Converting windows to portholes

[MtB]

Well our search for another boat continues. We really dislike caravan windows but there seems to be very few boats out there that meet our spec, i.e. with portholes, classic diesel in mid-ships engine room, proper bedroom (i,e. not fold-down or cross-bed, etc etc) and are well within our budget. There ARE, however, a few around but with caravan windows. So we are wondering how feasible it might be to buy one and plate over the window holes and fit portholes.

 

Boats with portholes seem to command £5k to £10k more than the equivalent boat with caravan windows, so it might even be cost-effective to convert one, as well as giving us more choice.

 

Any views, anyone? Anyone actually done this?

 

Or is it best just to keep on waiting and looking...

 

Cheers, Mike

[alan_fincher]

I would say that I've never seen one where the conversion has been done, where it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

 

But I suppose there may be some done so well that I can't notice.

 

IMO the heat used generally puts enough of a ripple in the steel, that it will always look like a boat that used to have big windows, but has had them filled in.

 

Even if some are done invisibly, an awful lot are not, so that would be a risk you run by going this route.

 

Unless you completely plan to refit the entire boat inside, don't underestimate the effort to make it look decent there. If it's in sheet materials, you can hardly fill the holes, and you are unlikely to fare much better filling them in a tongue and groove lined boat.

 

I'd hold out for what you want.

 

Generally every time I go in a port-holed boat, I'm glad I don't have one, but I appreciate people's priorities differ.

[John Orentas]

Hi Mike.

 

There must be a compromise somewhere in this but I must say I agree with virtually every word of Alans post..

 

Don't limit your choices to portholes and bus windows, I am not keen on either but there are hundreds of window manufacturers out there, take a look at what they have to offer, many will make windows to your own design. Personally I fitted fewer but larger windows (48" x 20") not totally successful but better than most alternatives.. What I did do, which did work, though perhaps not an option for you was to 'alternate' the windows side to side, a window free panel matched on the other side by a window, in this way you can have fewer windows without those twilight areas inside.

 

I have seen some very smart windows in horse boxes, motor homes, earth moving equipment, you name it, half the battle is to be original.. Oh whatever you do don't fit those over-size port holes, nothing looks worse.

[chris w]

I was given a choice of portholes or rectangular windows on my new boat and went for all rectangular. The additional glass area makes the whole boat so light and airy compared with portholed boats on which I have been.

 

The bedroom has 2 x 36" x 20" windows. That's 1440in² of glass. 2 x 18" portholes = 509in² which is a reduction in area (hence light) of 3 times. Even worse with 12" portholes - a reduction in light of over 6 times

 

Chris

[bottle]

Hi Mike

 

Everything the others have said but the actual cost would not, in my opinion, be beneficial either and very doubtful it would make the boat worth any more on resale.

 

The whole boat would also need a complete re-paint, matching un-painted metal to that already there is a problem, depth of colour comes to mind. Unless you take it all back to bare metal. (ouch)

 

I realise that trying to find the right boat will be frustrating but it is out there, of course when you find it and buy it, a better one will appear.

 

good hunting.

[bridgit]

Well our search for another boat continues. We really dislike caravan windows but there seems to be very few boats out there that meet our spec, i.e. with portholes, classic diesel in mid-ships engine room, proper bedroom (i,e. not fold-down or cross-bed, etc etc) and are well within our budget. There ARE, however, a few around but with caravan windows. So we are wondering how feasible it might be to buy one and plate over the window holes and fit portholes.

 

Boats with portholes seem to command £5k to £10k more than the equivalent boat with caravan windows, so it might even be cost-effective to convert one, as well as giving us more choice.

 

Any views, anyone? Anyone actually done this?

 

Or is it best just to keep on waiting and looking...

 

Cheers, Mike

This was just what we were looking for and it took us 18 mth to find ours, keep hunting and good luck.

[MtB]

I would say that I've never seen one where the conversion has been done, where it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

 

But I suppose there may be some done so well that I can't notice.

 

IMO the heat used generally puts enough of a ripple in the steel, that it will always look like a boat that used to have big windows, but has had them filled in.

 

This is one of the reasons I was asking. I cannot imagine even the most skilled boatbuilder being able to fill in a window by welding a panel into the hole without clearly visible distortion and the outline of the weld remaining fully visible through the paint. Or severe risk of fire damage to the interior of the boat.

 

So I was think along the lines of cutting a sheet of steel, say 3mm thick, to the same size as the cream coachline (that most boats have), then fixing it to the cabin side using countersunk machine screws all around the very edge of the new panel, drilling and tapping the original cabin side behind each hole. Cut the porthole holes in the sheet first, then painting the new panel after fixing in place. The machine screws will all fall on the coachline if done accurately and hopefully not be too obvious once the coachline is repainted. Not as obvious as panels cut and welded into each window hole at least! Does this sound feasible?

 

OK maybe you're all right and we should just wait for the right boat to come along..... ;-)

 

Cheers, Mike

[RLWP]

This is one of the reasons I was asking. I cannot imagine even the most skilled boatbuilder being able to fill in a window by welding a panel into the hole without clearly visible distortion and the outline of the weld remaining fully visible through the paint. Or severe risk of fire damage to the interior of the boat.

 

So I was think along the lines of cutting a sheet of steel, say 3mm thick, to the same size as the cream coachline (that most boats have), then fixing it to the cabin side using countersunk machine screws all around the very edge of the new panel, drilling and tapping the original cabin side behind each hole. Cut the porthole holes in the sheet first, then painting the new panel after fixing in place. The machine screws will all fall on the coachline if done accurately and hopefully not be too obvious once the coachline is repainted. Not as obvious as panels cut and welded into each window hole at least! Does this sound feasible?

 

OK maybe you're all right and we should just wait for the right boat to come along..... ;-)

 

Cheers, Mike

 

Can I check my understanding here. You are proposing to screw a sheet of 3mm steel to the side of your boat that is nearly the size of the existing side. You will fix it around the edge only with countersunk screws.

 

If I have understood this correctly I'm not confident that it will be that easy. How do you stop the sheet bowing in the middle due to heat? What about vibration? How will you rebuild the lining? What about sealing the sheet? How about the damage to the existing paint as you fix this big sheet of steel? What about stability (it's a lot of metal)?

 

There's an awful lot of work in your proposal.

 

Keep looking, the boat you want is out there somewhere.

 

Richard

[bottle]

Mike

 

I think the last paragraph was with your tongue firmly in your cheek or at least I hope so.

[Guest TerryL]

Mike

 

I think the last paragraph was with your tongue firmly in your cheek or at least I hope so.

 

Has anyone thought of asking Microsoft about this?

[robkg]

Well our search for another boat continues. We really dislike caravan windows but there seems to be very few boats out there that meet our spec, i.e. with portholes, classic diesel in mid-ships engine room, proper bedroom (i,e. not fold-down or cross-bed, etc etc) and are well within our budget. There ARE, however, a few around but with caravan windows. So we are wondering how feasible it might be to buy one and plate over the window holes and fit portholes.

 

Boats with portholes seem to command £5k to £10k more than the equivalent boat with caravan windows, so it might even be cost-effective to convert one, as well as giving us more choice.

 

Any views, anyone? Anyone actually done this?

 

Or is it best just to keep on waiting and looking...

 

Cheers, Mike

Hi Mike,

 

I have filled in an unwanted porthole aperture on my boat successfully. I would have these comments to make.

 

I welded the infill piece on the inside only, with about 1" lengths of weld at a time in different places so as to minimise distortion.

I aligned the infill piece to the cabin sides with three very poweful magnets prior to and during welding.

I used epoxy resin filler to fill the join on the outside prior to painting.

The porthole aperture was in a curved rear panel which may have made minor distortion effects less obvious.

I had full access to the inside of the steelwork as the boat was not fitted out at the time.

 

A 9" porthole aperture is less challenging than several window apertures.

 

Nevertheless, I believe it would be possible. But don't underestimate the huge amount of effort, not least in stripping back the internal lining, to achieve the result you are after.

[arlow11]

ureka i think i have it.....................simply over plate the whole side with 3mm and weld ???????? would this work ?there would be minimal distorsion and heat might take some patching inside

[bag 'o' bones]

Buy a boat with portholes would be the most obvious solution. Converting a 'bus' windowed boat would probally cost the same as the portholed premium and never look as good.

 

Personally I think portholes make a boat too dingy and just excentuates a boat already narrow proportions. There are those would disagree but then again opinions should be respected.

[kayDee]

Not sure I could cope with port holes - with the light level drop. I looked at one before I bought mine and it was a lovely warm bright summer day. I peered into the boat from its mooring and it was quite dark and gloomy inside but that's just my personal preference towards light 'n' airy and I appreciate everyone has their own preferences.

Kay

x

[denboy]

ah but us tuggy`s have a secret way of letting daylight in

[alan_fincher]

On today's part of our trip we have passed 3 narrowboats that have had window to porthole conversions.

 

All looked bloody awful, and I'm left wondering if those who paid for the work would have done so if thy had realised how crap the cabin sides would look afterwards.

 

If you must do a conversion, please, please, don't do it just by having plates welded in the holes.

[Guest]

ureka i think i have it.....................simply over plate the whole side with 3mm and weld ???????? would this work ?there would be minimal distorsion and heat might take some patching inside

Adding that weight above the gunnels would make the boat roll a lot.

[kayDee]

ah but us tuggy`s have a secret way of letting daylight in

 

Do tell !!

Kay

x

[Batavia]

Do tell !!

Kay

x

 

Two things:

 

Let the light in through the roof (much more effective than windows).

 

Paint the inside a light colour, rather than living in a wooden coffin.

Chris

[dave moore]

Hi all

We used a couple of prisms set into the roof to augment the portholes. They are quite small, about 12 x5 inches, don't intrude on the external roof appearance and cast a hell of a lot of light internally. Also painted the saloon panels rather than timber and used maple for the roof and under gunnel lining.

Cheers

Dave

[stort_mark]

I realise that trying to find the right boat will be frustrating but it is out there, of course when you find it and buy it, a better one will appear.

 

The longer you have looked, the sooner the perfect boat will appear after you have bought the other one.