I'm considering renovating the window frames. The "white foam" generating from the unsuitable metal combinations is in my case still only a cosmetic matter as the windows keep the water outside perfectly. Anyway the looks disturbs me!
It is surprising there's no correspondance anywhere about how to deal with this matter, being an issue with all older Princesses, and Fairlines as well.
So! - Anyone arround with experience of renovating the frames?

I have a friend in S. Sweden witha Fairline 50, he did the side windows and it seems to work after a couple of years with proper primer. Still it surprises me that nobody has offered new bits commercially.
cheers,
Stefan

We have a similar problem but the white deposit is most definitely salt ingress in our case.

All our saloon windows have this problem. The window leaks between the glass and the frame. The frame is stainless steel with a black inner frame holding the glass. We have removed the windows and sealed the frame 3 times and have had the glass/frame sealed professionally but it didn't take long for the leaks to come again worse than ever. The inner stainless frame hides the worst of it and collects the water dripping in but in the conditions we are usually in, it is not long before the inner frame is overflowing!

I am convinced that if the glass/frame bond was re-sealed that the problem would be solved and we are going to do this, this winter. We are also considering a complete rip out and build a bonded glass window - this will also require reinforcing the whole inner frame with aluminium box section as they do in the new princesses as the stainless frame is used to strengthen the front.

my white powder disappeared two years ago and has not come back.

the windows have gutters that direct the water through holes.
The holes become blocked with seagull sit and muck.

Use a jet wash to blast out the holes, best have someone inside the boat with a towel the first time.

Then each time I wash the boat down I force water into the gutters, loads of muck comes out every time but no water ingress and white powder has stopped.

if the holes are blocked water will sit on the aluminium and rot it, that is the white fine powder.

Thanks for that info Daka. On our side windwos I usually apply hot water to get rid of the salt build up and that works but we are having the problems mainly with the front windows.

A friend has recommended using a new sealant, Elastoseal - works on wet and dry surfaces so we will be trying that soon.

Stefan

Have you tried anything with your windows yet? We were only able to have the boat out of the water for 2 weeks and installed a bow thruster so didn't get working on the windows but we are still of a mind to get them sorted as the interior upholstry around the front windows needs redo-ing too.

The Elastoseal was not a success with our friend's boat so we are giving that a miss for now.

No I haven't done anything to the windows yet, just talked. They are still watertight.
It is more an appearance problem when the side window seals are being pushed up by the corroding aluminium. But they can begin to leak anytime of course.
I have asked Western Marine (Plymouth) if they are able to supply seals but rcd. no answer. I will probably try to manage as is also next season and source seals and window runners for installation the winter 2010/11. Lewis Marine in US is a possible source. I find it very surprising that nobody in UK seems to have solution to this very common issue.

Hello Stefan,

I have a Princess 40 from 1999 in Malmö. My windowframes seames to be polished stainless steel and the glass appears to be glued.? Are yours in aluminium frames?

My windows keeps water out so far but the rubbersealings on the outside are loose. I have to find some kind of glue to fix them.

My windows have decor frames of stainless steel inside and out. The inner frames of aluminium, that corrode (whatever you say Mark), are glued to the hull with some SIKAFLEX type bonding. The bonding is such that if yours is loose I expect your construction to be different as this stuff sits like solid rock. I have a friend in Stenungssund owning a Fairline 50 with the same window construction I have on my boat. He removed the windows and needed a billion of small wooden wedges (kilar) stuck in the Sikastuff between the hull and aluframe to get it loose in one piece.

(My friend cleaned and painted the aluframes with a corrosion protection paint and claim they haven't shown any signs of corrosion since. He didn't succeed in finding new seals and runners for the windows and was forced to use the ugly old ones)

Stefan,

Is it really that there is a combination of stainless steel and aluminium in the windows? Seems to be bound to create corrosion!!!???

If you look at the image below, do you think my windowframes may also be the same construction with aluminium under the visible stainless steel?

Staffan/Ebonita

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I dont know for sure, but I think, that your boats windows are differently constructed. The "battery" construction seem to end in the early 90-ties.

Thank you Stefan,

From my point ov view I hope you are right!

Btw Stefan, have you aluminium septitank in your boat? Mine is and no problem so far, but I am interested to know how long it might be due to last???

Staffan/Ebonita

That looks like a lovely teak deck you have in the cockpit

But, yes, I see where your rubber seal is loose but your frames are stainless only I think.

You may be able to just push the rubber in again.

Our septitank is of stls steel and installed in 2002. Originally there was none.

The original water tanks were of aluminium and I replaced them with new ones of stainless steel last winter.

The alu tanks looked terrible inside from water only, I cant imagine what human waist would do to aluminium... However alu tanks typically start to "microleak", so you will hopefully get an early warning.