Aluminum Railing on 2003 C-Dory 22' Cruiser

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pierrelesperance

New member
I'm having difficulty sourcing a replacement railing for my 2003 C-Dory 22 foot Cruiser. Taco Marine does not carry that railing any more. I am waiting to hear back from them as to whom might. Any other suggestions would be welcomed.
The rub rail is no problem but the Aluminum railing is the challenge.

Thank you.

Pierre
 
pierrelesperance":36vbc36p said:
I'm having difficulty sourcing a replacement railing for my 2003 C-Dory 22 foot Cruiser. Taco Marine does not carry that railing any more. I am waiting to hear back from them as to whom might. Any other suggestions would be welcomed.
The rub rail is no problem but the Aluminum railing is the challenge.

Thank you.

Pierre
Click to expand...

Just to make sure I understand:

The rub rail consists of two parts. One is a rubber insert, and the other is an aluminum extrusion that holds the rubber insert.

There is also a "railing" (pulpit) that is a couple of feet above the deck and is made of stainless tubing.

I figured that earlier you were speaking of the aluminum rubrail base (and probably you still are), but I just want to be sure we're talking about that vs. the bow pulpit (which could be called a railing).

Also, can I ask if there is any possibility it might not need replacing? Is it bent/mangled/broken? Or is it just coming off the boat? If the latter, then that's a "normal" problem and it can be re-attached. Obviously if it's mangled or broken then never mind.

I wonder if that profile with the hook at the bottom (shown above) could be altered to make it fit (remove hook) -- if the original is not available anywhere.
 
pierrelesperance":3p4i17fz said:
The aluminum extrusion is damaged. Taco metal does not have that profile anymore.
Click to expand...
How long a section is damaged? If it's a long piece, it might be simplest/cheapest to just replace it all with a profile that is currently available. Pick a profile that's a bit wider than what was there and it will cover any color differences that exists between the gel coat under the old rail and the exposed area. If it's a short chunk (like a foot or two), you could probably get someone to custom machine it for a few $100. It's not a complicated piece to make but the cost of remaking the identical profile for a long piece would be astronomical while most shop mills can easily handle stock in the few foot size range. If one of the currently available profiles is close enough, it might even be possible to manufacture the desired profile from it. For example, if there was a currently available one that had looked the same but was just a bit too tall. I piece could get cut out of the middle and the two pieces joined back together (either via welding or via attachment of the separate pieces to the boat). Of course that would also necessitate that the rubber insert still be available in that size.
 
Call C Dory and ask who their supplier is. It is possible that if it is a short piece, that they might even have some pieces near the correct size.

The other option is if Taco, has a similar profile, except for that wider lower lip, is to grind off the lower lip--I would have to measure the size of the extrusion on my boat...I took a quick look at night, and it looks as if the
Taco# A12-0305 with the lower lip ground to the same width as the upper would be close..but I can put calipers on it in the AM.
 
Thanks Roger and Bob,
I only have to replace a 4 foot section. I may go with the A12-0305 and grind out the bottom. I have contacted C-Dory and was sent two links fisheries supply.com which carries Taco, and a custom fabricator who pointed me back to fisheries supply.com. One more day of digging for the exact match. If not I will follow the A12-0305 option. Thanks for your help.
 
Looking oltat the Taco and what I measured with the micrometer, It should work with the grinding down. I would get an extra foot, and play with that first, to get the grinding correct. If you want to blend the junction of the two sections of railing, a little dab of JB weld (for fairing, not for structural), I would cut all ends square, and as close to the dimension as possible. (Use a table disc sander with a guide to get the exact 90 degree angle. Put the dab JB weld on the end, when you insert the repair railing. Then clean off any excess. Be sure that there are no spurs left by grinding/sanding smooth.

This is also a good time, to put in the machine screws vs the pop rivets the factory use. I personally would glass over the inside, but there are a number options, including acorn nuts.

I would probably replace the entire rub rail at the very least on that side--preferably the entire boat. (I realize this will be more expensive).
 
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