Bow railing repairs


F

Formula Tenn

New member
We've got issues with out bow railing. Two of the lower mounts on the port side have been replaced and aren't seated correctly. Several of the bases are broken loose from the vertical stanchions on the starboard side. Everything is just getting loose. Accessing the underside of the bases on some of it is a NIGHTMARE!! And if you've seen some of the stuff I get into you know I don;t use that term lightly. So trying to figure out a good way to make a repair that does not include having to gain access to the nuts on the inside of the hull. That being said, since I currently have the headliner for the most part removed I might be able to fairly easily access SOME of the nuts. But most likely not all of them. Looking for any and all suggestions if anyone may have run across this type of damage and repair in the past. And it doesn't matter what kind of boat, if you've had it done and are willing to share experience I'd like to hear about it please!
 
Doug,
Had the same issue with my 1994 34 PC. Railing was welded underneath so that you could not see the weld. Mine was run into by my neighbor and broke a few sockets. I ended up tack welding the railing back into the socket. Once tacked, I unbolted it, lifting it up enough to slide a copper plate under it with rubber on the bottom. My welder did an excellent job of welding everything to my satisfaction. Now comes the hard part. The railing was thru-bolted with concave rubber grommets under the station. I used O rings around the bolts and drilled a hole all the way through the inner material. Once the railing was bolted back in place, I made decorative trim pieces from Teak. I was lucky as some of the bolts were hidden by the curtains. I only had to hide two of them.
Since you have your headliner down, you will be able to get tot he nuts. Good Luck.
 
Thank you Gary, that doesn't seem too bad since I've got the headliner out already. So the welds, were they placed on the underside of the bases? Or was the base welded on the top side? Also, wondering if Butyl tape wouldn't be a better solution as opposed to rubber o rings that will deteriorate over time??
 
Doug,
The new welds were done topside where the socket met the tubing. I understand from conversations I had with Formula that the o ring does a better job especially when people grab your rails to help you into the dock. If they are bedded, they cannot flex as the bedding will crack and leak. Not sure about the butyl tape if it will seal or not.
 
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