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Bow Rail Segmented?
- Thread starter Ekea
- Start date
It is segmented I suspect. my 208 railing was two pieces, port and starboard The tee fittings wont fit around sharp bends. If you have a pulpit, you will most likely have joints on both sides of the pulpit rail section,
I had to replace one side of my railing as a result of damage during Sandy.
I ordered from a Grady dealer who had to order from the factory.
The railing section was $600 if I remember correctly and another $500 or so for shipping. The dealer gave me the option of free shipping if I paid up front and waiting till the spring when they would be taking receipt of new inventory of boats. So I waited and when they shipped a larger boat, they packed my railing in the boat, all nicely wrapped in plastic. I had to drive two hours to pick up the railing but it all worked out.
I ordered from a Grady dealer who had to order from the factory.
The railing section was $600 if I remember correctly and another $500 or so for shipping. The dealer gave me the option of free shipping if I paid up front and waiting till the spring when they would be taking receipt of new inventory of boats. So I waited and when they shipped a larger boat, they packed my railing in the boat, all nicely wrapped in plastic. I had to drive two hours to pick up the railing but it all worked out.
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thanks. i might try to lower my railing this spring. just trying to see what im getting myself in for
It doesn't look all that high to begin with... if you're going to lower it, maybe you don't even really need it based on how you use your boat? Just a thought... try naked for a while - maybe you'll like it!
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i essentially want to make it a grab rail. right now its too high for someone to comfortably hold on to, especially my kids. also, its high enough that the someone could theoretically fall out under the rail. about 2 inches above the gunnel would is what im thinking
OK, gotcha. So I'll just throw out some food for thought - although maybe you've already eaten this sandwich and didn't like it....
"If it was me"...
-- I probably wouldn't mess with altering the existing one since, at some point, I might want to put it back on.... either for my benefit or to sell it. Obviously, the stanchions need to be cut, but I'm pretty sure you're going to have to cut some length off the aft end of the main rail. It would costly to make this whole again.
-- Instead, I'd get a couple grab rails as they are cheap and come in various lengths. Maybe you only need one or two per side?
-- And then I'd hang the existing railing from the ceiling of my garage
"If it was me"...
-- I probably wouldn't mess with altering the existing one since, at some point, I might want to put it back on.... either for my benefit or to sell it. Obviously, the stanchions need to be cut, but I'm pretty sure you're going to have to cut some length off the aft end of the main rail. It would costly to make this whole again.
-- Instead, I'd get a couple grab rails as they are cheap and come in various lengths. Maybe you only need one or two per side?
-- And then I'd hang the existing railing from the ceiling of my garage
Lowering the rail may be a tricky task. The job is not as simple as shortening the struts. Because of the geometry of the struts, the new spacing between struts will change. In that case you would need to relocate the stantions for the struts and that means the old holes have to be filled and the gel coat repaired. If the top of your gunnels is non skid, the patch job is even harder.
If you try to reuse the original mountings, the top t fittings will have to move on the main rail. The tees may not want to move and if they do, I am pretty sure the rails will have marks where the tees used to be. The hex set screws on the fittings may not unscrew easily or they may pull the threads with them.
On the challenging side of things, removing the old rails and seeing if it could be made to fit with cutoff struts would be an interesting project.
Before cutting the struts, I suggest that after seeing if the rail might fit, get a few feet of railing stock and cut it into the new required lengths. In other words, Do not cut the existing struts . If things don't fit, you will need to go back to the original layout and strut lengths. ( mark the old struts as to where they came from. They may not all be the same length)
If you try to reuse the original mountings, the top t fittings will have to move on the main rail. The tees may not want to move and if they do, I am pretty sure the rails will have marks where the tees used to be. The hex set screws on the fittings may not unscrew easily or they may pull the threads with them.
On the challenging side of things, removing the old rails and seeing if it could be made to fit with cutoff struts would be an interesting project.
Before cutting the struts, I suggest that after seeing if the rail might fit, get a few feet of railing stock and cut it into the new required lengths. In other words, Do not cut the existing struts . If things don't fit, you will need to go back to the original layout and strut lengths. ( mark the old struts as to where they came from. They may not all be the same length)
'Nother idea.... lifeline netting. You'd need to add the ring fitting at the base of each stanchion and the aft end, but it wouldn't be a big job, at all. You might even find these in a clamp-on style.
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