Teak Handrails for Cabin top

[CKDK]

Help!!!!!!
I have a 1982 Hunter 22 and am doing the spring re-fit thing. The starboard cabin top hand has been cracked and finally broke. The problem I am having is that all of the replacements that I can find on line are longer than the original that is there. The old ones measure 30 inches overall and the replacement ones measure 33 inches overall. I really don't want to drill extra holes in the cabin top if I can avoid it. Also the originals have a slight curve to them and the replacements are straight.
Anyone have any ideas????

Craig

 

[Ray T]

One way of doing it is to make your own. I couldn't find the exact replacement for my Cal 27 but I did find a straight piece of teak and made my own. Take off the old rail and lay it beside the new piece and trace out the lines. Use a band saw or a saber saw to cut out the new rail. Locate the new holes from the old piece and drill. finish forming the new rail using a plane, belt sander, sandpaper or anyway you can get the rounded shapes you need. When you are installing start fastening to the cabin top with one bolt on the end with sealant and work your way one bolt at a time up the length of the rail pulling the rail into the curve you need. When you are finished clean up the excess sealant with the appropriate solvent before it dries. It sounds like a lot of work but it isn't so bad one step at a time. Good luck. Ray T

 

[Clark]

Craig, we used to have an H22 but I cannot remember how many loops the rail has. At any rate, the rails are not predrilled or prebent (the bend is the shape it takes over many years), you have to drill them yourself which means you may be able to use off-the-shelf rails and attach them . If the rail is just too "oddball", then your best bet is to build your own, either from teak, composite deck boards or some other tropical hardwood like IPE.

 

[Ed Schenck]

When I tired of varnishing and the rails looked too worn I replaced them with PlasTeak rails( http://plasteak.com/osc/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=90dbe0a94d912df8cba067b67cc4a3aa ). Being a cheap SOB I picked up raw stock and made my own. I used them a couple of seasons and put the originals back on because of the color. Since then they are making a darker "wood" that I wish I had. PlasTeak will make you a set using yours as a template.