The Unified Corribee Website

Corribee Cabin Windows

The side windows fitted to the standard Corribee are laminated glass, and follow the slight curve of the cabin sides. The glass itself is not curved however, and is actually flexed into the correct curve in the fitting process. The small window at the front of the cabin is plastic (possibly acrylic or polycarbonate).  Coromandels and junk rigged Corribees are fitted with port lights. The only exception I have seen is a late MkII Corribee called Pisces (formerly lying at Keyhaven, Hants and currently at Brightlingsea. 

Repairs and refurbishment:

The side windows are a potential source of leaks. If the frames themselves are in good condition it is possible to renovate them. You may need to drill out the existing fastenings if they are seized – many boat windows are fastened with interscrews, obtainable from www.a2a4.co.uk

If you can’t find an interscrew to fit an alternative would be a case nut, which is similar:

Both are stainless steel, interscrews are only available as A2 grade but case nuts are obtainable in the more corrosion resistant A4 grade. It is a good idea to use zinc-chromate paste when you fit them, as it prevents electrolytic corrosion occuring between the stainless and the aluminium. Zinc chromate paste (trade name Duralac) is obtainable from www.lasaero.com, and is also useful when using pop rivets on the mast and boom.

If you are fitting new seals, cut them over-length and try not to stretch them when fitting as they will shrink back. Trim them to the final length as you push the last little bit into place. Arrange for the join to be at the top of the frame. The aluminium frames themselves should be bedded in a sealant – Houdini Marine recommend a non-setting product such as Arbomast BR or Bear tape, in case the frame ever needs to be removed again. New rubber seals of various sections can be obtained from www.sealsdirect.co.uk

The alternative to fitting new seals is to use one of the many sealants available. Dow-Corning, Sika and 3M all produce a range of suitable marine grade sealants. The photo below is one of the side windows from Casulen II – the frame has been removed and cleaned thoroughly. The existing glass was used as a template to cut new polycarbonate windows (using a jigsaw). Thin spacers have been cut to place between the frame and window – this ensures a gap which is filled with clear marine silicon sealant. The excess is cut and removed with a razor blade when fully cured. Adrian and Jonny Moore (owners of Casulen II) have had complete success with this method, even after 1800 miles of hard sailing.

There are several companies who specialise in the manufacture and maintenance of boat windows. Often recommended on the ybw.com forums is Eagle Boat Windows (www.eagleboatwindows.co.uk) who specialise in refurbishing your existing windows. If your aluminium frames are beyond salvaging Houdini Marine Windows Ltd (www.houdini-marine.co.uk) will manufacture complete replacements. An example of their S section profile is shown below, which can be formed to a minimum bend radius of 47.5mm and will accommodate a glass thicknesses of 4, 6 or 8mm.

Source: corribee.org

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The experience of a member of the Corribee Owners Association reproduced with permission:

Sealing windows – an alternative to refitting Corribee windows.

I had a problem at the start of this year with mine leaking and I repaired them using a product called Life Seal; there was an article in one of the yachting magazines, I think it was Sailing Today, that recommended this. The method I used was as follows: Remove the rubber beadings from the outside and throw them away. Then mask off the outsides of the frames and the glass leaving a strip of glass about 5mm wide where the beading was. Clean frame and glass with meths. Fill the gap between frame and glass with Life Seal building it up proud of the frame to the edge of the masking tape so you end up with a sloping profile similar to the rubber beading. Remove the masking tape before the Life Seal has fully cured. Once it has fully cured you can tidy up any rough edges with a modelling knife. This appears to have been completely succesful – no more leaks and I didn’t have to dismantle the frames. I think I used about 3 tubes of Life Seal. I hope this helps. Regards Bill.

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