Bow Rail bend radii

[stwagstaff]

Can anybody tell me the radius of the bends in their Angler/Classic/Cruiser bow rails? I'm adding stuff to my '83 classic and I want to try building my own bow rail and radar arch.

I have ready access to a tech machine shop with a Hossfeld tubing bender and TIG/MIG welding gear. The price I was quoted to have the rails made by the local marine stainless guy (next door to the c-dory dealer in Oakland) was about $1,000 ***each*** so I figure I can make some mistakes on the way and still get off cheap and have some fun making a mess while I'm at it.

The only tool I don't have available is the right die for the bender. These run about $200 - $300 apiece and there are different dies for each tubing diameter and bend radius. I'd like to settle on one, if I can -- I plan to use it for the project then auction it off on ebay to get some of the money back.

I'm guessing from photos I've looked at that the bow-end bend is about a 4-inch radius and I could get away with using the same radius for the diagonal bends at the back end. I'm planning on using 1-inch diameter tubing throughout.

Anybody able to measure these for me? Otherwise, it's a long trip to Oakland with my tape measure...

By the way, the way the bend radii are measured on railing is along the centerline of the rail, rather than on the inside or outside edge.

Thanks,
Sean

[thataway]

Sean
I don't know what the radius of the bend is, but I have seen many different pulpits on various boats, and it is basically the asthetics, as well as the angle of the uprights which give the grace to the forum. You might experiment with some flexiable matieral to see what is most pleasing to your eye. When I have had pulpits built, we always mocked them up first. we also changed from the classic round "nose" to radius on the sides and a solid pipe in the center, down a bit from the top, that one could walk thru the pulpit--such as with a gang plank to the shore. In other words, no reason not to be innovative and perhaps come up with a new form which is more functional. Perhaps the facility has some larger radaii dies and that might just work fine--rather than buying a specific size.

Great project! Good luck on it.

[Casey]

Sean,

I don't know about the various radii for bowrails and radar arches, but Bob Austin certainly made some valid points - there are probably numerous (radius) used.

Having said that ... here's an idea.

Rather than go out and purchase a $200-$300 die for a one time use couldn't you fabricate one from hardwood that would serve the limited bending you need to do?

Most of the railing I've seen is 7/8" diameter (occasionally you will see 1" diameter in heavier duty applications). If you bought some wood blocking you could bandsaw the curve you want. When you have the newly sawn blocks, you then use a woodworking edger (similar to a router) to cut the 7'8" groove in the face of the 'bend.

An easier way to experiment and see if this idea would work is to get some scrap wood, cut-in the necessary groove and try making some bends with aluminum conduit.

Good Luck!

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
...currently 'sweatin in Key West

[drjohn71a]

Sean,

While I don't know many specifics about the classic C-Dory railings, my experience has been the 3/4 inch rails are pretty weak and require many vertical supports, the 1 inch rails are sturdier with fewer vertical supports needed, and the 1 1/4 inch rails (on the TomCats) are superbly strong and require the absolute minimum vertical supports. They are more comfortable and easy to grip and have almost no flex.

I'd advise you to at least use 1 inch rails, whether you do it yourself or hire it done. If you want incredibly strong rails with the minimum vertical pieces, the 1 1/4 inch diameter rails are the ticket.

John

[stwagstaff]

Thanks for all the great feedback. You've all given me a lot to think about. Since I'll be working from scratch, I don't have anything to lose by playing with these ideas.

I really like the idea of a bow rail with some kind of "gate" in the front for boarding over a gangplank...I like to beach the boat. I'll look into the relative merits of working with 7/8 vs 1-inch vs 1-1/4-inch railings. My local metal dealers sell stainless by the pound ($$$) so the cost differences should be modest.

My hope is to settle on one or two dies that I can use for bending bow rails, a radar arch, and possibly a rear cargo/cooler deck. It's possible to make your own dies for Hossfeld and similar benders, but they're not all that simple, since the die is actually three parts -- the radiused part that you pull the tubing around, the small backing die that presses the tubing into the round die (and also conforms to the bend radius), and a clamping U-strap that holds the work in place as it is bent. These all have to be machined with the right groove diameter for the tubing. It's a good idea, but I'm pretty sure buying the dies with the single-time-use-then-sell-it-on-ebay-approach will end up being a more cost-effective use of my time.

I plan to spend some time playing with the materials, tools and the design to get confortable before I undertake any serious bending, hacking or welding. I'll post my results as they happen.