Hand rail rebedding

[Seattle Scott]

I removed the hand rails to refinish the teak. I thought they were screwed through the cabin top into the interior handrails. that was not the case, just screwed into about 1" of the cabin top. Even after taking the screws out, I could not pull the rails off, I had to get a blade under the rail posts to cut the seal.

Anyway I thought I would see if there was a way, short of thru bolting, to make more secure and less chance of leaking ( no leaks so far). I have heard about the "drill out, epoxy, and tap" method. My question is are we then tapping for a wood screw or a machine screw?

Any other tips when re-installing?

Do I really have to sand between coats of varnish?

 

[Ed Schenck]

I did that Scott, drilled 3/4" holes for hardwood dowels and epoxied them in. I think they were 2" long. Then from Jamestown Distr. bought stainless philips head screws. I think those are 3 1/2" the reason being that I do not countersink them in the rail. I glued in the bungs first and then drilled and countersunk the top. In other words the screw heads show. Now I can remove all the rails easily every season for varnish in the warm basement.

And I always wet sand before the last coat of varnish.

 

[Stephen K]

I did that Scott, drilled 3/4" holes for hardwood dowels and epoxied them in. I think they were 2" long. Then from Jamestown Distr. bought stainless philips head screws. I think those are 3 1/2" the reason being that I do not countersink them in the rail. I glued in the bungs first and then drilled and countersunk the top. In other words the screw heads show. Now I can remove all the rails easily every season for varnish in the warm basement.
And I always wet sand before the last coat of varnish.

Ed,
That's a very creative and practical solution....thanks for sharing.

 

[Dalliance]

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can tap for a wood screw. Only for machine screws. Wood screws are tapered.
Before spring launch in 2007, I removed my handrails, stripped and refinished them, and re-installed with wood screws and new bungs. I think I used Boat Life to re-bed them. I used used Signature Honey Teak to finish them. The first coat before re-installing, then the rest of the coats after the new bungs where in and sanded. Signature is a three can catalyzed product and it may be a bit more work up front, but it lasts longer than anything I know of and you can lay on multiple coats the same day without sanding. There are a lot of products out there and countless opinions about them. I did some minor touch-up and one maintenance coat of the clear finish last summer, and they should be good for another two or three years, if not longer. The mfr recommends a maintenance coat once a year in Florida, every other year for Chicago. So I pushed it an extra year, but Dalliance is shrink wrapped from November through March. I would think Seatle is no worse than Chicago in terms of UV damage.
Ed's epoxied in wood plugs sound like a pretty good idea. The epoxy around the wood plugs would effectively isolate the core from any water intrusion and you can still use a wood screw from above....with or without the bungs. I'll be keeping it in mind for next time I have to re-bed my handrails.

 

[higgs]

Absolutely sand between every coat of varnish.

 

[alexco38]

Try stainless steel handrail;-)

Woodwork = Work

 

[Rick Sylvester]

I'm with you alexco

I'll be going with through-bolted stainless for strength and lack of maintenance.

I'd also suggest a variation on what Ed posted. Instead of epoxying in a dowel I'd fill an over-drilled hole with an epoxy/cut up fiber strand mixture. This would provide more strength and could be drilled and tapped. This would also lessen the damage caused by water intrusion due to failed sealant.

Keep in mind that that an epoxy coated dowel will have it's water-proof coating pierced by a fastener when installed. That coating would then hold any water that might've gotten in and would quickly compromise the dowel.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Dito

Had my SS for years and it still look good as the day I bought the boat:dance:

 

[Seattle Scott]

Ed, thats a pretty slick solution. I think I will overdrill and fill with epoxy then drill and tap. First I have to go get some plugs into the top of the rails then continue my varnish job.

 

[Ed Schenck]

The reason that I used dowels instead of filling the holes with an epoxy mix is explainable, I am cheap! I tried but the coring would soak up the epoxy and it would have taken three or four times as much. I appreciate that the dowels could soften over time. But I do put some sealant in there before I put the rails back on. Looks like a couple of high 30's next week. Should be able to bring them home.

 

[RON20406]

If you want a bullet proof solution, drill out the areas where the holes are and apply thickened epoxy. Then position a stainless steel hex drive threaded insert in the hole with a waxed bolt in the insert for easy removal later. The inserts have numerous flanges on the exterior which provide more surface area and friction when tensioned under a load. Unlike the screw in epoxy or wood, they are nearly impossible to pull out. Go to ezlok.com. Good luck, Ron