Bow rail detached!


sixsandyfeet

sixsandyfeet

Member
Found some very old posts on this but elected to start a new one hoping to get some insight. News on old posts was not good. I have a 2008 27 PC that we bought in April and are still shaking her out. Cruising this weekend we noticed that the bow rail stanchion broke completely free from the hull, port side roughly above the midship cleat. Removed the port lounger seat hoping for access, but nope. Old posts seem to support that its going to require some signicant cabin trim disassembly to access the backing plate. Really? Formula Huard warranty is still in effect but Formula at this point seems to feel its considered hardware, not hull. Obviously I disagree. This is a direct attachment to the hull and a safety feature. There is no evidence of damage/impact to the rail (boat only has 22 hours). It appears simply as though it's just stripped out. Anyone deal with this repair before? Key contact inside Formula?
 
Did the rail break at the plate? The plate is thru bolted into the deck, so it coming off is next to impossible, unless it was never tightened or the bolts broke from an impact.
Formula upholsters over the inside so the bolts and washers cannot be seen.
Contact Formula TAG for info on how to get to the underneath of the rail.
 
I'm embarassed to say that before I left the boat yesterday I didn't look closely at the still attached starboard side to get a better understanding of what the proper assembly looks like. I did study the rail closely and see no evidence of any impact that would cause breakage. Formula sent the below access instructions and photos. Thought they might be of interest to anyone with a similar experience. I've asked for an assembly diagram and part numbers. Will post whatever I learn.

Access the aft bolt of the port bow rail via the cabin?

? Remove the curtain valance which extends into the aft cabin. Fastening points are indicated w/ RED arrows.
? Once removed, remove the ceiling panel. This is supported on the outboard side by the curtain valance and probably secured to the underside of the deck at the halogen light. Remove the light to release the panel.
? From there, you should be able to remove the horizontal panel just outboard of the cabin entry door - if needed.

Ryan Van De Weg
Formula Boats
 

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Looks like an easy fix. Did Ryan tell you that there are grommets around the bolts under the foot of the rail that seal the three holes? You may want to replace these while you are there.
 
He didn't mention grommets, but I've asked for an assembly drawing. That should have all associated parts. I'll be sure to mention grommets to him. Not sure there's going to be 3 bolts. There is one hole and one bolt currently and no stanchion. (My error in original post.) The thru hole bolt appears to install directly into the rail tubing or perhaps there is an insert. Here is a photo. Unfortunately the rail end is wrapped in a rag to prevent the loose end from hammering the 'glass. Would feel better if there was a stanchion. If the receiving end of the rail is stripped, I'm either going to have to attack it with a larger, self-tapping bolt, or replace the whole rail.
 

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I have a tool shop in town, if you need anything made or whatever let me know.
Happy to help a fellow Formula boater.
 
hey six, if the threads are stripped you can probably re-tap them. you might have to go to a different thread pitch or even the next size up but either way it shouldn't be to difficult. maybe a little thread locker would be in order too ;)
 
Will get a good look next week, and that's the plan if that's the finding. I'll let the board know what I find and how it goes!👍
 
Turned out to be a fairly simple fix once I found all the attachment points for the cabin trim. Nut was intact in the rail. Turns out that the nut is really just grabbing 3-4 threads on the bolt. Formula could have really gone with a marginally longer bolt here. Two person job. Need one person to lean on the bolt while person #2 snugs up the rail. Used the original bolt. If it detaches again I'll go longer.
 
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