Pocketship Build Down Under: Porthole Installation.

I decided to decorate the outside and inside surrounds of the porthole windows using 9mm thick plywood rings.

I made the rings large enough to overlap the 6mm marine acrylic portholes. The outside rings will be permanently epoxied in place and the portholes will be sealed and screwed in place with marine bedding compound from the inside. The inside rings will be screwed over the acrylic porthole window (This will allow future replacement if required).

This pic shows the 6mm marine acrylic porthole with protective covering alongside the drawing of the decorative ring.

Using a jigsaw, I cut out the rings and cleaned up with a bench sander and a circular drum sander.

Here are the eight decorative porthole rings ready for edge routing.

BUT, I had a change of plans. I decided to use hoop pine for the four outer rings. I thought this would look better and follow the bright timber theme, so now I have four plywood porthole rings spare.

Time to make some dust. I cut the hoop pine rings from a thicker piece of timber. I cut a square block slightly larger than the ring circumference and ran the four sides of the block over the table saw blade. As the blade was not deep enough to cut all the way through the block the remaining center section was cut with a Japanese saw.

Here are the completed porthole rings, the four exteriors from hoop pine and the four interiors from 9mm plywood. All rings are given 3 coats of epoxy prior to several coats of polyurethane.

The holes are cut out of the cabin walls with a jig saw. Several coats of epoxy are applied around the area where the porthole rings will be attached. I will smooth this area prior to gluing on the porthole rings. It will be much easier than sanding around the rings when in place.

The outside rings will be permanently glued in place without screws. The 6mm acrylic windows will be secured in place with silicon from the inside. Then decorative internal rings will be screwed over the windows to cover the gap. I temporarily clamped the external rings in place and masked around the rings on the hull sides.