Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by guitarfish on 02/08/19 - 2:25 PM

I am providing a basic informational post just for the info to be 'out there'.

After a quite lengthy search I am happy to report I have found new rubber for my 1971 Menemsha windshield. Not the original gray, but black. I am ok with that.

I reached out to Sue Lodel, Twin Cities / Beacon Marine first but she could not locate any. Mostly because the pictures I sent her were of little use.

I passed all the info needed on to her as Sue is the number one contact. I had no idea the lack of info / parts for Menemsha's.

For anyone searching for a particular rubber seal (of any type) your best approach is to cut a small piece with scissors. Then take a pic of each end. This gives a left and right profile to simplify the search. I found out that there are literally a hundred + different profiles.

Edited by guitarfish on 02/08/19 - 2:29 PM

Posted by guitarfish on 02/14/19 - 8:07 AM

I may have seen that and ignored it because of the mention of the wood frame, as opposed to the Menemsha's aluminum frame.

Grateful for the info regardless. I talked to them this morning and they are sending a small sample. They only make one type, so we'll see.

Either way I will be sure to post here and let Sue Lodel know at Beacon/Twin Cities.

The line between restoring and just plain fixing is driving me crazy. I have the interior gutted for console and the seat assembly repairs. Now I'm wondering whether to redo the blue gelcoat, or finish the new console and go fishing.

Thank you Phil.

Posted by guitarfish on 02/14/19 - 10:16 AM

STEELE rubber products has hundreds of rubber profiles but cannot match the product sample I sent them.

They left me a voice mail saying it isn't rubber, and they are not interested in producing it. The were very nice to work with anyway.

PETRO sent a sample of the product they produce and it is for a complete different application.

I placed a call to BOSTON WHALER customer service. Hopefully someone still works there that has the info.

Edited by guitarfish on 03/02/19 - 8:09 AM

Posted by guitarfish on 03/29/19 - 4:29 PM

OK. I did complete one side of the windshield. Here is all the info.

1) Boston Whaler factory told me they had no idea.
2) The product I used is called window glazing spline.
3) After much searching (driving too), I purchased a ring of sample CR Laurence glazing splines from DK Hardware on line.
4) The glazing spline sample # that worked was GS765.
5) I drove to a nearby town and picked it up @ the CRLauence facility because DK Hardware was out of stock and it was a week out to order.
6) Pulled the old portside windshield glazing and gently pushed glass out from inside. There was some wiggling involved.
7) With a heat gun I scraped the old glazing compound from the frame and cleaned it htoroughly. Some bevelled popsicle sticks and a soft brass brush were necessary.
8) I set the glass on a table with a plastic cutting board under it. The glass took vinegar, #0000 steel wool, terry cloth rags and the brass brush. It was cloudy on the edges from fifty years of sitting in compound.
9) Purchased a tub of DAP 33 glazing compound at LOWES.
10) Rolled the compound in my palms to create a small bead that I set in the frame. I worried about getting too much in but it actually was fine.
11) I carefully set the glass in the compound at the bottom and gently but firmly pushed the glass against the frame, working all edges.
12) Then, I pushed the spline in across the top and bottom, cutting them at 45 degrees at each end. I wiped any excess compound that remained.
13) Lastly I jumped inside the boat and wiped off all the squeezed out bedding glaze.

Note that the new gray spline material is a bit smaller than the original but looks good. Also, don't stress while doing the bedding compound, it is very slow to harden. If you drop some, don't be tempted to pick it up and use it. It will pick up dirt immediately. And trust me you will have nearly 3/4's of your bedding compound left over.
And don't forget you are dealing with tempered glass. Pressure in the wrong area and it will shatter.

Any Menemsha owners that need any info I haven't included can contact me if they like. Guitarfish.