Index

Cabin Top Grab Rails, Restore or Replace.
INDEX - remove, install, steam, laminate, cut, cover.

REFINISH the EXISTING GRAB RAILS - If the wood on your grab rails is still in good condition but they could use a new coat then you should consider removing them to do the job properly, without making a holy mess on the deck.  This permits you to strip the old finish off, fill any gouges and seal the rails to the deck.  Ironically it's the sealing that is the most important factor, not finishing the wood.  In all likelihood the old caulking is brittle and no longer seals to the deck.  You can test the seal by giving each rail a good twist with both your hands.  If they flex with respect to the deck stubs and/or the seal is cracked, they require resealing.  Simple as that.  The sealants available today are far superior to the factory original caulking and they flex up to 50% to stay sealed.  This flex provides the best protection for the deck. 

REMOVE the GRAB RAILS - Drill out the wood plugs with a sharp slightly undersized drill bit.  You may use a Brad drill bit to start drilling a clean hole but don't bottom out the hole as you will likely damage an expensive bit when you hit the screw head.  Instead finish with a standard metal drill bit and don't drill much deeper than 1/4."  If you damage the drive hole of the screw (#10 Roberts) then you can't unscrew it.  Also be careful not to gouge the edge of the hole with the drill bit.  So stop short of the screw head, pick out all the debris with a sharp pointy awl, thoroughly clean all bits of wood from the edge of the hole before removing the screw.  Failure to clean the hole will result in the screw pushing up on the bits of wood, lifting hand rail splinters and damaging the edge of the hole so a new plug can't seal it.  Clean the top of the deck stubs that support the rails and temporarily cover the screw holes with tape to seal the core of the deck.  Depending on your climate, duct tape can usually be removed up to two weeks after application.  However, I wouldn't leave it any longer as you may have a messy clean up job with the adhesive.  Electrical tape does not leave any adhesive but then it doesn't stick as well either.  Forget about using masking tape. 

Coating - Once the wood has been restored it must be coated on all six sides to create complete protection.  My preference of coatings is Sikkens Cetol Marine.  Four coats wear extremely well, blocks 100% of UV and passes vapor while blocking water from coming in.  It creates a satin finish that feels wonderful.  It only requires a recoat every second year or so, depending on your climate, all without sanding.  The bonus is that Cetol Marine is chemically compatible with Sikaflex adhesive and they stay stuck to each other.  What more could you ask for?  Here are some points to remember: 

1. Remember to remove the teak oil in the wood with acetone before you apply the coating. 
2. To apply the annual maintenance coat of Cetol Marine to the underside of the rail, soak a small rag in Cetol Marine and pull it back and forth like sandpaper. 
3. Protect the deck while applying Cetol by masking around the top of the deck stubs and use a rag to cover the deck. 

INSTALL the GRAB RAILS - The grab rails are mounted according to the vintage of your hull. 
- On the original hulls straight rails (not bent to the curve) were mounted with two wood screws (#8 Roberts pan head, 1.5" ) driven directly down into each deck stub.  They were slightly offset (left, right) from each other to flatten the rails down to the stubs.  As a result they are under considerable strain.  While not required for a formed rail, the same two screws are shown below for Panache's new laminated bent rails.
- On later hulls the rails were held down with a machine screw threaded into a metal insert at each stub.  This stronger technique has more holding power to pull the wood down to the stubs but still isn't as good as bending by laminating or cutting to eliminate strain!  If you examine Paul's steam bending pictures closely, his rails were originally mounted with two screws but afterwards he used only one screw because the extra strength was not required. 

1. PILOT HOLES - The last step is to fasten the rails to the deck stubs by drilling the pilot holes.   However, it's wise to apply one coat of your favourite finish to protect the wood while you work with it. 
   - If the screw holes on your deck stubs are badly damaged, fill them with epoxy.  Once cured you can drill new holes through the rails and deck stubs for a perfect alignment.  Mark the rail for the rear holes first (Keep in mind that the aft end of the rails must fit perfect because you and your friends will be staring at them for a long time!), then drill a pilot hole and temporarily set a screw in it.  This prevents the rail from moving while you mark the holes for the remaining stubs. 
   - Another technique is to use your old rails as a template to drill holes through the new rails.  They will then line up with the deck stub holes.  Clamp the old rail on top of the new rail while drilling. 
   - Finally you can make some transfer studs by sharpening the top of a screw, set it in the stub hole and push the new rail on top of it.  This will prick a hole in the bottom of the rail through which you can drill an accurately placed hole.  Drill the aft holes first.  Set a screw in, then move forward to the next set.
   Once all the pilot holes are drilled in perfect alignment with the holes in the stubs, counter sink the holes for tapered wood plugs using a 3/8" Brad point wood drill bit.  This style of drill bit leaves an absolutely clean hole making a perfect seal for the wood plug. 
2. SEALING - Clean the tops of the deck stubs with acetone and ensure that the under sides of the teak rail are clean.  Apply a bead of Sikaflex around each screw hole (closing the loop), and fill any voids to prevent a moisture trap.  Carefully align the rail over the deck stubs and snug the screws in place.  Be careful not to smear any sealant as it is very messy stuff to clean.  It is better to stay clean to begin with than to clean afterwards so mask any area you don't want sealant to stick to.  Tighten the screws only slightly, stopping about one turn from the bottom.  This is to prevent squeezing all the adhesive out.  After 48 hours, tighten to just snug.  Finally, create a fillet around the top of each deck stub to seal the bottom of the rail.  This is extremely important as it directs water to flow onto the deck to prevent damaging the core of the deck.  Let the Sikaflex cure for two days before touching it. 
3. PLUGS - To fill the screw holes it's best to use a tapered plug of matching wood as a taper seals extremely tight, preventing an ingress of water.  A wood plug does a far superior job of sealing the wood than any amount of sealant ever can.  If you use a plug cutter to make your own plugs from the same wood the rails are made of, you achieve the best aesthetics.  Before you drive the plug in with a hammer, wash the hole and plug with acetone to remove any oil.  Then smear epoxy or wood glue all over the sides of the plug and the hole, align the grain of the plug with that of the rail (aesthetics) and pound it in.  Use a wood punch to drive the last bit of the plug in.  After the adhesive is dry use a very sharp chisel to shear off any protruding portion of the plug.  Sand the surface smooth.  When done correct you should not be able to feel the edge of the plug. 
4. COAT - Finish with four coats of Sikkens Marine Cetol Marine.   TOP

FABRICATE NEW RAILS - Replacement wood grab rails should be cut from straight grain solid hard wood.  The original rails were solid teak but you may substitute with mahogany or other hard wood.  Remember that when you attach a rigid item to fiberglass the rule of thumb is, "always shape the item to conform to the fibreglass, not the other way around."   Fibreglass must NEVER be placed under permanent stress.  Therefore, new wood rails must be steam bent, laminated or cut to shape. 

STEAM BEND - Steam bending is probably the least wasteful technique.  Bending is not as difficult as it may seem.  Simply use an electric kettle for a boiler, shove a radiator hose over the spout (must be a tight fit so you don't lose steam), connect the hose to the steam box and push the wood inside the box to "cook" it.  Keep the water at a hard boil.  Leave the wood inside the box till it gets REAL hot right to the core.  At the "magic moment" (about 2 hrs if it is hot outside) the wood will become elastic and you can pull it out to bend it.  You only have about 10 seconds to form it to the desired shape so form it around a mold.  Practice with a piece of scrap wood and use insulated gloves.  Remember that wood will always spring back about 10% after steam bending, so allow for it by over bending.  Shown below is Paul's handiwork on replacing the rails on his boat.

Rails in the steam box.	Libations break while waiting for steam		Forms and clamps ready.
The wood is very hot after two hours, so gloves are mandatory for handling it. At right the hot rails are being set in clamps for cooling. Once the wood has cooled it "remembers" this as the shape it grew in. All internal stresses are relieved.
Well the rails fit perfect and now it's time to drill the pilot holes for mounting.   These rail have a compound curve to match the surface of the deck.  Notice at right how the new rails sit flush on the deck stubs.  This makes it very easy to seal them to the deck to protect the core.  Besides being stronger, it looks good. Details!  TOP

LAMINATE - If you don't have access to a steam bender then a good alternative is to laminate layers of wood, bending them over a form.  One of the advantages of laminating is that thin strips of wood bend quite easily and there is virtually no spring back of the final assembly like there is with steam bending.  The epoxy simply holds the wood in the shape it was clamped.  One of the disadvantages of laminating is that the assembly must be clamped to the form for 24 hours while the epoxy cures.  This can make for slow progress if you are making multiple units on the same mold.  However, with laminating you also have the opportunity to do some creative work.  Use you imagination here.  There are some very artistic people out there who can create optical illusions with different colours of wood.  I love these techniques and the attention to detail it demands.

After several attempts at steam bending some expensive oily teak, I gave up.  Teak is one of those woods that doesn't always lend itself to bending as the natural oil prevents the steam from penetrating to soften the wood.  Instead, I cut the teak into strips and laminated it over a mold.  At right you can see my results mounted on the deck. 

The teak is laminated with pine for colour contrast.  At left is a detail photo of the tapered wood plugs on top of each deck pod.  They were drilled from the same teak stock for colour match.  Plugs are required to seal the screws against moisture and thereby prevent them from corrosion. 

Drill the holes to install the grab rails.  Apply at least 4 more coats of Sikkens Marine Cetol for complete UV protection.   TOP

Time for the first layer of clear coat to protect the bare wood for working with it.  Drill the holes to install the grab rails.  Apply at least 4 more coats of Sikkens Marine Cetol for complete UV protection.   TOP
 

COVER to PROTECT the GRAB RAILS - Regardless of how you shape the rails, steam, laminate or cut, the single most important thing is to seal the screw holes with wood plugs and completely coat the surface with Sikkens Cetol Marine or other clear coat.  I can't emphasize this enough.  I initially applied 4 coats of Cetol for protection against UV in the extreme sun East of the Rockies.  Then I apply an annual coat to maintain the protection, that is if I don't forget!  Not everybody likes Cetol Marine in which case, use your favourite clear coat.  As good as some of these coatings are the morning sun shining through the dew has a way of penetrating a finish like nothing else can.  Few owners are around to wipe off the dew nor do they have the time for the required maintenance.  This is the primary reason why many manufacturers have switched away from wood trim on a deck.  But there is a solution to this problem too. 

So warm up your sewing machine and make a couple of rail covers from Sunbrella.  The rails have a circumference of about 5.5".  Leave a 3/4" hem on each side to attach Velcro.

Click here to view my pattern (not to scale).

Sorry for the winter photos but this is reality in Canada.  Its the perfect time to take your projects home for completion.  The rail covers do fit tighter than shown in the photo.  There was ice under the rails preventing the Velcro from latching.  Panache was temporarily parked for a repair job when Mother Nature made a surprise visit, depositing 6" of cold sunshine on the deck in early October.  This was the first chance I had to clear the deck.  Surprise, surprise, the snow did not stick to the Cetol coated grab rails.  Hmmm.   TOP
 

OK I'll give you a break, here are both rails covered in the summer.

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