In my process of restoring my Vega #1011 SV Tranquila, the wood handhold on the starboard side broke of in my friend's grip. Does anyone have a source for new/replacements of these? The prior owner of 12 years didn't any much attention and the wood is a mess on the outside. Thanks in advance for any help that is offered / Hans
New wood handrails for the top of Vega 27
- Thread starter Hans Sand big
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Imagine that you are being tossed overboard and the only thing that's going to stop you is a grab rail.You have a choice. Make the rail out of wood or make the rail out of steel. We went with steel and feel that it was a sound decision. It's wasn't much more expensive that teak, just be sure to through bolt the fittings and use adequate backing in the cabin.If you still want wood West Marine sells teak grab rails in various lengths. Be advised that that your cabin top rails are held on by screws through the rails inside the cabin. The screws might not line up.Third choice is if you still have the broken rail you might try gluing it. Teak is very difficult to glue though and I'm assuming these were made from teak but I could be wrong. Good luck, Walt, LyricFrom: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comTo: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comDate: Mon, 26 May 2014 07:45:32 -0700Subject: [AlbinVega] New wood handrails for the top of Vega 27
In my process of restoring my Vega #1011 SV Tranquila, the wood handhold on the starboard side broke of in my friend's grip. Does anyone have a source for new/replacements of these? The prior owner of 12 years didn't any much attention and the wood is a mess on the outside. Thanks in advance for any help that is offered / Hans
In my process of restoring my Vega #1011 SV Tranquila, the wood handhold on the starboard side broke of in my friend's grip. Does anyone have a source for new/replacements of these? The prior owner of 12 years didn't any much attention and the wood is a mess on the outside. Thanks in advance for any help that is offered / Hans
My outside rails on both the Vega and the Ballad had been sanded down so many times they were as thin as my little finger. On the Vega I removed the inside rails and used them as templates for new Mahogany rails. As Mahogany is not as weather-resistant as Teak I re-installed the inside Teak rails on the outside and the new Mahogany rails on the inside. The screws that bolt through from one rail to the other had to be installed from the outside (as the holes were already there) and capped with Teak plugs. Job done!The Ballad recieved new Sapele rails on the outside ... very strong!That said, I do like the 1" (25mm) stainless steel tubing rail option, but have yet to find tidy looking fittings to do the job without having to do a lot of welding.Petermostlyaboutboats.ca
Three things: Walt, did you go with custom made rails (fabricated by a railmaker) or did you buy the rail making parts and assemble them yourself? Either way works well and I have been toying with both of these ideas.
I was at a boat show and they were showing artificial rails (one of the boats in my marina has these). Here is a link to the site for these. Custom Handrails - 7/8 in Wide - PlasTEAK Inc.. They are about the color of teak and don't look all that bad actually.
I have been toying with the idea of casting some reinforced risers (pads) out of a resin, then bonding them to the deck. Finally putting some flat wood stock along the top. That way there is no seam between the deck and the handrail for water to beat into. Shorter riser pads would work with any of the systems, wood or metal if you just wanted to get the seam off the deck. (I got this idea from the construction company that rebuilt the decks on our condos and they made these rising pads that were then coated over with the decking material).
I was at a boat show and they were showing artificial rails (one of the boats in my marina has these). Here is a link to the site for these. Custom Handrails - 7/8 in Wide - PlasTEAK Inc.. They are about the color of teak and don't look all that bad actually.
I have been toying with the idea of casting some reinforced risers (pads) out of a resin, then bonding them to the deck. Finally putting some flat wood stock along the top. That way there is no seam between the deck and the handrail for water to beat into. Shorter riser pads would work with any of the systems, wood or metal if you just wanted to get the seam off the deck. (I got this idea from the construction company that rebuilt the decks on our condos and they made these rising pads that were then coated over with the decking material).
I went through that a few years ago when I thought I would spruce up the boat a bit by removing the old rails and varnishing them. Broke the first one in three pieces getting it off.I ordered an inch and a quarter thick teak plank, eight inches wide and eight feet long. Using the interior rails as a pattern, It was a simple matter to cut out new rails and round them with a router. After cleaning them up with a rasp and sand paper, a few coats of Cetol Marine and they look great! Much beefier and stronger than the originals. I fastened them the same as the originals. with new heavy SS screws, using the interior rails as backing,I had a inch and a quarter square by eight feet long piece left over so I made a very nice looking boat hook out of it. Teak would not be my choice for a boat hook, It is too heavy; but it is a beautiful piece of gear.
Chuck's solution is elegant and pretty easy if you have any woodworking skills and some basic tools (for the money you'd save over buying a finished rail rather than 5/4 stock and making your own, will more than pay for a router and saber say). Many years ago I was helping a friend build an Ingrid 38. When it came time to make the handrails we didn't have any pattern. So we made a pattern and laid it out on the wood.
Then we did what we did was to take a hole say (not sure the diameter, but probably around 3 inch give or take) and cut the inside rounded corners. Then it was a pretty simple thing to just use a saw to pretty much connect the cut circles with straight cut (out side of the outside round corners of course). For the rail tops we actually made the cut with a table saw.
Then we did what we did was to take a hole say (not sure the diameter, but probably around 3 inch give or take) and cut the inside rounded corners. Then it was a pretty simple thing to just use a saw to pretty much connect the cut circles with straight cut (out side of the outside round corners of course). For the rail tops we actually made the cut with a table saw.
Thanks all so much for your suggestions and guidance !!!! Tranquila has been resting, for the most part, in fresh water at the same marina since 1982. Bit by bit she is returning to her former self.... Now I know her handrails be correct and functional soon as well !!Sent from my iPad
Richard's rails are still in place in 2014.
WesSent from the deck of s/v Gemini Dreams via our iPad
WesSent from the deck of s/v Gemini Dreams via our iPad
OK, here is the video. Not one of our best but I think you can get the idea. We have a lot of this sort of stuff in the can - polycarbonate windows, cockpit hatches, rigging, pulling the engine, taking the mast down and various other projects. Now that we have started digging this stuff out, we might as well make more of theseCruising Lealea-DIY Project: Teak Handrails Cruising Lealea-DIY Project: Teak Handrails Making new exterior teak handrails from scratch for Lealea in our friend's workshop. A query on the Albin Vega Yahoo group about replacement handrai... View on youtu.be Preview by Yahoo