I have a 180 Sportsman and recently chipped the end edge of the toe-rail. The fiberglass chip is a triangle with the broken edge about an inch long. Any suggestions for a possible repair?
Toe-Rail Repair
- Thread starter GOA
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I had the same thing happen to the toerail on my 222. Can marine epoxy be used to reattach the small piece? I'm guessing the toerail is made of a starboard type material.
Jaydub
Thanks for the reply...that post has been on for a long time!
My Grady Guy suggested a two part epoxy...have not tried it yet
GOA
Thanks for the reply...that post has been on for a long time!
My Grady Guy suggested a two part epoxy...have not tried it yet
GOA
GOA said:
I don't think the toe rails are fiberglass. They are a plastic polymer and don't glue easilly at all. I am currious if anyone has had luck repairing them.
I'd be surprised if you can epoxy these together. Your best bet may be to fabricate another of starboard.
My toe rail cracked over the winter. I called Grady customer service and the sent me a new one at no charge. I just had to cut it to size.
Lenny
Lenny
Recoil Rob
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Lazarus thread!
I was looking for info about the toe rails and came across this so I thought I'd reply for the next guy.
The rails are HDPE as is much stuff on boats. I can be glued with a special 2 part glue but preparation is crucial as seen in this video by TAP, makers of King Seaboard and the glue to use.
Be careful of the torch work, you don't want to melt the plastic at all.
I did the prep and then just coated both pieces and pushed them together until dry, 24 hours. As stated in the video you cannot clamp it as there needs to be a gap for the glue to fill. For this reason you'll never get a perfect match but a little sandpaper and it was fine.
I then put in two small but long stainless screws on either side of the mounting hole, one parallel to the board and the other at an angle, I figure they'll give some insurance. We'll see how they hold up. If they crack again I'll make new ones but still put in screws for reinforcement. I went in too far with the countersink, drill bits really grab this stuff.
I was looking for info about the toe rails and came across this so I thought I'd reply for the next guy.
The rails are HDPE as is much stuff on boats. I can be glued with a special 2 part glue but preparation is crucial as seen in this video by TAP, makers of King Seaboard and the glue to use.
Be careful of the torch work, you don't want to melt the plastic at all.
I did the prep and then just coated both pieces and pushed them together until dry, 24 hours. As stated in the video you cannot clamp it as there needs to be a gap for the glue to fill. For this reason you'll never get a perfect match but a little sandpaper and it was fine.
I then put in two small but long stainless screws on either side of the mounting hole, one parallel to the board and the other at an angle, I figure they'll give some insurance. We'll see how they hold up. If they crack again I'll make new ones but still put in screws for reinforcement. I went in too far with the countersink, drill bits really grab this stuff.
I had similar cracking. In my case there were two issues, one was cracking due to expansion and contraction and the second was bowing due to expansion and the fact that the toe rail was pushing on both ends against the hull.
I cut off about 1/8 inch from the forward end of the toe rail after removing it to get more expansion space. I clamped the warped rail against a flat board and left it in the sun for a while to soften it. 90$ of the warping straightened out and the rest is not really noticeable.
The next step is important; Other than the center screw hole, I drilled a bigger pilot in the other holes and elongated them a bit with a drill by sliding the bit for and aft. I also made the screw head depression a bit wider by lightly drilling using a much wider bit. Finally, I made sure I lightened the screws except for the center one which holds the rail in position.
The key is to give some room for expansion and reduce the stresses. I did glue the broken piece back on but it will proably re-crack since it cracked centered on the screw hole. If you want, you can drill a new hole just above the old one but in a solid area of the rail
I cut off about 1/8 inch from the forward end of the toe rail after removing it to get more expansion space. I clamped the warped rail against a flat board and left it in the sun for a while to soften it. 90$ of the warping straightened out and the rest is not really noticeable.
The next step is important; Other than the center screw hole, I drilled a bigger pilot in the other holes and elongated them a bit with a drill by sliding the bit for and aft. I also made the screw head depression a bit wider by lightly drilling using a much wider bit. Finally, I made sure I lightened the screws except for the center one which holds the rail in position.
The key is to give some room for expansion and reduce the stresses. I did glue the broken piece back on but it will proably re-crack since it cracked centered on the screw hole. If you want, you can drill a new hole just above the old one but in a solid area of the rail
Recoil Rob
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I understand about elongating the screw holes to allow for expansion/contraction but won't that also make the board shift under the stress of someone having their toes under it and causing more damage? These boards are a safety feature so shouldn't they be mounted as solidly as possible?
Perhaps just better to remove them before winter storage?
Perhaps just better to remove them before winter storage?
I elongate the screw holes fore and aft, not up and down and only about 1 /16 of an inch if that. The middle screw hole stays the same and can be tightened securely. If done like this the rail will not move up or down.
I can't tell you if the cracking is from expansion in the heat or contraction in the cold. The warping obviously is due to expansion. It also took 9 or ten years for the cracks to show up.
I can't tell you if the cracking is from expansion in the heat or contraction in the cold. The warping obviously is due to expansion. It also took 9 or ten years for the cracks to show up.
I would just replace it.
I put a lot of stress on my toe rails, especially in rough sea. You don't need that repair coming apart at the worst possible time
I put a lot of stress on my toe rails, especially in rough sea. You don't need that repair coming apart at the worst possible time
Recoil Rob
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