Just finished my $20 pvc hand rails

[The Garbone]

You need to remove any masking after no more than 15 or 20 minutes as the kiwigrip tends to peal a bit with the tape after it sets up. The texture is what you make it with the roller, but once it sets up it is permanent. Depending on how aggressive you make it there will be gaps under the rail that could trap water. It is pretty easy to touch up and cut in spots using a small brush.

 

[slaume]

Please don't use Trex for hand rails. It may look fine but has very little structural integrity. It was never meant to be a structural material. Full sized deck boards work okay for their application within the recommended spans but Trex doesn't even use the composite material for their own hand rail systems. Teak is very tenacious stuff. It would be very difficult to break an old section of handrail over your knee. The average person could probably break a 1" X 1" section of Trex in their hands.

Your life may well depend on your hand rails some day. Having no railing is safer than having one that is not absolutely dependable, Steve.

 

[kito]

Please don't use Trex for hand rails. It may look fine but has very little structural integrity. It was never meant to be a structural material. Full sized deck boards work okay for their application within the recommended spans but Trex doesn't even use the composite material for their own hand rail systems. Teak is very tenacious stuff. It would be very difficult to break an old section of handrail over your knee. The average person could probably break a 1" X 1" section of Trex in their hands.

Your life may well depend on your hand rails some day. Having no railing is safer than having one that is not absolutely dependable, Steve.

Thanks for your comments. My old teak rail broke off in my hand that's why I replaced it. I am not recommending to anyone to go my route. I will be doing some testing when I get these mounted. If I feel they will not be safe then I will remove them. I increased the cross sectional area of the hand hold almost twice the teak rails were. Preliminary tests on my bench with it clamp proved to be quite sturdy. I was looking into making them teak at first but found 2 113" pieces of teak shipped was out of my price range.

 

[slaume]

I don't have as much experience with PVC as with the Trex. It could prove to be very strong and I just wanted to caution people on making the next move to Trex. Trex might be fine for rub rails or eye brows but not for grab rails.

There are some other alturnitives to teak, that are not composite material. I have used Ipe and it is very hard to tell from Teak, except for the price. Any decent lumber yard will sell Mahogany decking. It is 5/4" X 6" with very straight grain and 20' lengths. It is a little more red and the grain is more coarse than teak but has very similar properties over all and is significantly cheaper. I have done a number of projects with it and it is not only strong but beautiful. Not something anyone has ever said about Trex. Especially once you start to mill it. I have used that PVC board for door kicks on houses and it works very well in that application and may well have a great deal of shear strength. I know for a fact that Trex does not.

It is all a matter of knowing your materials, Steve.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I researched my options before replacing all my trim with AZEK (100% PVC) and what I read (early 2010) was there were class action lawsuits against Trex and another manufacturers due to the "composite" part being pulp wood and prone to mildew, rot and sometimes breakage. I wouldn't use a composite like that for anything.
AZEK is plenty strong for my usage, including the handrails. The cross section of the "thin" part is 1" by 1". Other PVC products are denser and stronger yet.
Other than $180 vs the rough equivalent of what I paid for the boat for teak, I have really enjoyed not sanding and varnishing everything a couple times a year and I don't see the point in going through the work and expense to make ANY wood look like plastic.

 

[BobM]

We didn't prime or scuff before painting as I recall.

 

[kito]

Please stay tuned. I will be temporarily mounting one of my new pvc hand rails and take a few pictures after it warms up. I know you all will be anxiously waiting...including me I will only fasten at each end. I really don't want to mount these just before winter and before I roll my anti-skid. Just a couple more things to have to mask off. I found out one thing, when making pvc plugs, the plug cutter gets fairly warm and softens the pvc. You need to get the plug out of the cutter pretty fast.

 

[kito]

pics of rail mounted

I got one mounted and snapped some pics. Pictures didn't come out as good as I like but ok. They look pretty robust compared to the thin teak ones that were on there. Disregard the nasty beige anti-skid and my unpainted hatch frames.....that's for next Spring Note my C22 all wrapped up in the driveway.
p.s. can someone show me the way to post pictures in the text body instead of thumbnails?

 

[sailnoproblem]

Looks great

I need opinions! A few years back I redid a 1970 34C. The grab rails on the cabin roof are shot and need to be replaced.
I like the PVC, but I kept the boat original. Any thoughts?

 

[justsomeguy]

I'm of the opinion that wood on a boat's exterior is just another maintenance issue, beyond what is already a maintenance issue.

 

[woodster]

I need opinions! A few years back I redid a 1970 34C. The grab rails on the cabin roof are shot and need to be replaced.
I like the PVC, but I kept the boat original. Any thoughts?

i like the PVC alternate ..its a good choice.... cost and ease of work ability ....but being the purist that i am ....i prefer wood/teak but there is a price to pay ...maintenance and cost being the major ones on my boat the rails are 12' 6" long and cost in raw wood alone $120.00 plus the shop work to make them would run the total up to around $450.00 for the two sides ...Kito has done a nice job on his rails

 

[kito]

Sounds like you answered your own question. If you want to keep it original then pvc is not what you want. I call my H30 project a renovation rather than a restoration. I kind of like the white pvc. It gives a more modern look to an old school design like the Cherubini's. No or little maintenance is a plus too. I am keeping my teak crib boards and frame since they are still in good shape. I am not as anal as some would be....having everything match. You should see my interior.....teak, bamboo, oak and maple. The various woods, tones and textures really work well in a small space. Having everything the same dark teak makes a small space seem even smaller and claustrophobic....but that's just me.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I need opinions! A few years back I redid a 1970 34C. The grab rails on the cabin roof are shot and need to be replaced.
I like the PVC, but I kept the boat original. Any thoughts?

At $20+/board foot teak has become an extravagance. If you want to stay with wood you might check out sapele. Matches pretty well, similar density, rot resistant and won't break the bank.
There are many PVC alternatives that are colored and as many have pointed out, require little if any maintenance.

 

[sailnoproblem]

i like the PVC alternate ..its a good choice.... cost and ease of work ability ....but being the purist that i am ....i prefer wood/teak but there is a price to pay ...maintenance and cost being the major ones on my boat the rails are 12' 6" long and cost in raw wood alone $120.00 plus the shop work to make them would run the total up to around $450.00 for the two sides ...Kito has done a nice job on his rails

Yes I have to agree with you on the cost. I think I'll be going with the PVC option. Thanks for the input.

 

[Jumpstart]

Some tips on priming and painting plastics. A good bonding primer is important because most paints will scratch off easily. Specialty primers like this one " XIM-11435-Plastic-Bonding-16-Ounce/" on Amazon are the best and more durable than common primers. Word of caution. If the plastic is polyethylene nothing will stick to it without a corona treatment. Recycled polyethylene has a lot wax in it which makes a great release agent for paint.