The Old Ports by Compass Marine How To

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MAY-2006

The Old Ports

As you can see these ports were not very attractive. To make matters worse the barrel nuts used to hold the trim rings on were chrome plated brass not stainless. I'm guessing stainless barrel nuts were not available back in 1979..

Canon PowerShot SD450
1/1000s f/2.8 at 5.8mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large auto

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Mike Jones		18-Mar-2012 01:13
I have the same and can attest that, not only are they unattractive, they are downright ugly. It will cost me upwards of $3000 to replace the 11 portlights on my boat, but I really can't think of anything else that will upgrade the overall quality as dramatically.

s/v Flutterby		21-Mar-2009 16:35
I've just done research on stainless barrel nuts, and they are unbelievably expensive, even in 2009. They are also known as "sex bolts" or "Chicago bolts," and you can find them through Fastenal or Tacoma Screw - but the former charges about $5.50 EACH and the latter $3.69 EACH, plus shipping and handling. With about 10 fasteners through our plastic Beckson portlights, that would add $50-60 dollars per port. With Becksons running $150 plus $60 for the barrel nuts, we decided to replace them with Newfound Metals at $199 plus $5 for the carriage bolts.