Handrail Screweed...

Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Hey all.

Trying to remove and clean/refinish the original handrails on my O’Day 28. I had good luck on the first very long bolt I pulled from the inside handrail, but numbers 2 & 3 seem to have rotating nuts in the outer rail (directly under bung). I attempted (weakly) to prohibit the top side nut from turning, but no luck. Nut loosening oil also of little use. Anyone have experience with this and guidance on how best to pull these bolts? I don’t want to damage either handrail and afraid I may somehow strip phillips screw heads on bolts. Tx. Tom O’Day 28.
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
I'd certainly try to get a tool on the nuts.
Worse case, can you drill the heads off from the inside? It may require restraining the nuts from the outside.

Ken
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
I'd certainly try to get a tool on the nuts.
Worse case, can you drill the heads off from the inside? It may require restraining the nuts from the outside. I assume you removed the bungs.

Ken
 
Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
Drill out the bung- use a dry wall screw to back it out > after that you may need to over bore the hole the bung is in and go up a size. Hopefully you'll not have other problems
 
Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Thanks guys. Feeling like my typical boat project - nothing easy. Just had a thought. The outside rail sits on a black piece of plastic about 1.5 inches tall, 2 inches wide. If I were two incapacitate the black pieces and pull them in theory I would gain play and easy access to nut. Hoping it would be easy to replace the plastic pieces...?
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Thanks guys. Feeling like my typical boat project - nothing easy. Just had a thought. The outside rail sits on a black piece of plastic about 1.5 inches tall, 2 inches wide. If I were two incapacitate the black pieces and pull them in theory I would gain play and easy access to nut. Hoping it would be easy to replace the plastic pieces...?
I think I'd be sure I could get the plastic pieces before I tried that.
Ken
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Jtcf78911 Just a thought on how to get answers in this forum. You described the issue, but you can only get responses from individuals who know about ODay 28’s.

If you show a picture of the issue, you can engage the many sailors with boat experience and engineering ideas even if they do not know the ODay28.
The ideas you got from Ken sound good.
Good luck.
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
The black handrail supports are not completely hollow. They have tubular channels for the machine screws and some other support parts molded into the interior. You might need to remove the headliner, depending on the model and year of your Oday. We removed the handrails on at least one Oday by carefully digging out the bungs on the top of the handrail and carefully cleaning the head of the Phillips head machine screws. Nut driver or ratchet wrench on the inside of the boat and an appropriate size screwdriver to hold the Phillips head on the handrail side. I vaguely remember a set of grab rails inside one Oday boat......If you have those the same machine screws might be securing both outer and inner rail???? Bungs on both ends maybe.
 
Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
You were right on target Ken. I called Rudy at D&R Marine and indeed they are no longer available. As with most of the work I do on the boat, I just stuck with it and eventually figured out how to mobilize the nuts on the outside rail. After a couple hours I got both of the external rails off and now I have them home and ready for some reconditioning. I appreciate all the feedback, in particular for such a lame problem.. If nothing else this boat has taught me how to be a little more creative and persistent when it comes to problem-solving.
 
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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Well how did you do it?
OK. Lame and obvious...but I gently hammered in very tiny screw drivers on opposite sides of the nut..and they held the nut in place long enough for bolt to begin turning out.... Did this a mere 16 times - you would have thought that at least one of the nuts would have held. Believe I'll use a small bit of epoxy when I reinsert the nuts - as wood structure obviously can no longer keep them in place.
 
Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Thanks for the prompt. Didn’t think it would be of value to anyone, but then again, there might be another newbie like me out there... Best. Tom O’Day 28.
 

NYSail

.
Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Make sure you label the hardware..... each bolt may be cut to fit the location by original install. That’s the way it was done on pearsons 1986 vintage. I learned the hard way.......
Good luck!
 
Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Thanks. Very good point. I was actually very careful when I deconstructed to make sure every piece returned to it’s original home...