alternative to expensive internal grab rails

Y

Yellowstone

New member
Have been trying to come up with an alternative to the rather expensive internal grab rails to fit the 22' C-Dory. The factory rails are an option and a good one. But I find SS rails cold and slippery to my touch. And since I am 6'3" and forever banging my head on anything inside the cabin (standard cabin height), I decided to come up with an inexpensive yet effective grab system. The through bolts to the outside railing are 5/16 diameter 18 - pretty standard stuff. SS eyebolts can be purchased for around $3 each of that dimension and pitch and used as the through bolts (with washers) to the upper railings. You may have to shorten the bolt so it doesnt bottom out before everything is snug. I found a black 3/4 inch nylon rope with a very soft lay which makes an excellent grab system. Just tie a knot on the outside of two eyebolts after stringing the rope. Of course use plenty of marine sealant. There is a slight sag to the rope, but when you grab the rope, it works. Total investment? About $20. John
 
John-

Good idea!

Sounds like a simple and direct solution to the problem!

If the rope seems too lose for anyone, the ends could be sewn or back braided into loops, then a length of smaller diameter shock cord wrapped back and forth several times or more through these loops to make for a tight system.

Before I had my hip surgery, I had trouble getting up out of the dinette (converted) berth, so I made an internal rail above the bed. I used aluminum tube, about 1-1/4" in diameter (as I remember), and put a birch dowel inside to keep from crushing it with the longer screws I substituted for the regular ones.

One also has to add a spacer to hold the new rail off the roof for one's hand to fit into, so I made those out of small sections of the same birch dowel, finished flat on one end to fit against the roof and sanded concave on the other to fit up against the round tube. I finished them with the same polyurethane used on the outside rails.

Of course, I have an older boat, with teakwood external rails, so the internal spacing was closer, with seven attachment points instead of four, but the idea would work the same with either boat.

In addition, the anodized aluminum tube has much thinner walls than the heavy walled stainless tube, so it doesn't seem nearly as cold.

The larger diameter tube fits one's hands better too, something I've always preferred about the teak rails, in addition to their appearance.

One could also use the same teak rails on the inside that are used externally, but they would have to be drilled out to countersink the wood screws into from the inside.

It just depends on what suits your fancy (whatever that is), and how much time one's got to sink into the project.

Thanks for the report, and also the one on Yellowstone Lake!

Say HELLO to Edna for Cathy and me!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Hi Joe - Thanks for your comments. I'm also a teak rail user, which has that nice warm feeling and enough friction to help keep the hands from slipping wet or dry. In fact the Far West II has five foot teak rails running parallel with the SS ones on the roof - these on the edge of the roof brow allowing the screws to come up through the bottom. These are used more often when walking the side, or both when the water is rough.Also, single teak handles (4) are mounted on the rear of the cabin - one on each side on the edge (opposite the rear SS handles) and two on the bottom of the roof overhang staddle the door. The side handles give the boater two handholds when getting into the boat from the trailer or the dock. We have found these handles absolutely essential to our safety, and they look good, too. As one gets older, these little additions are really more than cosmetic.

I thought of using teak rails in the cabin as opposed to the factory SS rails. But I found the spacing from the four attachment points per side didn't work. Hence the SS eye bolts. If the reader is going to do this addition, it is important that a SS washer be slid over the shank before the eye bolt is turned upward since it allows the eye bolt to create even pressure around the hole in the roof. The eye bolts I bought had 2" shanks and had to be shortened, particularly the attachments aft. Simple trial and error process.

Some update on that project, which is a very simple project if one has a hacksaw. The absolute neatest way to create eye bolts is to buy SS eye nuts, and then thread a precut SS 5/16 shank into the nut. But the only downside to that is cost. West Marine lists the eye nuts at $22 eacn 5/16 shank (page 1189 in 2008 catalog) I ended up using three (3) eye bolts per side, aft forward, which allows the rope to make a U in the cabin, running the rope under and across the shelf. Very handy to grab when crawling out of the forward berth area. So the total cost is about $26.

If I found an inch rope with a soft lay, I would use it, but the 3/4 inch rope works OK. 15 feet of rope will do the trick in a 22' cruiser. Why it took 13 years for me to figure this out, I don't know. Take care Joe & Cathy. John & Edna
 
I've used the eyebolts also but instead of cutting them to the exact length I simply put a nut and flat washer on them. You probably know this but you can find 316 stainless eyebolts at Home Depot.
 
I agree, I also thought that stainless tubing was a bit cold and hard & I already have enough stuff to bang my head on.....I took a different tack though. I got some tubular nylon webbing from West M and stuck a piece of tube foam inside for a little body, poked some holes in the end and screwed it down with the existing rail hardware. It's been working good for many years now, I only wish that I'd done it the whole length of the roof.
pic-
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
 
I did this a few years ago. Some pictures in my album. I see I need to update lots of pics but the lines are pictured. They are still very taut, tighter when it it is hot and the roof expands. You can turn one eyebolt 90 degrees if they are too tight. I used a stopper knot at one end, and a sewn through loop at the other end.

Regards,

Mark
 
As both Ken and Mark have commented, using eyebolts for rope handles for support is old news. Now when you look at Ken's pictures you need to understand that he is a real professional craftsman. It looks like Blue C's counter has a corian top. Ken's modifications are probably the creme de la creme of C-Dory land in my opinion. John
 
We solved the interior hand rail problem (cost and location) at the local Lowes. They have a selection of handicap bathroom grab bars 12 inches to 4 feet, 1.5 inch diameter. I used a 24 inch bar above the galley for both a hand rail and towel bar. I mounted it outside the bolts for the roof rails to keep it out of the line of travel. I used 4200 which allows for removal if neccessary, no additional holes in the boat/roof. It is stainless and surface is peened for extra grip, hands and towels. Solid semipermanent solution. Cost 20.00 to 50.00.
 
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