These instructions are for guidance only and should not be followed blindly. Remember a little
common-sense goes a long way…..
The Window Set consists of two large saloon windows, four small forward windows, backing plates
for all windows, 100 screws and interscrews (88 needed) and one 22 metre roll of butyl sealant
tape. The only extra items needed are basic DIY tools, a little common-sense and some patience.
The windows can be installed either on land or afloat and should take about a day with two people.
First some basics – see Fig. 1. The windows are held in the boat using 5mm stainless domehead
countersunk screws (10mm or 12mm in length) going into female “Interscrews”. The screws are on
the outside with the “Interscrews”, retained by an interference fit, on the inside backing plates. The
drilling of the backing plates is an important part of the job and care should be taken to get this part
of the job exact. These backing plates arrive un-drilled and perform three vital functions for the Vega
Window System. Standard stainless screws and nuts can also be used for ease of installation.
They spread the tension load of the “Interscrews” over a generous area of the inside of the cabin
coachroof.
They act as spacers to prevent the screws bottoming in the interscrews before pulling the window
frame into close contact with the outside of the coachroof. Due to the varying thickness of the
coachroof fibreglass it may be necessary to use shorter screws and “Interscrews”. The screws are
standard stainless 5mm countersunk.
They hold the interscrews tightly, via an interference fit, to prevent rotation as the screws are
tightened from the outside.
It is best to start with the small windows, one at a time, and then proceed onto the large ones. To
ensure that the windows, backing plates, fasteners and coachroof are correctly matched, sized and
installed, proceed as follows:
a. Take out an existing small window. Use a Stanley knife carefully and you will be surprised how
easily the old windows come out. Clean the window aperture and enlarge as necessary. The backing
plates can be used as a template for the actual window. Very little material needs to be removed for
the small windows so hand tools are more than adequate (Half-round and flat coarse rasp files). The
larger windows will need a fair bit of material removing so a jig-saw may be needed followed by
hand filing to clean up the edges. Series III Vegas (cV3100 – V3450) have smaller saloon window
apertures and need up to 25mm removing.
b. Place the window into the cleaned aperture with the second person inside holding the backing
plate. Centre-punch each corner hole from outside then drill with a 4.8mm (3/16) drill one at a time.
After each hole is drilled place a 5mm bolt and tighten with a nut to ensure perfect alignment. Once
all four corner holes have been drilled and secured the rest can then be centre-punched and drilled.
c. Remove the backing plate and enlarge the drilled holes to 6.5mm. Use a sharp drill to avoid
ovaling of the holes. The “Interscrews” can then be knocked into the backing plate using a timber
block to absorb the shock.
Part List:
4 x Small window (5mm toughened glass) – Forecabin
2 x Large window (5mm toughened glass) – Main Cabin
4 x Small window backing plate
2 x Large window backing plate
22-metre roll of Butyl sealant tape
100 x 5mm Domehead countersunk screw (10mm) – Stainless steel
100 x 5mm Interscrew – Stainless steel
Tools needed:
Cordless drill and drill bits (4.8mm, 6.5mm, 6.8 or 7mm)
Soft pencils and marker pen
Jig saw with fiberglass cutting blades
Hand rasps and files
Small hammer
Stanley knife
Sealant Gun
Ruler and straight edge
Usual hand tools, pliers, screwdrivers, center punch, junior hacksaw, clean rags.
