The second project on Something Else was the replacement of the portlights or windows for the land lubbers. The portlights on a GK29 were just Plexiglas. FYI in England where my boat was made Plexiglas is called Perspex. On the port side (left side if you are looking fwd) the Plexiglas was original. Scratched, crazed and cracking Plexiglas bolted onto the cabin side. At least the port side didn't leak. The starboard side (right side if you are looking forward) was another story. The PO "modernized" the portlights on Something Else (bad PO bad). He attempted to bond the Plexiglas flush with the cabin side. Unfortunately, the fit and the bonding were poor and leaked badly. I'm glad he gave up after doing the starboard portlight. I had to duct tape it until I could replace it.
What to replace the port lights with? I looked at making new ones like the factory; however the starboard side was cut larger by the PO. I looked at many alternatives. And decided I would buy Lewmar port lights at Minney’s Yacht Surplus. Minney's is my favorite store and their motto is "WE KEEP BOATING AFFORDABLE". They had a ton of them, new in the box. The price was less than the cost of buying Plexiglas to make replacements. Lewmar is English too. It took some work to fit them but they look so cool and they don’t leak at all. Take a look at the before and after pictures and tell me what you think.
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| Port side before - Factory original |
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| Port side after - Lewmar port |
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| Starboad side before - Non factory flush |
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| Starboad side after - Shows fiberglass reworked areas |
