Oday 28 Hand Rails

[IAMCCF]

Hi All,

I have been working on replacing all the teak on my Oday 28 Take Two.
I have 6 of the 8 toe rails installed just the last two to go... They are the ones with the greatest curve to them.

I have a question on the topside hand rails. Has anyone removed theirs? Anything I need to know about that could derail me? I am concerned the hand rails in the cabin are attached the one on the topside cabin deck. The last two loops are not and have access holes.

I am thinking the hand rails might have been replaced as the holes for the screws have no rhyme of reason. They are all over the place.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Chris

 

[speedbug78]

Not sure how much help I can be, other than to ask for some pics. The handrails on my 27 screw straight through the roof of the cabin and don't seem to have much else holding them on. Mine were removed when I bought the boat.

 

[IAMCCF]

So here what I've discovered;
The outer handrails have long bolts that go though the cabin top into the inside handrails where the washers and nuts are. I was surprised to find the bungs had been drilled out to allow for the shaft of the bolt that extended past the nut. One other surprise... although it should not have been, the last bolt is located in the head. I thought there were only 2 bolted without the inside handrail but there is a 3rd.
The bolts are not uniform. The forward three are shorter.
There is a lot of adhesive in the holes with the bolts. There are hard to remove. I used a bolt I did get out to knock out the others from inside the cabin.
I rand out of daylight so I did a quick cleanup put some tape over the holes. Not sure if I'll be able to get the new handrails on before the rain expected in two days.

Here are some pics

 

[speedbug78]

Great pics! Looks like you've got it licked at this point. The handrails on the 27 are similar from the standpoint that the attachments go forward into the head area. On mine the heads of the screws (not bolts) are visible in the cabin and just have a decorative washer under them.

 

[agprice22]

I replaced my handrails with Plasteak, and I installed cabin handrails made of Stainless. I mounted them under the slider rail.

The end mounts screw upward into T-bolts sunk into epoxy below the slider rails. The middle hangers are hung on bolts screwed down from the slider mount.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

why replace the inside rails with steel vs keeping the original teak?

 

[Randall Schmidt]

They look great. How are they holding up? expansion and shrinking with the weather is what I heard to be cautious about. Any issue with that? Did you consider stainless steel?

 

[agprice22]

I like the steel for low maintenance.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

what maintenance would you envision the plasteak needing?

 

[agprice22]

what maintenance would you envision the plasteak needing?

None. It is essentially the same material as King Starboard. It would be washed with the rest of the boat.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

you noted that you prefer steel for low maintenance but acknowledge the plasteak would be equally low maintenance. right?

 

[agprice22]

Um... I used steel for handrails inside the salon, and I used Plasteak outside to match the other "wood" tones.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

after removing the old teak rub rail and toe rail and eyebrow I've been busy cleaning and preparing the surface, cleaning it and removing old sealant. I used a scrapping tool and a rag with acetone and lots of elbow grease. Spent hours on it and it much better than it was but still has residue. Probably need to remove it all before installing the track and new rubber rub rail. Any tips on how to do this?

 

[Randall Schmidt]

I mailed in the old hand rails, toe rails and eyebrows to Plasteak for replacements. for the toe rail and eyebrows 'll clean the surface and epoxy the old holes, then drill new holes to install the replacements. Do I need to hit new areas when I make new holes or is it safe to drill thru the epoxied areas? what about the hand rails? Do I use the old holes so as not to introduce new holes in the ceiling of the cabin? What sealant is best for all this stuff?

 

[jssailem]

Randall
I would use the epoxy potting idea you identified. "epoxy the old holes, then drill new holes "through the epoxy" to install the replacements".
Here is a link to MaineSails re-bedding technique. http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware&page=1
and here is a link to the hole potting technique. http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/sealing_the_deck
You'll need to use a thickened putty like epoxy for the hull side holes. The epoxy holes on the deck work great. Just be sure to remove any rotten core material in the holes and that the wood core is dry before you inject the epoxy. Epoxy does not play well with water.
Once the epoxy is solid then sand smooth and drill through the middle of the potted hole. No more deck leak into the core.

I am a butyl fan. Not everyone is. It is not for every situation, but on the holes you have it is a good tool.

 

[agprice22]

Razor. Acetone. Light sanding: 600 grit wet/dry

 

[wing15601]

Speaking of removing rotted material inside the holes... Acitone mixes well with water and as the acitone rapidly evaporates it will take a lot of the moisture with it. If those are screw holes, just use an epoxy syringe (cheap at West Marine or Defender) go around the boat filling the holes and repeat as necessary. Let it dry for a day andthen use the same syringe to fill the holes with epoxy resin. I agree with jssailem's method except for the thickened epoxy part. You really don't need to thicken the epoxy and the thinner material will soak into the wood core. Go around the boat filling the holes and when you get back to the starting point you may need to add more epoxy. Make sure the screw holes don't breach the cabin or you'll be using a whole lot of epoxy.

 

[agprice22]

I like the idea of the plasteak toe rails. I would put them down with 5200 adhesive instead of butyl. You are never going to take them up again.
You should definitely pot those holes.

I put my plasteak slider rails down with 5200, and it worked fine. I never intend to remove them again, and even if I did, I could slide a knife under them to cut the adhesive.
Butyl will probably work fine. I like to use adhesive when I know I won't move them, and they receive no torque. Butyl is great when there is movement or you have to remove the item someday.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

I take it you mean to use 5200 plus screws for the toe rail and eye brows?

 

[agprice22]

I take it you mean to use 5200 plus screws for the toe rail and eye brows?

Yes. If you do not mean to remove it, and it takes no torque, like a cleat, winch, stanchion, or block might, I would use 5200 adhesive and screws.