Toerails made of steel

[Cheechako]

I guess no one has asked the purpose of these toerails. ? If welding tubing to the top of flat bar, If just protection so you dont slip off the boat, have you considered just pipe or tubing a couple inches off deck?
Another thought is, are there existing brackets that the old wood toerail was bolted to? Weathered teak is going to look just as good as rusty steel and be a lot lighter. What about alternative materials? Starboard?

[jani74]

Thanks to everyone for good advices and opinions.

I decided to go with solid 3mm x 30mm steel and welded it to the hull, so no gap to gather dirt etc. I’ll paint the toerails with same colour as the rest of the boat is.

This way it looks the same, as it did when it had the wooden rails. Only material is different and now there is no holes in the hull, which could lead water inside the boat.

-jani

[boden36]

Steel is a mistake - have been there and done that.
Use 2 x 5/16 stainless flat bar. Do not cap it with anything as it will become a slippery hazard for your foot. Space it up enough from the deck so you can get under to maintain the deck underneath. You can drill the flat bar to take shackles etc wherever needed. Weld it on with 308 electrodes or 316 if that's all you can find.


Regards,
Richard.

[Patrigo]

To backup No11.
My steel vessel, which I have owned for thirty years, has ss tangs on the stanchions with 80*10 timber toe rails bolted to them. Never once have I ever considered changing anything. The rails absolutely serve their purpose, and more.

[Patrigo]

In addition to the above, any welding to the hull/deck joint will destroy the paint protection on the inside surface. To clean, sand, prepare and reprotect this area (twice as long as the vessel and very difficult to access!!) would be a daunting job, and very difficult to achieve a decent result in a critical area. Beyond my ken.!

[boden36]

In theory Patrigo is correct about painting inside. My experience is that just giving the overhead where the paint has burnt a manual wire brushing and coating with lanolin has kept the rust at bay for decades.


Regards,
Richard.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by boden36

In theory Patrigo is correct about painting inside. My experience is that just giving the overhead where the paint has burnt a manual wire brushing and coating with lanolin has kept the rust at bay for decades.


Regards,
Richard.

While i go a bit further with epoxy it's really not hard to do and with a dry boat should last forever. Getting to it in the cabin under head lining and spray foam insulation isn't so easy though...

[Patrigo]

In reply to #21.
Good point, it is a very out of the way area and lanolin would not get wiped or rubbed off. So a very temporary fix in an exposed area could last for ages in a secluded spot! Worth remembering!