Maybe you prefer painting to cruising in which case press on, just bear in mind it's a lot of work and expense and a diversion from boating.

 

Re the portholes and mushrooms there is no convention for sizing. You'll probably find it difficult to find more that one supplier, let alone a wide choice. ask them for dimensions of their products.

[John Dinnewell]

2 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Both really.

Find the make of the originals and try to get like for like.

 

You could always go bigger and enlarge the holes.

Hi Tracy many thanks for the advice ..much appreciated

[Murflynn]

portholes - https://www.blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk/boat-portholes.htm

 

the size of the existing hole in the steel is the governing factor unless you want to do some serious metalworking - no of course you don't.   Take one out and measure the hole.

[John Dinnewell]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

May I enquire why? Paint looks fine in your photo!

 

Point is, don't underestimate the sheer volume of work in what you describe. You're not going to get much (or any) cruising done this summer if you're stripping and painting. Maybe you prefer painting to cruising in which case press on, just bear in mind it's a lot of work and expense and a diversion from boating.

 

Re the portholes and mushrooms there is no convention for sizing. You'll probably find it difficult to find more that one supplier, let alone a wide choice. ask them for dimensions of their products.

Hi MtB ...... thank you for the advice - would love to have some cruising and intend to do so but the paint work on the roof and around the hatch is really bad and I have several leaks so I want to at least strip all the roof back to steel and repaint - also I have issues with the portholes leaking ....have patched up with sikaflex for now.

2 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

portholes - https://www.blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk/boat-portholes.htm

 

the size of the existing hole in the steel is the governing factor unless you want to do some serious metalworking - no of course you don't.   Take one out and measure the hole.

 

Thanks so much for the advice and link Murflynn.... will crack on with that for now.😉

[David Mack]

40 minutes ago, John Dinnewell said:

also I have issues with the portholes leaking ....have patched up with sikaflex for now.

If you are going to repaint the shell then you will want to remove the portholes and mushroom vents anyway to derust and paint the steel under them. But do they need to be replaced with new? Can you not just clean them up (or even paint them on the workbench) before refitting with new window tape or sealant?