The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

Preparing for Sailing Season 2010
The Windows Removal and Resealing Project

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First thing this morning I opened the boat and tightened the screws in the window frame I reinstalled yesterday, a twist or two on each one, drawing the inner and outer frames tighter into the cured bedding compound.  (Apr. 11, 2010)

After pulling the vinyl cover off, cleaning with acetone, compounding and waxing around the hole, then masking off around it, I was ready to install the fourth and final window.

Out of curiosity, I inspected the gap between inner and outer fiberglass liners. Nope, there was no third piece of fiberglass present, as there was in the aft window I installed yesterday.

For the first time in this project, the window frame fit right in without needing to beat on it with my trusty "custom window frame installation tools." Another invaluable tool for this project was the awl. I used it to line up the screw holes in the inner and outer frames. (The plastic container held the screws all winter from when I removed them last fall -- and I didn't lose even one of the 60; 15 screws for each window.)

Once the two target holes have been found and lined up, I moved the awl's point to the next hole before inserting the screw, lined up the second holes and maintained a little pressure on the awl to keep them aligned, then went back and inserted the screw in the target hole, caught and tightened it loosely.

I caught and tightened the screws starting at the top-center, then moved on around the frame alternating sides with each screw until I reached the bottom-center on both ends.

The final window, installed. Oops, I missed masking that top forward corner, but no harm no foul. When I pulled off that masking tape, this project was done, complete at long last when I fully tighten those interior screws on the inner frame tomorrow. This window took only an hour and a half to install -- a big improvement over the three and a half hours the first one took. I got faster with each window, as I learned a few new tricks.

Project complete, mission accomplished. They sure look nice, a great improvement, but the big test will be whether or not there are any leaks. I can't imagine there could be after all this.  (Apr. 11, 2010)