Grampian 28 grab rail repair

[SalishShores]

I took a friend sailing and nearly killed him by accident when the self-tapper screws decided to, ah, liberate themselves from the tyranny of the deck! Happy to say all lived to tell this tale.

Anyone out there repaired the teak grab rail mounts on a Grampian 28?

I did some drilling into these things and looks like they were intended for self-tappers. They seem full of what was likely a wood block, but is now more like wood paste. Most are split (on both sides) and in need of maintenance, I am toying with options. Also not sure if the "nubs" are part of the deck mould, or done as add-ons. They look like part of the deck mould, is my guess.

Thanks!

 

[jssailem]

I looked at a review of the Grampian 28 and found this information.

Prospective buyers should approach a Grampian 28 with a focus on structural longevity, as these boats are now reaching five decades of age.

• Deck Delamination: Like many boats of this era, Grampian used a balsa-cored deck. Moisture ingress around stanchion bases, cleat mounts, and the mast step is common. Soft spots in the cockpit sole or side decks are high-signal indicators of core rot.

From the images you posted, it appears the deck has a fair amount of roll from the center line to the deck edge. The raised mounting appears to provide a base that allows the stanchion to be vertical. Without the base mounts, the stanchions would stick out over the edge. The hand holds raise the hold above the deck for a more secure hold.

I would look to through the bolted the handholds so that they are secure when grabbed by the crew.

 

[SalishShores]

Thanks, John, for replying. What I am looking for in an answer specifically is if there's any folks out there that have repaired/restored the teak grab rail mounts on a Grampian 28. And, if so, I would love to hear what approach they took in terms of materials and techniques.
Happy sailing!

 

[Project_Mayhem]

This is a pretty generic fiberglass issue and not Grampian specific. If possible, I'd through bolt the rails into the cabin ceiling. Otherwise, you will likely need to open up the fiberglass to get to the (likely) rotten blocks for a rebuild.

 

[dlochner]

There are a few options for the repair.

Cut the top of the boxes off, dig out the rotted wood, fit a new piece of wood in place and glass over the top.

Cut the box off the cabin top and rebuild the boxes with new wood and glass them on to the cabin top.

Cut the box off the cabin top. Glass over any damage to the cabin top and re-install the handrails directly to the cabin top.

The above are the Reader's Digest version of the options. If this were my boat I'd likely end up using the third option.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Thanks, John, for replying. What I am looking for in an answer specifically is if there's any folks out there that have repaired/restored the teak grab rail mounts on a Grampian 28. And, if so, I would love to hear what approach they took in terms of materials and techniques.
Happy sailing!

There are numerous methods others have already described but none involve screws.