Hey folks does anyone know what material the toe rails are made from and if it can be glued? Both of mine have the corners broken off and I would like to glue them back on. I thought it was starboard but it has a gloss to it. I have tried a couple adhesives but can't get it to hold. The breaks are clean and the mating surfaces are very smooth. I have tried all normal prep work before bonding but still no luck. I am thinking I may need to drill a pilot hole in each piece and thread a stud in to hold them together in addition to the glue. I am open to suggestions, thanks!
Toe rails
- Thread starter Fishshoreman
- Start date
Forward starboard end broke off. Let me know if you find an adhesive that works!
Looks like Starboard to me.
Looks like Starboard to me.
Fishtales
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From the GW website:
"Super strong and super durable, polyethylene trimwork and toe rails are low maintenance and will look as good as new in the years to come."
Give GW Cust Service a call and see what they recommend. Pls let us all know!
"Super strong and super durable, polyethylene trimwork and toe rails are low maintenance and will look as good as new in the years to come."
Give GW Cust Service a call and see what they recommend. Pls let us all know!
There are readily available glues for many plastics but most specifically mention that are not suitable for polyethylene or polypropylene. There are commercially available adhesives for these polys , body shops use them a lot. The bigger issue here is that often the ends of the toe rail break off where the screw attaches it. That is a stress point and i am not sure even if glued, that the fix will hold under stress. There are two methods I have seen to repair. The first is to replace the entire toe rail usually with a piece of starboard or poly if you can find it. The second is to 'sister' a new end to the existing rail. This can be done with a scarf joint, glued and bolted or a but joint bolted with a backer plate. Depending on your skills, the backer plate can be inset in the back (routed pocket) so that very little shows. Sometimes the inset backer plate approach can be used to reattach the broken off piece.
By the way, I have two broken off ends on my toe rails but there is enough end left to keep the screw seated. I try to not notice the tips
FYI: I don't think that the pressure of yout feet breaks the rails. It seems to be the expansion and contraction from temperature changes that puts pressure on the screws. If you want to reduce the possibility of these breaks, elongate the holes a bit.
By the way, I have two broken off ends on my toe rails but there is enough end left to keep the screw seated. I try to not notice the tips
FYI: I don't think that the pressure of yout feet breaks the rails. It seems to be the expansion and contraction from temperature changes that puts pressure on the screws. If you want to reduce the possibility of these breaks, elongate the holes a bit.