CABIN LINER

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Kurt:
I think it was on Tony G's site that I waxed adnauseum about filling the space between the liner and the coach sides. The cabin side on 338 is about 1/8", the liner considerably thinner.

When the windows are out you discover the liner can be easily moved in or out from the stiffer cabin molding. The liner around the openings may be considerably distorted by 40 years of clamping pressure.
Essentially we must do everything possible to remove any silicone that was used in the windows. Abrade the inside of the liners ( 36grit sanding belt carpet-taped to thin plywood.) Do everything you can to mechanically remove silicone, it will defeat your remodeling. Epoxy will not adhere to where a silicone toad once squatted. Spread the word....Sand, grind and sand some more.
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Then, I would experiment with squeeze clamps and narrow wedges or shims pushed into the interstice until you discover the ONE measurable sameness all around each window. You want as much as possibe parallel surfaces - inside to outside. The cabin liner (in 338) is considerably tortured and bent. But we assume it was laminated on a fair mold and somebody had an idea of what the setoff was between cabin and liner. Have to find it. On 338 it was/is about 1/2". The single piece cabin liner may have gone in a little crooked at assembly. Liner and cabin laminations are not necessaryly consistent thickness everywhere. Your measurement is outside to inside with the tape. The inside space between the two moldings varies. That's why, in 338, a single dimension spacer would not have worked. But you need consistant finished thickness for a consistant window installation.*

Also the side of the cabin that the window holes are cut out of has a gentle sweep to it. Try not to disturb such a sweet alberg curve by forcing or stuffing it! The cabin side for the most part is pretty stiff, so you are moving the liner to match it. Watch that section between the windows.
[The coaming breakwaters where they are fastened thru the cabin side aft of the windows on 338 produced radical distortions - a sour concavity between the window end and the corner of the cabin. These coaming end blocks are lagged (clamped) thru the hollow cabin side and liner. Anyway, the distortion these pieces make can also distort the fairness of the windows of other Ariel's at that end. ]
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Once you know you can establish equal width on all four window openings mark and take all the wedgies out and stuff foam backer rod down inside each opening. You do this so you don't fill the space endlessly with expensive epoxy (and cabosil and chopped strand.) You are casting an internal waterproofing frame and incredible strength to which you can mount any kind of window you desire. You decide on the width (1 1/2" or 2" or 2 1/2" for example) of your inside frame by how deep you push in the foam rod. Then reestablish your spacer wedges. Your local concrete shoppe has different width soft polyethylene closedcell foam rod for you delectation, Get samples, the stuff is very cheap, to find what works for you.

Stand on the deck and move your eye at a zero angle down the cabin sides. Look for a bump-out, especially that center piece. You may have to span the window openings with a long bendy fairing batten to tame the center section.
You are going to stiffen the whole cabin side considerable. Won't be able to move that center section when filled so easy later.
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Might plan to do one window opening at a time. Do em in series.

Juice with liquid epoxy the inside surfaces in convenient places between the wedges (piece of terry stapled around stir stick) and pile in thickened mishmash. Have fun with the groove overhead. Just dampen the insides or the goop will fall out. Keep the goop below the edge. Let it set. Remove the wedges. You should have the liner and cabin locked in position. Bet you can still custom the groove a little - spread it apart, clamp it closer.

You want the combo filler fairly stiff, not so stiff that you can't push it with a spatula to the bottom of your groove. The liquid first coat can combine with the filler and loosen it so that it will flow out of the overhead groove. So you want to push it in but not mess with it. So don't get it too wet up there anyway. How much water got in up on top of our windows? Use a little fumed silica to stiffen the gel and use just a little liquid to loosen it. On hot days keep the epoxy part A and B in a fridge, or on ice in a cooler. Small batches makes it easy, and cheaper, if it goes off in the middle of. Use slow hardener only.
You should be able to stop when you want and come back to it at your leisure, minimal reprep.

Prime again with liquid epoxy where the wedgies were and finish it flat and level all around. Push the filler in this time until it bulges out, trim the bulges flat while wet. The openings on 338 where pretty consistant - pretty good same size cut-outs by the factory. So file/grind the openings fair as you want after they harden. The 'liquid' priming is important to gain a real bond.
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If you don't mind a little waste. when you have a window opening filled to perfection all round, and it is still wet, take folded paper/rag towels dampened with d.alcohol and wipe all around the opening by cupping over the work with your hand. You will drag out a small amount of your filler. And clean the sides at the same time. This will create a concave surface that will seat later caulking better.

The center pieces between the window cutouts were limp on 338. You play with this to get your established width. Spring clamps, wedgies, spring batten, take your time. It's a wonder that the original windows stayed in place and kept any water out at all. In nearly all cases they didn't!

You are adding a lot of stiff and a lot of amazing strength to the sides - and it definitely will make mounting any kind of window much easier.*
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I found some 18-8 barrel-nuts and some 1/4" pan head 316 machine bolts at McmasterCarr that could make a neat/strong slab-on lexan installation. Haven't done it yet. Going with the slab-on because I'm convinced it's the offshore way to go with our large lights. Have to keep the light and airyness they provide.
Barrel nuts thru oversized holes in the polycarbonate with panhead machine screws will be trey-neat - and may even allow a trim wood frame to be put on afterwards, independant of the lexan, if the polycarbonate overlap can be kept minimal (1" or less?) Trying to find a way to be able to replace the lexan in BoraBora without making a federal case out of it.

Also looking into wet gasket material for the lexan to cabin seal. Peel and stick not tube goop, there has to be consistent gasket thickness all round, imco. Whatever lights you put on the newly stiffened cabin they will have to bend to a mild curve. At the moment a product called Eternabond (a roofing product hopefully NOT rubberized asphalt.) will be be explored.........(Do real men use words like E terna bond?)
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*If you are restoring and will be reinstalling the original window frames, you know the miniature machine screws that screw into even more minature closed threaded sockets in the outer frame are a problem. HERE is the reason why Everett left the cabin side hollow! Each screw could be the same length if he floated the windows in their holes and had adjustable cabin sides!!! Innovation for the manufacturer, LEAKS FOREVER for the owner. As a restorer you can't change things anyway, right? The original windows are not attached to the boat! Clamped is the word. So stiffened cabin sides on an Ariel might turn out to be a close but different thickness - and you'll find yourself cutting a hundred miniature machine screws to fit. I think the sockets are only 1/8" deep.
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Sorry about the excessive detail and being so pedantic. I start small, I do, I do... then I think a first timer might need this observation.... and maybe that observation..... and then it's gotten w a y too phat. oh welll.........